Building the Ultimate Boxer Vol IV- Lightweight

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By Brian “The Beret” Young

Welcome back fight fans for part four. Today we will build the ultimate Lightweight using the same criteria as we have been using: Left hook (or right if a southpaw), Straight right (or left, again if a southpaw), Jab, Footwork, Hand speed, Defense, Chin, Heart and finally “intangibles”, which could be anything from dealing with adversity like cuts or knockdowns, grit, fouls Etc.

Remember, there are some rules. And in the words of George Carlin “my rules, I make ‘em up!” they are as follows:

1- Only ONE attribute can be used per fighter (otherwise the Lightweight article would be very short, it would just read “Lightweight- Roberto Duran”)

2- A fighter can only be used in ONE weight class, if for instance Floyd Mayweather, JR. is used in Lightweight he cannot be used again in Welterweight as well.

3- A fighter has to have been part of the weight class he is used in; you can’t give your featherweight Earnie Shavers power!!

So let’s get started. There are no right answers and this is meant to start a debate and I encourage you to write in with your take, what you like, what you would change. Now let’s go!!

1- Left Hook: Oscar De La Hoya- I know some out there will say that Oscar wasn’t a true Lightweight, but I disagree. Yes, he went on to titles in Welterweight and Middleweight, but it was at Lightweight where that left hook of his was so devastating. This was the left hook that made the incredibly tough Genaro Hernandez quit! And it was the left hook that had the great Julio Cesar Chavez so off his game plan that it allowed the Golden Boy to end the fight in the 4th round.

2- Straight Right: ROBERTO DURAN- Roberto Duran may very well be the greatest Lightweight of all time, so to pick just one category wasn’t easy. In the end, I decided to go with his Right Hand (of stone!!). Duran didn’t throw the right hand like most fighters. It wasn’t actually “straight” but more of a slightly bent punch that used torque to come down on his opponents. For years, the brutal KO of Esteban De Jesus in the 11th round of their rematch in 1974 (and Duran avenging his first lost) was simply called “That Punch”.

3- Jab: KEN BUCHANAN- Was going to say Joe Gans, and there is an argument to be made there, but I decided to go with “the Fighting Carpenter”. What made his jab so effective was the fact that he could throw it on the move as well as while planted. Buchanan was fast and mobile and a great defensive fighter with only 27 KO’s in his 61 wins, but his stiff, fast jab was able to stun opponents and stop them in their tracks. It took a master like Duran who was able to actually nullify that jab and take the title from the Scotsman (albeit from a low blow).

4- Footwork: HECTOR CAMACHO- At Lightweight “Macho” had the perfect mix of speed, mobility and balance. He could control a fight with his feet, using his amazing footwork to always put his opponent in the position he wanted them in. His fights with Jose Luis Ramirez, Howard Davis Jr. and Freddie Roach (yes younger readers, Freddy was also a fighter) show how he could control any style of fighter. Those that remember Camacho as a clutch and grab fighter have to go back and watch him at his dominate best, when it really was “Macho Time” anytime he stepped into the ring.

5- Hand Speed: IKE WILLIAMS- Williams was champion from 1945-1951 and had wins over greats like Sammy Angott, Kid Gavilan, Beau Jack, in that time and was known for his blistering speed and combinations. Sadly, Williams didn’t have the fast feet to go along with his lightning fast hands. That lack of foot speed, and the level of competition at the time account for his 24 loses (including 9 during his title reign in non-title fights) but his fast hands also enabled him to rack up 125 wins, not too shabby!

6- Defense: BENNY LEONARD- “The Ghetto Wizard” was not only a defensive genius who could move, slip punches, think on his feet and change his style depending on how a fight was going. But, he also possessed something few defensive masters have, POWER! Scoring and amazing 70 KO’s in his 89 Wins. Leonard used that combination of power and defense to beat many ring immortals, men like Freddie Welsh, Johnny Dundee, Johnny Kilbane, Jack Britton, and Lew Tendler.

7- Chin: JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ- The night Frankie Randall beat Julio Cesar Chavez for his Jr Welterweight Title and handed the legend his first defeat (via split decision) shocked every boxing fan in the world for two reasons. First off, it was the 90th fight in his career and he was 89-0-1, but more shocking to me at the time was Chavez getting knocked down. It took 90 fights to put even the smallest dent in the chin of what may be the greatest Mexican Boxer in history. Chavez often led with his chin, taking insane amounts of punishment without showing the slightest effect just to get himself in position to land a punch of his own. He almost seemed to thrive on the punches he would take. And no matter how clean he was hit he would still stare down his opponent like a lion stalking his prey.

8- Heart: HENRY ARMSTRONG- Everyone knows the legend of Henry Armstrong, and how he held the Featherweight, Lightweight and Welterweight title simultaneously (in an era when there was only one title per weight class, and no “Jr” classes) But what always amazed me was this was a man with three losses in his first four fights! Of course from there he then went on to a 151-18-9, 101 KO’s spanning multiple weight classes often gaining or losing weight between fights for his next fight. Few realize he almost won the Middleweight title as well at that time (a draw against Ceferino Garcia) but the story that shows his heart to me was his Lightweight title win against Lou Ambers. Armstrong had a badly cut lip and was losing so much blood the referee had threatened to stop the fight. For the last six rounds Armstrong kept his mouth closed and swallowed his own blood to avoid a stoppage. Armstrong won a split decision and was the new Lightweight champion, but blacked out after the fight due to amount of blood he had swallowed.

9- Intangibles: JIMMY MCLARNIN- McLarnin began his career as a hard hitting flyweight and fought thru two reigns as welterweight champ. What made him special was he suffered several hand injuries early in his career and that forced him to change styles part way thru his career. “The Dublin Destroyer” was forced to become a scientific boxer now. He mastered the art of feints and could keep bigger men off balance with a combination of movement and the threat of his power. He also never used a “style” so to speak, throwing whatever seemed to fit at the time. Keeping his hands low with a left that always twitched like it was about to strike he never actually tipped off his punches as an opponent literally never knew what might come next and from what angle it may come.

Well, there is my ultimate Lightweight. I want to know what you think. Feel free to drop me an email with your take on this or any other list, or who you think deserved to be listed. Stay tuned for the next list, Building the Ultimate Welterweight, coming soon to RSR.

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