What fighters with 40 or fewer fights have accomplished the most. Why 40? Because Ray Leonard got me thinking about this and he fought forty times as a pro. Let's start with him.
Ray Leonard-In forty fights he went 5-1-1 against HOFers from 147-160. Has anyone in history ever beaten four fighters as good as Benitez, Hearns, Hagler and Duran? Leonard also defeated sixteen ranked fighters. Incredible.
Jim Jeffries-Jeffries was fighting top guys almost out of the blocks. But the sport was still very thin then (1900+/-) due to it still being illegal in many places. In only twenty fights he faced HOFers nine times and went 7-1-1. He became the undisputed heavyweight champion and had seven defenses. Jeffries really did wreck the division. Now the complaint against Jeffries is he drew the color line. He certainly did as champion. But before then he beat HOFer Peter Jackson as well as Bob Armstrong. When he retired Jack Johnson had just lost a 20 round fight to Marvin Hart in which he performed poorly and he was not yet seen as championship stuff. How formidable was Jeffries? ATG Sam Langford took out newspaper adds offering to fight anyone, anywhere with the specific exception of Jeffries.
Vicente Saldivar-The Mexican great beat HOFer Sugar Ramos for the undisputed featherweight title and defended it eight times. Saldivar defeated HOFers on two occasions and ranked fighters nine times. Forty fights.
Aaron Pryor-In forty fights, the Hawk won the legitimate 140 crown, defended it ten times, defeated HOFers three times and ranked fighters nine times. What time is it?
Pone Kingpetch-In 35 fights, the Thai flyweight won the undisputed championship three different times. He defeated HOFer Pascual Perez twice and split fights with HOFer Fighting Harada. In total he beat six ranked guys. Not sure why he is struggling to get into the HOF unless it is that he only had 35 fights.
Sung-Kil Moon-The 1990's Korean won a 118 strap in his seventh pro fight and defended twice before losing and moving down to the newish 115 to win a strap there. There he knocked off Gilberto Roman and beat a total of seven ranked guys while defending that belt nine times. 22 pro fights.
Michael Spinks-HOF 175 and heavyweight champion (one of only two in history). He beat sixteen ranked fighters and HOFers on three occasions in only 32 pro fights.
Jiro Watanabe-Japanese southpaw 115 of the 1980's. In 28 fights he won a strap and defended it eleven times. He is often viewed as the first real champion 115 ever had.
Jeff Chandler-HOF bantam from Philadelphia. Won the legitimate bantam title in 1980 and defended it ten times. In 37 wins he defeated nine ranked guys. Eye trouble retired him.
Jimmy Carruthers-Aussie bantam word champion of the early 1950's. In nineteen pro fights he won the undisputed 118 crown on the other guys home turf and defended it three times before retiring. He came back seven years later and went 2-4, his only four losses.
Kostya Tszyu-33 fights, that's it. In his fourth fight he fought a still dangerous Juan Laporte. Is generally believed to have begun a new championship line at 140. Defeated a total of 13 ranked fighters.
Where am I wrong and whom did I leave out?
