Pre-war ring pioneers share a ladder with modern unified champions at 118 pounds. Speed, power and longevity all make a case, so pick your own yardstick.
1Pete HermanNew Orleans champion who held the bantamweight crown in the 1910s and early 1920s.1000pts2
Eder JofreBrazilian 'Golden Bantam' who ruled the division in two eras and retired with only two losses.874pts
3Naoya InoueJapanese 'Monster' who won bantamweight titles and became undisputed champion at the weight.753pts
4Jeff ChandlerPhiladelphia champion who held the WBA bantamweight title for nearly seven years in the 1980s.753pts
5Rubén OlivaresMexican puncher who won the bantamweight title with a brutal knockout streak in the late 1960s.668pts
6Lupe PintorMexican WBC champion remembered for his tough, relentless style and classic fights in the 1980s.668pts
7Mario D'AgataDeaf Italian bantamweight who became world champion in the 1950s.667pts
8Wayne McCulloughNorthern Irish Olympic silver medalist who won the WBC bantamweight title in 1995.565pts
9Lionel RoseAboriginal Australian who beat Fighting Harada in 1968 to win the world bantamweight title.565pts
10Panama Al BrownTall, long-reaching Panamanian who held the bantamweight crown for more than five years in the 1930s.439pts
11Kid WilliamsDanish-born American champion who held the bantamweight title during the 1910s.439pts
12Fighting HaradaJapanese former flyweight champion who beat Eder Jofre to take the bantamweight crown in 1965.439pts
13Alfonso ZamoraMexican knockout artist who won the WBA bantamweight title in the mid-1970s.439pts
14Harry JeffraBaltimore boxer who held the bantamweight title in the late 1930s.439pts
15George DixonCanadian pioneer and early world bantamweight champion, the first Black world champion in any weight class.439pts
16Manuel OrtizMexican-American champion who defended the bantamweight title a record number of times in the 1940s.439pts
17Abner MaresMexican-American champion who won bantamweight and then moved up to take titles in higher divisions.0pts
18Terry McGovernNew York bantamweight champion known for fast knockouts around 1900.0pts
19Shinsuke YamanakaJapanese southpaw who defended the WBC bantamweight title 12 times in the 2010s.0pts
20Vic ToweelSouth African champion who took the bantamweight title from Manuel Ortiz in 1950.0pts
Photo credits
- Naoya Inoue — 内閣官房内閣広報室, CC BY 4.0
- Rubén Olivares — Pete Susens, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Wayne McCullough — Sillyjun, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Abner Mares — DEWALT POWER TOOLS FIGHT NIGHT CLUB 2010, CC BY 2.0
- Shinsuke Yamanaka — 大徳義幸, CC BY-SA 4.0
