Joony's Top 10 Super Middleweights of All-Time

As we countdown to the most anticipated super middleweight showdown of the decade, I felt it was a got time to reflect on one of youngest weight divisions the sport.

Calzaghe probably merited recognition as the division's best when he battered America's Jeff Lacy in a unification bout. But both fighters have been dominant in their section of the division, and the winner will have a stranglehold on the division not seen since the days of Roy Jones.

But for now, let's rank some of the division’s past greats and talk about how they earned their spot

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Regardless of our take on the actual order of the rankings, that's a very nice article, Joons. :clap:

 

thanks. what's your top 10?

 

Honestly, bro, I stopped making those lists a while ago. Just kinda got tired of 'em.

Personally, I think Kessler may have already surpassed Park and Nunn (at 168 lbs).

Also, I don't know that Toney did enough at 168 lbs. to be ranked so high, despite some quality wins....especially when I look at Benn and Liles and Collins and Ottke.

Benn and Liles are very close...could literally be switched, but I'd leave them as you have them.

Just random thoughts....haven't done much analysis on this (especially this division) in years.

Peace.

 

eh, i made one for argument's sake. i dont really care about lists either.

steve farhood once compiled a list in the mid 90s or so on the ring mag. he rated park #1.

park KO3 kessler

 

::

 

park really did call out Hagler in the 80s. when park's promoter was talking to arum about kim-mancini fight, they were also discussing hagler-park.

 

I was gonna say, I was tempted to stop reading after seeing Nunn's name in the Top 10, but instead elected to skip that part and read on. If he does belong in the Top 10, then it speaks little of the division as a whole. But I agree that Kessler has already surpassed him, regardless of what happens this weekend.

 

A list without Sven Ottke at #1 is useless

 

you're probably right. kessler has partially unified the division and has decent wins over mundine and beyer. but then again, i dont think mundine's that good. he beat danny green and a shot antwun echols. that's about it. beyer's decent, but he was old.

park beat lindell holmes (although the decision was somewhat disputed)!

 

I have no issues with Park being ranked. I just think Nunn was always overrated as a SMW, with media clinging to unfulfilled potential while at MW. But his reign was shit, and ended against quite possibly the worst titlist in super middleweight history.

 

but anyway, all that said, nice breakdown on the rest of the entries. Whether or not I agree with the order they're in far less important than the fact that it was a well-thought out piece.

 

yea. fuck nunn. i didnt know who else to put in there. the division's garbage. but with that said, Steve Little was a bit better than someone like Manny Siaca or that Berrio guy who recently lost to Bute. ::

 

I apologize for a few typos I missed. Otherwise it was a good read

 

yes, i noticed. YOU SUCK

 

Why didn't I get a "you're probably right", you prejudiced bastard! :flip: ::

Holmes is the only close-to-elite guy Park DID beat...and that wasn't even a lock.

:tease:

 

i watched the holmes fight when it was replayed on a korean broadcast a few years back. park whupped his ass from pillar to post! haha

 

Right...which is why you yourself felt the need to call it "disputed" in your previous post.

:: Now you're just being an instigator.

Stop defending your countryman! :nono: ::

Park should be ranked.....#10. :tease:

 

park was an exciting fighter. the first few times i saw him on tv, he beat up some bums. he then fought Obelmejias in a rematch and got his ass w-h-u-p-p-e-d. i also saw the highlights from their first fight and he got whupped then too.

finally, my dad took me and my cousin to see park vs. baek, where again, park got his face smashed.

nevertheless, he was a warrior. in his prime, he would've taken baek to school and knock his ass out.

a few years ago, park fought in a semi-fixed kicboxing vs. boxing match against his amateur rival. they both looked like like they were 50 (although both were in their early 40s) and park was the first one to gas out.

 

i think park at his best would've outworked nunn. maybe. haha

 

He never could quite turn the trick against Fulgencio, could he? At least he went the distance the second time around.

Park was exciting...so was Baek.

Peace.

 

Yeah, but the brand new 168 division (and title) was even less respected than Cruiserweight division during Hagler's title reign. And it was much like the Cruiserweight division was a haven for fighter who flopped at 175 or heavy....Supermiddle was originally a haven for fighters who couldn't make it at 160 or 175.

And since Park won his title from 160 & 175 lb fringe contender Murray Sutherland, who won his title in a vacant title match against Ernie Singletary (a journeyman best known at the time for decent losing efforts against the likes of Thomas Hearns and Frank Fletcher). Park was (deservedly) no more than a blip on Hagler's radar as he was a bit busy with the likes of Hearns, Mugabi & Leonard. Park's title reign was ok, but his title fight loss to 2-time Hagler KO victim Fulgencio Obelmejias puts his "calling out Hagler" in perspective.

Nothing against Park..but I would have a hard time labeling him a "great." Same goes for all of these fighters other than Jones, Toney and possibly Calzaghe.

Anyway...good article with good info about the fighters.

 

you dont think eubank was a great fighter?

 

Nah. He was a good fighter and a title holder...but I wouldn't call him a great fighter. But then I think I might be a little more stingy with the word "great" than most. ::

 

his resume was better at 168 than roy or toney. eubank could easily be the best super middleweight ever. he deserved to win the crusier belt from carl thompson.

 

whoa, put the brakes on that last part. It was a GREAT fight, and Eubank far exceeded all expectations in that one. But the decision was a fair one, and he got his rematch anyway (where he came crashing back down to earth).

But I agree with you. Eubank isn't a great in an all time sense. But I'd say he was closer to great than "just" good.

 

eubank was a great fighter! eubank KO1 spider web and vivian in one night!

 

Jones' & Toney's greatness stem from their entire careers, not just their time at 168. And wasn't Eubank one of those fighters at 168 who apparently wanted nothing to do with a Jones fight?

 

damn, you left me nothing to disagree with

 

one thing about eubank tho. he had his share of close decisions but i thougth he looked great when he took nigel benn apart prior to stopping him.

he also had amazing recuperative power like he showed against watson in the rematch.

i think he would've beaten toney in a very close fight but lost to jones.