IT IS the most glamorous boxing division of all – the middleweights: fighters with the power to provide dramatic knockouts but the athleticism to stage ring masterclasses, writes Mike Lockley.
At 11st 6lbs, it was long considered the “mean” weight of fighting men and, therefore , became the most competitive division.
Sporting stars have got bulkier – super-middle (12 stone) is now the most crowded weight division, but the legacy of the great middleweights, possibly the greatest fighters to step through the ropes, remains.
Here are my top 10 middleweights of all time – and there’s NO place for Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank or even Sugar Ray Leonard.
You may disagree, but remember one thing: as a former fighter, deputy editor of Boxing News and boxing writer for 40 years, I’m right.