If you could compile a top 10 list of the toughest most accomplished gate keepers in boxing who would you include? 1. Juan El Pollo Valenzuela -upset Ricardo Williams Jr and Julio Diaz 2.Jesse James Leija-at the end of his career became more of a gatekeeper that upset Francisco Bojado and made Cam-bitchito Jr. quit. 3. Carlos Baldomir-this Argentian won a minor strap but I always felt he was a gatekeeper. He beat favored guys he was not supposed to beat like Zab Judah and Arturo Gatti. 4. Ricardo Mayorga- altough Mayorga had a short reign at 147 was never considered a dominant champ. He beat few guys he wasnt supposed to beat ( like Fernando Vargas, Six heads Lewis and Vernom Forrest) and thats why I added him to the list of gate keepers.
Joe Miceli. His sloppy defense and inconsistent dedication prevented him from having sustained or consistent success at the world class level, but he was good enough to beat reigning LW champs Ike Williams and Bud Smith in over-the-weight fights and battled Kid Gavilan to an SD loss.
Nobody that every lost to Quarry ever won the title. From a quality point of view, if you weren't good enough to beat Quarry, you weren't good enough to either contend for, or win, the title. That played out repeatedly for guys like Mac Foster, Thad Spencer, Buster Mathis, Patterson. Politically, he wasn't a gatekeeper. Both Shavers and Lyle had title shots after they had lost to Quarry.
Johnny Risko has to take it - at least at heavyweight. This man only won about 60% of his fights, but has a win list which is quite easily the best of that era IMO. Chuck Wiggins Paul Berlenbach Jack Delaney Jack Sharkey George Godfrey Ernie Schaaf Paulino Uzcudun Tom Heeney King Levinsky Max Baer Tony Galento Mickey Walker Tommy Loughran Bob Olin He was literally an Austrian verison of Chisora, if Chisora could fight like fuck. He was this tough, half-assed guy who foughy everyone, applied loads of pressure and stuck around like a bad smell.
That Risko guy looks like one of those rare humans that is just strong and rugged. You can train your ass off but you either have a great constitution or you don't. Some guys just take punishment better. Ever see guys who get a graze and their face swells and other guys get a bare fist to the face and all they get is a black eye?
I think that shot clipped him. His leg came up off the mat and he was definitely clipped. What didn't help was that Bundini Brown was walking around telling everybody "We call it de ankha punch, iss de ankha punch" and saying that Joe Louis also threw this anchor punch. There was no anchor punch. It was a chopping right hand that did for an old man who just got caught cold! That Bundini Brown was one of the biggest blowhard bum hangerons of all time.
