7. Barney Ross (72-4-3, 22 KO)
No, not the character Sylvester Stallone plays in Expendables, but that is where the name came from. Barney Ross was a great fighter and called the pride of Chicago’s ghetto. From 1933 to 1938 Ross was never without a title. In 1933 Ross won the Lightweight and Junior Welterweight title from Hall of Fame fighter, Tony Canzoneri.
Though Ross made his name in the lightweight division, it was his rivalry with Jimmy McLarnin that defined the mid 30’s and helped build the folklore surrounding the “Welterweight title Jinx” of the decade.
In 1934 and 1935 they faced off in three title fights. Ross took the first by decision becoming the new champion, though the pair traded knockdowns. McLarnin won the immediate rematch by decision to regain his title. Ross took the rubber match declaring supremacy over McLarnin.
All the while, Ross was defending his junior welterweight title. After the third Welterweight fight with McLarnin, however, Ross had relinquished his lightweight and junior welterweight titles.
In his last fight, he relinquished the title to Henry Armstrong in a fight he was losing badly but refused to give up. Throughout his career Ross faced six Hall of Fame fighters, defeating all but Armstrong.
