3. Salvador Sanchez
The Mexican stylist, with a chin of iron, should top this list, but a car accident robbed the boxing world of this rare talent in 1982.
Sanchez was only 23 and had not yet hit his peak when tragedy struck.
Thankfully, there’s enough YouTube footage out there to prove how exceptional Salvador was.
He was beaten only once in 46 fights, defended the world title nine times and bettered top calibre opposition in Juan Laporte, Danny Lopez, Azumah Nelson and Ruben Castillo.
His most significant win came in 1981, an emphatic eighth round stoppage of fellow great Wilfredo Gomez.
Sanchez’ flashy skills hid a tungsten toughness, but there were some close calls along the way. Our own Pat Cowdell pushed him to a split decision: testament to how good Cowdell was at his best.
