The highlighted links below are names that not many may be familiar with, although they were Colossus'  of the sport in its pioneering days.  James Figg and Jack Broughton had records that can only be described as astonishing and Daniel Mendoza was the first to box scientifically with movement and skill, briding the gap between fighter and boxer.  Although they do not make it onto my 'Best of British' listing because records in the pioneering days were sketchy at the very best, it would be very remiss of anyone not to mention them.

 

There are many things to take into account when trying to choose the best Britisn boxer of all time.  Era’s and quality of opposition are a telling factor in any initial thought process, swiftly followed by level the boxer campaigned at and ultimately world title achievements.

 

Boxing might be the toughest sport in which to rank its most historic participants.  It seems problematic trying to devise a formula to capture the essence of greatness. Therefore, judgment comes into play. It is not simply guttural, however, as a lot goes into rendering a judgment. Here are some of the more key standards:

 

Greatness: This is usually achieved with accomplishments.  Greatness can sometimes be achieved in short bursts, while fighters with better longevity never get there.  When it comes down to the wire, you have to go with the better fighter, if it’s in any way obvious.

 

Accomplishments:  These come in many forms. Some guys have a couple of gigantic wins over great fighters, while others have a long run of wins against less-spectacular fighters. Who is to say which is more impressive? 

 

Dominance: There are exceptions, but for a fighter to be great, he must have ruled his division, or at least been the obvious #1 guy in the weight class. To a large degree, the fighter who better captures this dynamic will almost always be ranked higher.   Indeed this is the very reason why Henry Cooper has not made it into my top twenty-one.  Likewise, I am sure once Carl 'Cobra' Froch has retired he will enter higher up the list than entry level.

The whole debate of who was THE best of all time has been discussed and argued about since the game began to form it’s history and eventually always seems to boil down to a matter of opinion and personal choice. Debates will continue to go on for many a year and will continue to do so while boxing exists.

 

So let the arguing begin.