Top 50 middleweights ever (11-15)

Approaching the top ten and the decisions are not getting any easier. Jake LaMotta (pictured), who would be in many top-tens, features at the top of this section. As always, comments, or top-fives or tens, are welcomed.

11. Jake LaMotta
The Bronx Bull is known best for his six fights with Sugar Ray Robinson, of which he lost five, but his win over Marcel Cerdan, which made him world middleweight champion, made him worthy of a high spot on this list. Very tough, with one of the best chins in history, and showed that bravery can sometimes make up for silky skills.

12. Marcel Cerdan
The death of Cerdan (pictured) in a plane crash in 1949 on his way to his rematch with Jake LaMotta, robbed the sport of one of its true greats and robbed the Frenchman of his chance to show how good he was, after he was denied the chance to try his hand in the United States much earlier by the Second World War. But beat a top-tier champion in Tony Zale aged 32, boxed most of the nine rounds against LaMotta with a badly damaged shoulder.

13. Charlie 'Kid' McCoy
The Real McCoy himself had a legendary life in and out of the ring. One of the most famous stories about McCoy's career are that he rubbed flour in his face before his match with Tommy Ryan to persuade the welterweight champion to go easy on him, only to hand Ryan a sound thrashing. Boxed in the early days of gloves, there were tales of fixed fights, a ruse about telling opponents their boot-laces were undone before hitting them and one where his corner threw tacks under his opponent's feet, but he took on all-comers, including many of the day's top heavyweights. He was married ten times, appeared on stage and screen, but his life ended tragically when he committed suicide having spent most of his last days in prison for the manslaughter of a mistress.

14. Gerald McClellan
Best remembered for his tragic attempt to win Nigel Benn's WBC super-middleweight title, the aftermath of which uncovered McClellan's revolting interest in dog-fighting, but McClellan was possibly the hardest puncher the middleweight division has ever seen. Won the WBO title at the Albert Hall, knocking down John Mugabi three times in a round, took five rounds to win the WBC title from Julian Jackson - a title which he defended successfully twice, taking a combined 3 minutes to dismiss Jackson again and Gilbert Baptist.

15. Carl 'Bobo' Olson
Olson, from Hawaii, was world champion for just over two years, but that made him the longest reigning middleweight champion in the Fifties, which is some achievement. Won the vacant title against Randolph Turpin, but came up short each time he faced Sugar Ray Robinson, who beat him in 1952 and then returned from retirement to take away his title. He was probably a naturl super-middleweight, but managed to carve himself out a later career as a light-heavyweight contender, although was one of many who boxed on too long.

Comments

[errol]

Since that Raging Bull film and his self-proclaimed, media-driven association with Sugar Ray, La Motta seems generally to be rated more highly than his record deserves. He was just a punch-bag with little ability. He shouldn't even be close to the top 10. There have been at least 25 Middleweights better than him.

[James Fairweather]

Brave call to put La Motta outside the top 10, but I think you're absolutely right. It's hard to forget that he was about 15 seconds from defeat against Laurent Dauthuille and I'm not sure that he would have carried my money in a rematch against a fit Cerdan, either.

Ron, I'm assuming that Les Darcy won't figure in your list of middleweights and it's tough to know what to do with someone who died so tragically young. If you believe a number of Australian old-timers, though, he remains the greatest fighter ever to come out of the country. Do you reckon he might merit a place a bit lower down the order, or is he just a case of what if?