Pinoys in boxing lists

There’s an entertaining book that I just got my hands on and it’s interesting reading for all fight fans.

Bert Randolph Sugar and Teddy Atlas conspired to write “The Ultimate Book of Boxing Lists” (Running Press Book Publishers, 2010), a 236-pager that features bits of trivia guaranteed to make you want more.

There are over 90 categories in the book with lists compiled not just by Sugar and Atlas but also ring figures like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Earnie Shavers and Angelo Dundee.

Reigning WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao was named in three lists.

The first was a list of the fight game’s greatest southpaws. “In more recent times, being left-handed was not viewed as a liability and more and more fighters were allowed to keep their natural, albeit, ‘unorthodox’ stance,” wrote Sugar and Atlas. “Left-handed fighters were an anomaly back in the early days of boxing, most opponents refusing to fight them and most trainers refusing to train them. So most southpaws were turned around to the orthodox stance like future greats Carmen Basilio and Oscar de la Hoya.”

Pacquiao was cited as one of the 10 greatest southpaws with Mexico’s Vicente Saldivar, two-time lightheavyweight champion Antonio Tarver who knocked out Roy Jones, Lew Tendler, three-time lightheavyweight titlist Marvin Johnson, the only left-handed world heavyweight king Michael Moorer, Welshman Joe Calzaghe who retired with an unblemished record of 46-0, middleweight titleholder Tiger Flowers, Pernell Whitaker and Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

In his citation, Pacquiao was revered as the Boxing Writers’ “Fighter of the Decade” for the first decade of the 21st century and “has long been acknowledged as boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighter.”

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Pacquiao also made it to the top 12 fighters with the fastest hands. “A boxer’s hands – whether large like (Jack) Dempsey’s or small like (Jake) LaMotta’s – are his basic tools of the trade,” said Sugar and Atlas. “But no matter their size, several fighters have been able to employ them in a faster-than-fast manner, working their hands like a magician, practicing their own form of legerdemain.”

The 12 “quick-draw” artists were 1940s lightweight Willie Joyce, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Hector (Macho) Camacho, Beau Jack, Ali, Roy Jones, Willie Pep, Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson, Floyd Patterson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Pacquiao.

Here’s the justification for Pacquiao’s inclusion: “Coming at his opponents like a buzzsaw, the left-handed ‘Pacman’ throws a blurring number of punches almost faster than the eye can see, overwhelming his opponent as he did versus Oscar de la Hoya or with one unseen pluperfect knockout punch as he delivered from out of the blue against Ricky Hatton. ‘Pacman’ registers off-the-charts punch counts, Miguel Cotto saying after his fight with Pacquiao, ‘He was so fast, I couldn’t see his punches coming.’”

Pacquiao was also named in Sugar’s top five all-time superbantamweights along with Israel Vazquez, Erik Morales, Daniel Zaragoza and Wilfredo Gomez.

The first Filipino world boxing champion Pancho Villa was named in several lists. He was one of 10 cited as history’s busiest punchers – ”famed for their workrate, sometimes their punches coming so fast they were almost impossible to see, let alone count.” Joining Villa were Joe Frazier, Tommy (Hurricane) Jackson, Jackie (Kid) Berg, Masahiko (Fighting) Harada, Beau Jack, Aaron Pryor, Tiger Flowers, Harry Greb and Henry Armstrong.

Sugar and Atlas wrote this about Villa: “An earlier version of Manny Pacquiao, Filipino Pancho Villa was a vicious, rip-snorting boxer who could go 15 rounds at blinding speed and finish as fresh as when he started. Tagged by sportswriters as ‘Puncho Pancho,’ Villa was a non-stop puncher who won 71 fights and the 1920s flyweight champion with his all-out attack from the git-go.”

Other lists where Villa was named were the top 10 all-time flyweight rosters of Sugar and Atlas. Another Filipino who made it to Sugar’s top 10 all-time flyweight list was Small Montana.

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Current WBO minimumweight titlist Donnie Nietes was named by both Sugar and Atlas in their lists of the top five all-time 105-pounders. Flash Elorde made it to the co-authors’ top five all-time superfeatherweights.

The Peñalosas and Magramos were cited as two of the greatest fighting families by Michael Rosenthal, a contributor in the book. He named the Magramos as Ric, Ronnie, Melvin and Ric Jr. and the Peñalosas as Carl, Dodie Boy, Gerry, Jonathan and Dodie Boy Jr. The other fighting families were Chavez, Hilton, Quarry, Fullmer, Zivic, Yarosz, Mayweather (Floyd, Roger, Jeff, Justin Jones and Floyd Jr.) and Spinks.

Dundee’s list of the 12 best cornermen and trainers was featured. He named Charley Goldman, Bill Gore, Chris Dundee (his brother), Chickie Ferrera, Luis Sarria, Cus D’Amato, Eddie Futch, Atlas, Gil Clancy, Harry Wiley, Ray Arcel and Teddy Bentham. Dundee left out Freddie Roach, Miguel Diaz and Nacho Beristain – he shouldn’t have.

Both Sugar and Atlas named their choices for the 13 greatest all-time pound-for-pound fighters. The common picks were Sugar Ray Robinson, Gene Tunney, Joe Louis, Ali, Willie Pep, Armstrong, Roberto Duran, Jack Johnson, Benny Leonard, Mickey Walker and Greb. Surprisingly, Pacquiao was not listed – even if no fighter in history has achieved what he has. Pacquiao has captured eight world titles in different divisions. Surely, Sugar and Atlas should’ve given that some credit.