Welcome to Part 5 of the Boxing Survey Series. In this edition we shift our attention towards the Welterweight division in an attempt to rank the greatest Welterweight boxers of all time.
That is what this is all about. The Boxing Survey Series is simply an attempt to rank the greatest boxers of All Time. 24 participants were surveyed in total, with each being required to supply and submit nine total lists. Each participant provided a Top 15 list for each of the traditional eight weight classes – flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight, and each participant also submitted a Top 25 list of the all time best boxers during the long rich history of the sport. No ties were allowed, just straightforward lists numbered sequentially. The participants are those who generally express great interest in the realm of learning more about the wonderful history of professional boxing. In an attempt to help create an element of surprise, the scoring system was not revealed to the participants during the period when the open survey was underway.
The current Welterweight limit of 147 pounds was established in 1909, but the division’s history runs back much further. Many of the absolute greatest boxing legends of all time have spent a portion of their careers competing at Welterweight. Some of the outstanding Hall of Fame boxers who spent time boxing at Welterweight, include names like Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Jack Britton, Tommy Hearns, and Ray Leonard. In more recent years guys like Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr, and Manny Pacquiao have spent considerable time at 147. And these names are just the tip of the iceberg in the historically rich weight class that saw a great abundance of raw talent. Currently Errol Spence Jr is the unified WBC/IBF welterweight world champion, Terence Crawford is the reigning WBO champion, and Manny Pacquiao is the current WBA champion.
So who is the greatest Welterweight of all time? And who are the Top 10 Welterweights in boxing history? This survey attempts to provide an answer to both of those questions, while also exploring a deeper look into historical Welterweight rankings.
This edition of Rummy’s Corner is the 5th of 9 parts in the new Boxing Survey Series, where the discussion will involve some of the greatest Welterweights of all time, while examining some of the survey data. Please watch and enjoy the video for the results of Part 5 of the Boxing Survey Series – the Welterweight division.