Michael Nunn

[raskat]

I gotta be honest, when I started watching boxing intensily around 15 years ago, I didn't right away hear and read about Nunn too much. I heard he was an opponent of some people but only later did I find out that in his heyday he was known as one of the best if not the best fighter in the world for a period of time. (Actually the same is true for Donald Curry, and I didn't know that either until some years ago).
You hear Nunn had a great jab, a southpaw with all the tools in the world, sick skills and so on. So then I said to myself I gotta check him out and watch a few of his fights and to be honest, I was a little bit surprised. Because he didn't look SOOO UNBELIEVABLY GREAT to me. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to disrespect the man, he was a really good boxer, but I didn't see that "extra", those "super skills" that quite some people were talking about. Maybe I watched the wrong fights, or I should just watch more of them, but I have seen a few fights of a prime Nunn and he did not look as good as people say he was.
I find it very interesting that Nunn and Donald Curry were at one point regarded as the 2nd coming of Sugar Ray Robinson or something similar. Because if you start watching boxing, you have to study quite some time until you really get to Curry or Nunn (what I mean by that is that nobody is talking about them anymore. Everybody talks about other great fighters who boxed before or after Curry & Nunn, but only a handful of boxing fans still remember that Curry and Nunn were at one point on top of the boxing world).
Any thoughts about Michael Nunn (and Donald Curry)?

[Ray Corso]

They would BOTH dominate against todays offerings! Both were excellant boxers who could punch!!
Things outside the ring didn't allow them to be regarded higher by todays fans. I can give you my opinion if either fought Mayweather or Cotto or Pacman they would ALL get KO'd! Those guys were very good and had size and strengths that the fellows today can't match up to. So there you go!
Ray

[Bolo Punch]

They would BOTH dominate against todays offerings! Both were excellant boxers who could punch!!
Things outside the ring didn't allow them to be regarded higher by todays fans. I can give you my opinion if either fought Mayweather or Cotto or Pacman they would ALL get KO'd! Those guys were very good and had size and strengths that the fellows today can't match up to. So there you go!
Ray

Genuine question, Ray... why do you always have to s**t on the fighters of today in some way or another?

Of course Michael Nunn - who was huge even for a middleweight - would KO Pacquiao (who started out just over 100lbs) and Mayweather (who started around 120lbs). Cotto has never even looked good at 154lbs either.

Why not use a good example like a current middleweight champion, say Sergio Martinez, for example? Is it because he would've actually had a genuinely good chance of winning that fight, and that doesn't fit your particular agenda?

And in your opinion why are fighters always getting gradually worse as time goes on, rather than better, like they are in every other sport?

[Ray Corso]

Its my opinion if you don't like it don't read it!! Did you train pacman or Cotto are YOU pacman or Cotto? I didn't train them or Nunn or Curry so why get all personal? Don't take it to heart because you don't know me and I don't know you nor do I want to!!
I'm retired so I have NO Agenda, do you think that Sergio could match up with Nunn or Mayweather matches up with Curry? Your welcomed to your thoughts! Ray

[Bolo Punch]

Its my opinion if you don't like it don't read it!! Did you train pacman or Cotto are YOU pacman or Cotto? I didn't train them or Nunn or Curry so why get all personal? Don't take it to heart because you don't know me and I don't know you nor do I want to!!
I'm retired so I have NO Agenda, do you think that Sergio could match up with Nunn or Mayweather matches up with Curry? Your welcomed to your thoughts! Ray

Well I can't tell if I agree with your opinion or not unless I read it.

I didn't train Pacquiao or Cotto and, no I'm obviously not them. What relevance does that question actually hold?

I was trying to be genuine with you because you seem to have a thing for older fighters and rarely give the current crop any props, but if you think I'm getting personal and feel the need to retaliate with a personal dig then that's fine.

As far as predictions go, Martinez beats Nunn and Mayweather beats Curry, in my opinion, although don't count either out.

[billeau2]

Don't know much about Curry but Nunn.....He was the goods. Just really well rounded, great instinct and skills to burn. I would not go as far as Ray Corso but Nunn was really talented! Watch his fight against Toney, two greats going for it...

Nunn had the skills to fight a guy like Jones and give him a fight unlike Toney and Hopkins at the time, because Nunn fought like a guy with a lot of experience (although he did make some errors against Toney) the guy had ring countenance , great straight Mayweather like punches and a decent chin.

Oh....and Nunn would embarass Martinez

[taansend]

Great question, Raskat.

Not sure what Ray Corso's life is like but he does like to slag boxers off on here. Not always necessary but if it helps him through the day good for him.

I thought Michael Nunn was the 2nd coming of Ray Leonard (& the 3rd coming of Ray Robinson).

Back when he was coming up we didn't have internet so I would see clips of Nunn a week later on a British TV show (World Sports or something). I remember his bouts against Kevin Watts & Curtis Parker & him winning the title against Frank Tate.

Then one of the most stunning upsets I have seen was against Sambu Kalambay . Not an upset in terms of who won but I'd seen the Italian a few times & chinny he wasn't. And Nunn wasn't a 'puncher'.

After that he went downhill & fought lighter weight fighters before losing to Toney.

I was at ringside the night he lost to Steve Little (RIP) but for me his top flight career was already over by then.

I thought he had the talent to be an all time great but he didn't have the mental class that matched his physical class.

[raskat]

Its my opinion if you don't like it don't read it!! Did you train pacman or Cotto are YOU pacman or Cotto? I didn't train them or Nunn or Curry so why get all personal? Don't take it to heart because you don't know me and I don't know you nor do I want to!!
I'm retired so I have NO Agenda, do you think that Sergio could match up with Nunn or Mayweather matches up with Curry? Your welcomed to your thoughts! Ray

Personally I think Mayweather would beat Curry at welterweight and Martinez would beat Nunn at middleweight.

[Mike Haynes]

If it weren't for Michael Nunn, James Toney wouldn't be the legend he is.

[BennyST]

Personally I think Mayweather would beat Curry at welterweight and Martinez would beat Nunn at middleweight.

Martinez wouldn't stand a chance against Nunn. Bigger, faster, hit harder, had much, much better defense and overall boxing skill and could counter or fight coming forward. Against Nunn, Martinez would get hit too much, nor would have he have the necessary power, skill or size to win.

For someone that claims to have been watching boxing for as long as you have and know so much more than everyone else, you seem to know very little about anything older than five years ago.

Funny that....