Top Ten Beltway Boxers, 1985-2005!

I had a lot of fun writing this article about the boxers I feel were/are the best in the area from 1985-2006. Please let me know what the Yardbarker community is saying. While looking through my collection of old boxing magazines, I came across the March 1996 edition of The Ring. This issue had a special section called "A Tale of 10 Cities" in which different boxing writers listed the top 10 boxers from US cities where boxing was paramount. They listed Boston, New York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Detroit, San Francisco, Chicago and Baltimore. Washington, DC did not make the cut. Legendary boxing writer Alan Goldstein of the Baltimore Sun did the Baltimore list. His top 10 included: 1. Joe Gans 2. Harry Jeffra 3. Kid Williams 4. George (KO) Chaney 5. Joe Dundee 6. Vince Dundee 7. Vincent Pettway 8. Red Burman 9. Jimmy McAllister 10 Jack Portney This section gave me inspiration. So I decided to put together a list of the top 10 Boxers Along The Beltway. Now I can't factually go back as far as someone like Alan Goldstein so names like Holly Mims and Bob Foster won't be on this list. But I can cover the almost 18 years that I have been watching Beltway Boxing as a member of the press. As a matter of fact, I will round this to an even 20 years. So here is my top 10 of the past 20 years. I will go in reverse order. 10. Andrew Council (31-8-3, 20 KO's) Council was someone boxing fans all over the country respected. He was a solid body puncher who in another time, he probably would have been a world champion. Fought tough battles against Bernard Hopkins, Keith Holmes (twice), and Robert Allen. Did not perform well against a young Winky Wright. Council's best win was a ninth round TKO over a shopworn but still dangerous Buddy McGirt in 1995. 9. Darryll Tyson (50-14-1, 25 KO's) Tyson fought a who's who of boxers between 135 and 140 pounds. Bouts against everyone from Jimmy Paul (a 12-round win and a 15-round loss for the IBF Lightweight title) to Miguel Angel Gonzalez and from Livingstone Bramble to Oscar De La Hoya always showed Tyson in a positive light. Fought two of the best bouts ever seen along the Beltway: a 12th round stoppage of Reggie Green in 1994 for the NABF/USBA junior welterweight title and a 10th round TKO loss to Freddie Pendleton for the USBA title on the "Beltway Brawl" card. His dedication and approach to the game has been legendary. 8. DeMarcus Corley 31-4-1 (17 KO's) Is on this list because of his stunning first-round knockout over Felix Flores to win the WBO Junior Welterweight title as well as his ability to go the distance with the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Zab Judah and Randall Bailey. Corley brings more flash and talent to the 140-pound class. 7. Hasim Rahman (41-5-1, 33 KO's) Rahman would probably be higher on this list if he had not sqaundered chances to be an elite heavyweight against the likes of Evander Holyfield and John Ruiz. However, the impact of his stunning title victory over Lennox Lewis puts him on this list. 6. Keith Holmes (39-4, 25 KO's) Probably the most maligned champion we've had along the Beltway. Holmes never has received the respect he is due. People only remember the terrible loss he suffered in the Middleweight Championship Series against Bernard Hopkins, but when Holmes was on, he was as talented as they come. His first WBC Middleweight title win over Quincy Taylor, as well as wins over the likes of Andrew Council, Darryl Lattimore, Kelcie Banks, Hassine Cherifi and Paul Vaden proved that. 5. Vincent Pettway (43-7-1,32) This man was "Mr. Excitement" in the ring. From his thrilling loss to fellow Beltway Boxer Victor Davis in 1990,(in a bout that USA Network named one of their top 10 of all time)to his IBF Junior Middleweight title victory over Gianfranco Rosi in 1994 to his electrifying knockout win over Simon Brown at the "Beltway Brawl" in 1995 (which boxing magazines called everything from the Knockout of the Year to one of the Top 10 Knockouts of All Time), Pettway gave every thing he had everytime he stepped into the ring. Pettway was Baltimore's first world champion in almost 90 years. 4. Sharmba Mitchell (56-4, 30 KO's) Mitchell ranks on this list for not only winning the WBA junior welterweight title in 1998, but also because of his excellence over a long period of time. Still needs a true marquee win but we have not had a more consistent boxer, especially over the last 10 years. Mitchell has always been a contender and a major player. 3. William Joppy (35-4-1, 26 KO's) Joppy has won three WBA middleweight titles and although he doesn't have a marquee win (unless you count his knockout win over an aged Roberto Duran), he was a major player in the division for some time. His first title win over Shinji Takehara in Takehara's home country of Japan was something to behold. 2. Mark Johnson (44-4, 28 KO's) Johnson will be a hall of famer five years after he decides to hang up the gloves. He will be a first-ballot hall of famer. Johnson made the flyweight division a viable one for Americans because of his talent. The fact that he was the first African-American and second American to win the flyweight title is enough to get him in Canastota. In his prime, Johnson repeatedly made pound-for-pound lists around the world. His historic title wins over Francisco Tejedor and Arthur Johnson were phenomenal displays of punching power. And just when people thought his career was over, Johnson wins a third world title in 2003. He has had a remarkable career. 1. Simon Brown (47-12, 34 KO's) Brown was the first great Beltway Boxer of the post-Sugar Ray Leonard era. At one point, Brown was regarded as the best welterweight in the world. Brown fought some incredible battles against such foes as Tyrone Trice (twice), Al Long and, of course, who could forget his legendary battle against fellow Beltway Boxer and best friend Maurice Blocker in Vegas in 1991? Brown surprised everyone when he moved up to junior middleweight in 1993 and scored a major upset over future hall of famer Terry Norris in a bout Ring Magazine chose as the upset of the year. Even in defeat, Brown was a tremendous boxer with a boatload of heart. A definite hall of famer in my book.