Best Calendar Year for a boxer

[DeeMoney]

Wondering your thoughts on which boxer had the single greatest calendar year in the ring? I get that this may favor older fighters who fought more often in a year, but if you really like something a recent fighter did (quality over quantity) that may count too.

Some thoughts I had were:

Armstrong '38
Greb '22
Charles '46

[Bundana]

I don't think anyone can match Greb's 1919, where he was 45-0... including 10 wins against future HOFers!

[BattlingNelson]

Greb 1919.

[BattlingNelson]

I don't think anyone can match Greb's 1919, where he was 45-0... including 10 wins against future HOFers!

Beat me to it mate!

Only fitting though as it was you who pointed that statistic out to for me years ago. Greb had a Mayweather career in a single calendar year! Amazing.

[Willie Pep 229]

Wouldn't want to try to take down the Greb's run ** so how about an honorable mention: Joe Louis 1934.

From what I understand it made Joe Louis the only fighter ever to be ranked by Ring Magazine after only one year of campaigning.

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** the "10 HOFers" remark has a touch of hyperbole to it; as I can only find three HOFers; Levinsky (4) Gibbons (1), Miske (1)

. . . with Miske, at least on this forum, being sorely discredited by the Dempsey haters as not being worthy, i.e tear down Miske, damage Dempsey's resume. . . .

. . . certainty the non-HOFer Bill Brennan (4) was no slouch, unless of course you again listen to the Dempsey haters, then Brennan is 'not so great' also. . . .

leaving us with Willie Meehan, (who should IMHO be in the HOF) but there we go again, he can't be great because Dempsey has to have a poor resume.

But for the record, I agree, Greb in 1919 (45-0) is like Cy Young's "Wins" it will never be matched.

P.S. Greb 1919: only five opponents with losing records, multiples had over a 100 fights, with some 100 plus wins. He was fighting quality people, few 'ham and eggers.'

P.S.S Funny that Miske is in the HOF and Brennan isn't.

[QueensburyRules]

- -Well, Miske famous among Dempsey haters would seemly to seal it, but gonna check the IBHOF site to verify.

I say tearing an undefeated race baiting Ali a new one in 1971 gives Joe Frazier the Trump Card in this debate.

[Willie Pep 229]

There is no doubt that Greb 1919 is the slam dunk answer to this question but maybe we should change the title to 'great calendar years' instead of best.

There's got to be some other great years that deserve noting; I'd like to hear more.

[Bundana]

Wouldn't want to try to take down the Greb's run ** so how about an honorable mention: Joe Louis 1934.

From what I understand it made Joe Louis the only fighter ever to be ranked by Ring Magazine after only one year of campaigning.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

** the "10 HOFers" remark has a touch of hyperbole to it; as I can only find three HOFers; Levinsky (4) Gibbons (1), Miske (1)

. . . with Miske, at least on this forum, being sorely discredited by the Dempsey haters as not being worthy, i.e tear down Miske, damage Dempsey's resume. . . .

. . . certainty the non-HOFer Bill Brennan (4) was no slouch, unless of course you again listen to the Dempsey haters, then Brennan is 'not so great' also. . . .

leaving us with Willie Meehan, (who should IMHO be in the HOF) but there we go again, he can't be great because Dempsey has to have a poor resume.

But for the record, I agree, Greb in 1919 (45-0) is like Cy Young's "Wins" it will never be matched.

P.S. Greb 1919: only five opponents with losing records, multiples had over a 100 fights, with some 100 plus wins. He was fighting quality people, few 'ham and eggers.'

P.S.S Funny that Miske is in the HOF and Brennan isn't.

I think, you must have misread my post. I didn't say he beat 10 HOFers - but that he had 10 WINS against HOFers that year:

Battling Levinsky x 4
Jeff Smith
Mike Gibbons
Leo Houck x 3
Billy Miske


Also, Louis isn't the only boxer, who was ranked by The Ring after only a year as a pro.

Bill Speary turned pro in early 1940, and by the end of the year (after 20 straight wins) he had catapulted to the top of the featherweight division... thus becoming the only boxer to be ranked #1 contender in his rookie year.

[DeeMoney]

There is no doubt that Greb 1919 is the slam dunk answer to this question but maybe we should change the title to 'great calendar years' instead of best.

There's got to be some other great years that deserve noting; I'd like to hear more.

Yeah, maybe we should have three categories:

Best Ever:

Best non-Greb Ever:

Best in last 70 years:

[Willie Pep 229]

I think, you must have misread my post. I didn't say he beat 10 HOFers - but that he had 10 WINS against HOFers that year:

Battling Levinsky x 4
Jeff Smith
Mike Gibbons
Leo Houck x 3
Billy Miske


Also, Louis isn't the only boxer, who was ranked by The Ring after only a year as a pro.

Bill Speary turned pro in early 1940, and by the end of the year (after 20 straight wins) he had catapulted to the top of the featherweight division... thus becoming the only boxer to be ranked #1 contender in his rookie year.

Thank you for the education on Leo Houck and Jeff Smith I have some reading to do. --- The Louis info I posted came from forum knowledge and that's always risky both because of the source and my memory.

Maybe, just maybe, I was suppose to say that Louis was the 'first' -- but I'm not even sure of that now.

Bill Speary certainly did rocket to the top in 1940 but he looks to have been a bottler-rocket. Six days after the new year he began his fall back to earth; by '41 he's 10th and '42 he's gone.

It looks like the Ring Magazine rankings has a bit of egg on its face with that rapid rise to #1.

Thank you again for replying.