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The Best Boxer in each State: The Northeast

Maine: Joey Gamache 55-4 (38 KO) (WBA Super Featherweight and Lightweight Champion)

Gamache is the only world champion from Maine but he bever succesfully defended either of his titles. He was beating Tony Lopez when he was stopped and that was the end of his days at the top.

His is best known for getting goomed by an overweight Arturo Gatti in 2000.

New Hampshire: Jason LeHoullier (21-7-1 8 KO) (Northern New England Light Middleweight Champion)

Started career 21-0-1 before going 0-7 against much better competition. Best win was was over 8-4 Jose Medina for the Northern New England Light Middleweight Title.

Vermont: Young Firpo (74-15-4 43 KO) (Pacific Northwest Middleweight/Light Heavyweight Champion 6 defenses)

Was a ranked light heavywight contender and signed on to fight Maxie Rosenbloom for the title. The fight fell through when a disagreement over Firpo's percentage of the gate receipts. Scored wins over light heavyweight contenders Tiger Jack Fox, Wesley Ketchell, George Manley, Leo Lomski and George Courtney. Held future champion John Henry Lewis to a draw and Lewis never rematched him after winning the title. One of the best fighters to never get a title shot.

Massachusetts: Sandy Saddler (144-16-2 103 KO) (2x Featherweight World Champion 1948-1949 0 defenses; 1950-1957 3 defenses), (Super Featherweight Champion 1848-1957 2 defenses)

Other Contenders: Rocky Marciano (49-0 Heavyweight Champion 1952-1956), John L. Sullivan (40-1-2 1 no contest 34 KO Heavyweight Champion 1882-1892)

It took Saddler 93 fights to get a shot at the world title but when he did he took advantage of it. He upset 3-1 favorite Willie Pep in 1948 in a dirty affair. Pep held held the title since 1942 and made 6 defenses. His record stood at 134-1-1.

Saddler's first reign was short. He lost the title back to Pep four months later. Saddler would regain the title from Pep in their third fight. He would then win the super featherweight title. Saddler made it 3-1 against Pep when he beat him in another featherweight title fight.

He would defend the title 2 more times, once against Flash Elorde before retiring at age 30 due to an eye injury. He also held wins over future lightweight champion Joe Brown, lightweight champions Lara Salas and Paddy DeMarco. Saddler also beat lightweight champion Jimmy Carter.

Rhode Island: Vinny Pazienza (50-10 30 KO) (IBF Lightweight Champion 1987-1988 0 defenses)

Other contenders: Demetrius Andrade (28-0 17 KO) (WBO Light Middleweight Champion 2013-2014 1 defense, WBA Regular Light Middleweight Champion 2017 0 defenses, WBO Middleweight Champion 2018-Current 2 defenses) Harold Gomes (50-10 24 KO) (Super Featherweight Champion 1959-1960 0 defenses), Joey Archibald (60-40-5 29 KO) (Featherweight Champion 1939-1941)

Not a lot to choose from here to be honest. Andrade could very well end up as the best ever from Rhode Island but he never fights and when he does it's against second tier guys. Pazienza is the guy for now.

He won the IBF title from Greg Haugen and then lost it back to him the next fight. He won the IBO title but it was against a nobody and he never defended it. So I didn't count that. His most well known wins were against a badly faded Roberto Duran in 1994 and 1995.

He also holds a win over former champion Lloyd Honeyghan. He of course broke his neck and made a comeback when the doctors said it was not possible.

Connecticut: Willie Pep (229-11-1 65 KO) (2x Featherweight Champion 1942-1948 6 defenses; 1949-1950 3 defenses)

Other contenders: Maxie Rosenbloom (222-42-31 3 no contest 19 KO) (Light Heavyweight Champion 1932-1934)

Connecticut had a handful or two of champions. Tyrone Booze was a cruiserweight champion, Battling Battalino and Kip Kaplan both held the featherweight championship but they weren't really contenders. Rosenbloom is barely a contender to the defensive wizard Pep.

Pep started his career 62-0 before he lost to Sammy Agnott. During that stretch he won the featherweight title from Chalky Wright. He would beat him three times. After that he ran his record to 134-1-1 before he lost to Sandy Saddler. He won the title back from Saddler and made four defenses before losing it back to him. Overall he was 1-3 against the fellow all-time great.

He also beat champions Sal Bartolo (3x), Jackie Wilson, Willie Joyce, Manuel Ortiz, Phil Terranova, Paddy DeMarco, Joey Archibald (2x), and Harold Dade. Simply put he is one of the greatest fighters ever.

New York: Benny Leonard (90-6-1 4 no contest 70 KO) (Lightweight Champion 1917-1924)

The list goes on and on for New York but Leonard stands out as the best. He is probably the best or at the lowest second best lightweight of all time. Leonard held the title for 7 years which is a record and was 11-3 after his first 14 fights. He never lost the title in the ring either.

The Ghetto Wizard went on amazing run of 79-3-1 to end his career. Two of those losses came when he moved up in weight to welterweight to challenge champion Jack Britton and in his final bout against Jimmy McClarnin.

He owns knockout wins over Freddie Welsh, Jonny Kilbane, Willie Ritche, James Red Herring, Charley White, and Rocky Kansas.

New Jersey: Marvelous Marvin Hagler (62-3-2 52 KO) (Middleweight Champion 1980-1987 12 defenses)

Other Contenders: Jersey Joe Walcott (51-18-2 32 KO)

Another state that has produced some very good talent but there is Hagler and then everyone else. Hagler lays claim to the mantle of greatest middleweight ever. His 12 defenses resulted in 11 knockouts. The only man to hear the final bell, Roberto Duran.

He holds wins over Druan, Thomas Hearns, Vito Antuofermo, Bennie Briscoe, Alan Minter, and Eugene Hart. The Marvelous one had 49 fights, going 46-2-2, before getting his first title shot. It ended in a controversial draw against Antuofermo.

He won the title four fights later against Minter and should have never let it go in his and many peoples eyes. He lost it to Sugar Ray Leonard in his final fight in a hotly disputed decision.

Pennsylvania: Harry Greb (261-17-19 1 no contest) (American Light Heavyweight Champion 1922-1923 1 defense, Middleweight Champion 1923-1926 4 defenses)

Another state with a boatload of talent. You'd think that a Philly fighter would hold the crown as the best in PA. There was a time when my native Pittsburgh was the boxing capital of the world and Greb was the best to do it. He is the only man to beat the legendary Gene Tunney.

He soundly beat Tunney by unanimous decision and dropped the rematch in what many said was a robbery. Tunney would beat him a total of 4 times in their five matches. The Pittsburgh Windmill was known for his activity and his 49 fights in 1919 in staggering. He fought 16 hall of famers and went 33-9-6 against them.

There is no fight footage so people are bound to forget him and he will surely get replaced as the best of The Keystone State but for now he holds on.



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