The next 12 months could be some of the brightest in the super welterweight division.
Vergil Ortiz Jr and Jaron Ennis could face off in a super divisional fight, while Briton Josh Kelly will have the chance to finally realize his potential against IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev – or risk becoming the latest casualty of the Russian’s relentless quest for greatness.
WBC super welterweight titlist Sebastian Fundora is no longer just a lanky 6-foot-6 anomaly, but a real threat to unify. Puerto Rico’s WBO beltholder Xander Zayas continues to improve with each fight, and German WBA champion Abass Baraou remains a handful for anyone.
Add to that the possible arrival of Conor Benn at 154 pounds, the return of Tim Tszyu and the potential weight increases of Brian Norman Jr, Devin Haney, Mario Barrios and Rolando Romero, and it’s clear that the super welterweight division could soon offer something special.
For now, though, today’s contenders still have work to do before they can join the best to ever fight at 154 pounds. Here are the five best super welterweights of all time.
5. Wilfred Benitez
Benitez was just 22 when he beat Maurice Hope to win the WBC title. This was two years after he was stopped in the 15th round against Sugar Ray Leonard at 147 pounds. His defensive genius and ring IQ were on another level. It was a short reign, but his performances at 154 – especially the performance against Hope – earned him his place among the best. A year later, he would beat Roberto Duran, who still had work to do.
4. Winky Wright
A defensive master with a unique style and phenomenal jab who, like so many of the super welterweight best, is perhaps not celebrated enough. Wright, one of America’s most traveled fighters, will be remembered for his back-to-back victories over Shane Mosley in 2004, part of a four-year run in which he was one of the best fighters in the world. Few people wanted to face Winky.
3. Terry Norris
Many will say that “Terrible” Terry should be at the top. Fast, fierce and powerful, Julian Jackson too in 1989 and Norris paid the price. A year later, Norris would destroy John Mugabi and do the same to Donald Curry, Meldrick Taylor and Maurice Blocker and outclass Sugar Ray Leonard, who was past his best, in 1991. In his prime, he was almost untouchable, but his chin often left him vulnerable.
2. Thomas Hearns
We all remember “The Hitman” during his peak years as a great welterweight and middleweight. However, there was a reign at 154 pounds that may have been short, but explosive in typical Hearns fashion. On either side of his 160-pound war with Marvin Hagler, there were three impressive super-welterweight world title victories over Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran and Mark Medal. His power was equally frightening and some claim he was never better than at 154.
1. Mike McCallum
The surgically precise “Body Snatcher” is a lock for the top two spots and will be most people’s number one at 154 pounds. His reign as WBA champion from 1984 to 1988 was highlighted by victories over Julian Jackson, Milton McCrory and Donald Curry. Two years earlier, he had beaten Ayub Kalule in a non-title fight. A vicious puncher who owned the division for a while, but the appreciation wasn’t always there.
