School me on Alexis Arguello

[Nagabilly]

I've been watching a few fights of the late Flaco Explosivo recently and I'm really interested in this warrior. Exactly the type of fighter I like: exciting and skilled. Great guy outside of the ring as well.

So I ask:

1. How great is Arguello? Where does he rank P4P?
2. How great is he in terms of skills and H2H? Most of the fantasy fights threads I've seen featuring him (Duran, Pep, Sanchez, Mayweather etc) most thinks he looses.
3. Finally, recommend me some good fights of him. I've already seen Ganningan, Rooney, Costello, and both Pryor fights.

[raskat]

One of the best fighters ever. Extemely tall for a guy who started at around 118 pounds. He had sick power, especially at those lower weight classes, knocked pretty much everybody out. Only at around 135 pounds was his power not as deadly anymore. He had sick boxing skills, a very high ring IQ and explosive power.
I can see him beating pretty much everybody H2H on his best night. Not at 140 maybe, but below 135 or so.

[Ray Corso]

Stand up fighter who fought out of a classic boxers stance! Used his jab to score and to set up (measure) and worked in combination off his jab. I think he's at his best between 126 and 130lbs, I discount the Prior fights because it was one of those match ups that had a fighters number and I do believe Prior was administered stimulants prior and during the fight!
He has an outstanding record filled with very good wins over terrific opposition and is considered an all time great puncher.
He became involved in politics and won a mayoral campaign only to be murdered by a coward.
I enjoyed watching him box, he had style and was a solid puncher and I never heard a bad word spoken about him. High quality fighter! Ray.

[Anthony342]

True about the first Pryor fight, but there was no Panama Lewis to give him stimulants in that second fight. Pryor was the better fighter head to head. Arguello is definitely ATG material though.

[Miburo]

Sharpest counterpuncher ever, a real duelist with the right hand. The best offensive timing I've seen, which overcame his average handspeed.

Not sure who this huge majority is picking Sanchez over him, I would easily pick Arguello in that match at 130 and up. At 126 he may have been a bit drained and green, early career.

[IronDanHamza]

Alexis Arguello, my all time favourite fighter. My "first love", if you will. The guy who really got me into being a hardcore fan.

I watched Boxing before Arguello came on the scene, Henry Cooper fights, of course Ali, then Cassius Clay, Sonny Liston was a huge favourite of my Uncles. But as you can see, only HW's. And I was too young to really know what was going on then. Arguello is what moved me to the hardcore and then Monzon.

He's an all time great, an unquestionable all time great. One of the most skilled fighter's I've seen in my lifetime for definite.

So close to being the first ever 4 weight world Champion.

Greatest 130 Lber ever in my opinion and universally recognised as so. Top 10 at 126 IMO and also a great lightweight.

I was in attendance to see him systematically break down Jim Watt to become a 3 weight world Champion.

An absolute All time great.

If you haven't seen the Mancini fight go and check it out.

[Scott9945]

I've been watching a few fights of the late Flaco Explosivo recently and I'm really interested in this warrior. Exactly the type of fighter I like: exciting and skilled. Great guy outside of the ring as well.

So I ask:

1. How great is Arguello? Where does he rank P4P?
2. How great is he in terms of skills and H2H? Most of the fantasy fights threads I've seen featuring him (Duran, Pep, Sanchez, Mayweather etc) most thinks he looses.
3. Finally, recommend me some good fights of him. I've already seen Ganningan, Rooney, Costello, and both Pryor fights.

Arguello's title winning match against Ruben Olivares is certainly worth watching. I've seen it on TV many times (in Spanish), so it should be easy to find. Also the Mancini fight. Both showed that Arguello was a superb 15 round fighter.

[deanrw]

To me Arguello had the most beautiful punching mechanics I have ever seen. So fluid and so accurate. Everything he threw had purpose and he was deadly accurate even with combination punching.

He did not find openings, he made them. He was an artist in the ring.

[-Huey-]

Best of the best...nothing else to say.

[El Manos]

Arguello's title winning match against Ruben Olivares is certainly worth watching. I've seen it on TV many times (in Spanish), so it should be easy to find. Also the Mancini fight. Both showed that Arguello was a superb 15 round fighter.

An even better fight was Arguello and Alfredo Escalera. Arguello busted Escalera's lip open and nearly tore it off. The lip swelled to cartoon like levels and looked pretty grotesque. I doubt they would let a fight like that go as long today. Mancini did challenge Arguello and make a fight out of it which made it exciting. But Arguello was just too much for him.