By Mark Havey: There is always talk of who is the best pound for pound. Most fans and experts concede that it is either Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. When looking at the past most say Muhammad Ali or Sugar Ray Robinson. But I would like to know who everyone thinks is the best P4P out of the British boxers from the past?
We have had some great fighters. Tough, talented, conceited and entertaining. Randy Turpin the “The Leamington Licker” assured his greatness by outpointing Sugar Ray Robinson in 1950. Turpin was world champion for just 64 days before Robinson won back his title in New York. Turpin never recaptured that glory, losing another world-title shot to Carl ‘Bobo’ Olson in 1953.
John Conteh, British boxing’s pin-up boy in the 1970s, Conteh outpointed Jorge Ahamuda for the vacant WBC title in 1974 before defending three times. A hand injury forced him to vacate and he failed three times to regain it, twice against to the gifted Matthew Saad Muhammad.
Ken Buchanan beat Ismael Laguna for the WBA lightweight title in 1970 and defended the title twice before losing to another Panamanian legend Roberto Duran in 1972. Buchanan also beat Carlos Hernandez, Carlos Ortiz and fellow Scot Jim Watt in a magnificent career.
Freddie Mills “Fearless Freddie” is arguably Britain’s most courageous fighter ever. He avenged a loss to Gus Lesnevich to win the world light middleweight title in 1948 before losing to Joey Maxim in 1950 and lost two brutal British heavyweight challenges against far bigger men.
“The Dark Destroyer” Nigel Benn was a relentless power-puncher who knocked out his first 21 opponents before Michael Watson flattened him in 1989. Benn won the WBO middleweight crown in 1990 but lost it to arch-rival Chris Eubank before ruling at 12 stone between 1992-96.
Lennox Lewis was the finest heavyweight of his generation and, despite people saying he was in fact Canadian, he was avowedly British. He won the WBC crown in 1993 and retired as undisputed champion 10 years later having beaten Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko. He was only beaten twice and avenged both.
There are so many great and good British boxers, Eubank, Hatton, Naseem, McGuigan, Cooper, Calzaghe, Downes, Fitzsimmons, Kid Lewis, Honeyghan, McGowan, Armstrong, the list is endless.
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