Ken Jones
London - A poll taken to determine the best boxers of the 20th Century features only two British world champions, flyweights Jimmy Wilde of Wales and Jackie Patterson of Scotland.
Left out are such notable British figures as Jack "Kid" Berg, "Peerless" Jim Driscoll, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Freddie Welsh, Benny Lynch and, of more recent vintage, Ken Buchanan.
Neither is Muhammad Ali thought to be the fighter of the century.
Based on technical accomplishment and subject to marks given by four celebrated American trainers, Eddie Futch, Angelo Dundee, Gil Clancy and Lou Duva together with a veteran California promoter, Don Chargin, that honour goes to Sugar Ray Robinson.
Ali, the first to become heavyweight champion three times, is in second place, Joe Louis who made 25 successful heavyweight defences after taking the title from James J Braddock on 22 June 1937, is third.
Featherweight Willie Pep, a ring artist with a record of 230 victories in 242 professional contests, is ranked fourth ahead of heavyweight Jack Dempsey who is tied for fifth with Henry Armstrong, the only man to hold three world titles simultaneously - featherweight, lightweight and welterweight.
Despite his "No mas" surrender to Sugar Ray Leonard when defending the welterweight championship, Roberto Duran, who took the title from Buchanan in 1972 is rated seventh.
Leonard is in eighth place followed by light heavyweight Billy Conn and the ferociously fearless Harry Greb.
In a 13-year career, beginning in 1913, Greb, the middleweight champion from 1923, had 315 contests before his death at 32 in 1926.
Predictably, Ali is considered to be the century's leading heavyweight although Louis came close, two of the five panelists putting him first.
Louis is followed by Rocky Marciano, the only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated (49-0) and Dempsey.
The first great modern heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson is tied for fifth with one of Ali's five conquerors Larry Holmes. (Ali's other four defeats in 56 contests came against Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Leon Spinks and Trevor Berbick).
Frazier is in at eighth in the heavyweights behind Sonny Liston and ahead of Jersey Joe Walcott who shares 10th place with Sam Langford.
One of many boxers denied an opportunity to fight for a championship because of racial discrimination, Langford took on everyone he could, from lightweight to heavyweight in a 24-year career.
Considered by many to be the best post-war British fighter, John Conteh was passed over for the light heavyweight division in which Archie Moore is unquestionably the outstanding exponent.
Sugar Ray Robinson fought first for the welterweight championship, defeating Tommy Bell on a 15 rounds decision, in his 74th professional contest.
"By then there was nothing left for him to learn," Futch once said. "Today they are going in for championships after fewer than twenty paid fights."
Robinson reigned in the welterweight division from 1946 until 1950 when he relinquished the title.
The following year, he became middleweight champion for the first time by stopping Jake La Motta in the 15th round, and for the fifth, and last time (including regaining it from Randolph Turpin) in 1958 when he outpointed Carmen Basilio.
Robinson suffered only 19 defeats in 202 contests, 12 coming after his 40th birthday.
Since Robinson also ran away with the welterweight rankings not even Ali could nudge him out of first place as the century's most outstanding fighter.
Only Leonard from the recent past gets a real shout among the welterweights, coming in at third behind Armstrong whose amazing versatility reached its zenith in 1938, when as the welter and featherweight title holder he outpointed Lou Ambers for the lightweight championship.
Duran was voted leading lightweight ahead of the 1920s star Benny Leonard. Alexis Arguello is given only a tie for sixth with Ambers.
The modern Mexican hero Julio Cesar Chavez is down at eighth. More surprisingly, Carlos Ortiz is only thought to be tenth best.
The panelists didn't have to burn any night oil over deciding that Pep is the dominant featherweight with his great adversary, the brooding and dangerous Sandy Saddler second.
No British fighter figures until Wilde gets third place among the century's best flyweights, with Patterson down at 10th.
Pancho Villa who scored a 7th round knockout to take the title from Wilde in New York on June 18, 1923 comes out on top.
On being told of Robinson's election Ali said through his wife Lonnie, "It's an honour. Sugar Ray was my hero."
Others, especially in Britain, are unlikely to be as happy with the panelist's conclusions.
Fighter of the Century: Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Henry Armstrong, Joe Louis, Willie Pep, Jack Dempsey Roberto Duran, Ray Leonard, Billy Conn, Harry Greb.
Heavyweights: Ali, Louis, Marciano, Dempsey, Jack Johnson and Holmes (tied 5th), Liston, Frazier, Langford and Walcott (tied 9th).
Light heavyweights: Moore, Conn, Ezzard Charles, Roy Jones Jr, Jimmy Bivens and Bob Foster, (tied 5th), Harold Johnson, Philadelphia Jack O'Brien and Jack Fox (tied 8th), Maxie Rosenbloom
Middleweights: Robinson, Greb, Marvin Hagler, Mickey alker, Carlos Monzon, Charley Burley, La Motta, Stanley Ketchel, Marcel Cerdan, Tony Zale.
Welterweights: Robinson, Armstrong, Ray Leonard, Jose Napoles, Barney Ross, Carmen Basilio, Mickey Walker, Emile Griffith, Kid Gavilan, Luis Rodriguez.
Junior welter (Five only listed): Aaron Pryer, Barney Ross, Tony Canzoneri, Wilfred Benitez, Antonio Cervantes.
Lightweight: Duran, Benny Leonard, Tony Canzoneri, Ike Williams, Joe Gans, Lou Ambers and Arguello (tied 6th), Chavez, Beau Jack, Carlos Ortiz.
Junior lightweight (5 only selected): Arguello, Kid Chocolate, Chavez, Johnny Dundee, Sandy Saddler.
Featherweights: Pep. Saddler, Salvador Sanchez, Tony Canzoneri, Chalky Wright, Henry Armstrong and Vicente Saldivar (tied 6th) Wilfredo Gomez and Azumah Nelson (tied 8th), Abe Attell.
Bantamweights: Ruben Olivarez and Carlos Zarate (tied for 1st), Eder Jofre, Panama Al Brown, Manuel Ortiz, Lionel Rose (Australia) and Fighting Harada (tied 6th), Alfonso Zamora, Sixto Escobar, Jimmy Carruthers (Australia).
Flyweights: Pancho Villa and Miguel Canto (tied for 1st place ) Jimmy Wilde (Wales), Fidel La Barba, Frankie Genaro, Small Montana, Charchai Chionoi (Thailand), Ricardo Lopez, Corporal Izzy Schwarz and Jackie Patterson (Scotland) tied 10th.
Panelists: Eddie Futch - Trained 19 world champions including Frazier, Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, Arguello, Marlon Starling and Don Jordan.
Angelo Dundee - Best known as trainer of Ali and Ray Leonard. Also associated with Willie Pastrano, Sugar Ramos, Luis Rodriguez. Gil Clancy. Managed and trained Emile Griffith. Formerly matchmaker at Madison Square Garden. Currently boxing advisor to Oscar De La Hoya.
Lou Duva - Manager, trainer and promoter. Worked with Evander Holyfield, Michael Moorer, Pernell Whitaker, Meldrick Taylor.
Don Chargin - California based promoter who has been in boxing since gaining a second licence in 1945. - The Independent