How would you rank the following fighters if they had retired at an earlier point?

[SBleeder]

That is, if they had hung up the gloves earlier in their career than they actually did. How much emphasis do you give past-prime losses? What about past-prime wins?


Roberto Duran if he retired after the first Leonard fight.

Muhammad Ali if he retired after the Zora Folley fight.

Ezzard Charles if he retired after the final Archie Moore fight.

Marvin Hagler if he retired after the Hearns fight.

Roy Jones Jr. if he retired after the Ruiz fight.

Alexis Arguello if he retired immediately before the Pryor fights (I'm not sure who his last opponent was before Pryor).

Eder Jofre if he retired before fighting Harada.

Bazooka Gomez if he had retired before fighting Sanchez.

Larry Holmes if he had retired before fighting Spinks.

Michael Spinks if he had retired before the Tyson debacle.

Ricardo Lopez if he had retired before the draw with Alvarez.

And for a more modern example: Manny Pacquiao had he retired before being put to sleep by JMM.

[Ray Corso]

After a lengthly career I just look at talent and skills and compare each man with his opponents win or loose! I don't care about passed prime because their picking up the pennies and could win or loose and the meaning isn't important! Their not fighting to be the best anymore their "picking up the pennies" as they should if needed!!!
Theres very few members here who notice talent the base fans just look at wins and looses and common opponents and overall records! Thats not how you tell greatness! There is a right and wrong way in boxing and that education just isn't learned by reading. You gotta do it! Ray

[Salardo]

I see it like this: we will never know if we would see those fighters differently. For example Roy Jones: now everybody acts like he always was an average fighter and that he couldn't even box. When in reality he was the pound for pound king for almost a decade. So...I believe in 20 years from now people will finally appreciate Roy again and remember that he looked unbeatable for a whole decade.

[rightsideup]

That is, if they had hung up the gloves earlier in their career than they actually did. How much emphasis do you give past-prime losses? What about past-prime wins?


Roberto Duran if he retired after the first Leonard fight.

Muhammad Ali if he retired after the Zora Folley fight.

Ezzard Charles if he retired after the final Archie Moore fight.

Marvin Hagler if he retired after the Hearns fight.

Roy Jones Jr. if he retired after the Ruiz fight.

Alexis Arguello if he retired immediately before the Pryor fights (I'm not sure who his last opponent was before Pryor).

Eder Jofre if he retired before fighting Harada.

Bazooka Gomez if he had retired before fighting Sanchez.

Larry Holmes if he had retired before fighting Spinks.

Michael Spinks if he had retired before the Tyson debacle.

Ricardo Lopez if he had retired before the draw with Alvarez.

And for a more modern example: Manny Pacquiao had he retired before being put to sleep by JMM.

You have alot of great questions here but can you imagine boxing history if frazier and ali did not fight. How could spink's and Duran pass up on the money offered up to them they had families to support in a sport that does not have pension plan's.

[GeneralZod]

Spinks i would view somewhat similar.
Holmes i think did a few things to prove his ability before he fought Jinx.
Muhammad would be a different story altogether.

[Cardinal Buck]

Roberto Duran--higher

Muhammad Ali if he retired after the Zora Folley fight--I'd be a bigger believer. I view Ali in lower regard head to head than most people because of the first Frazier fight and his limitations after his legs faded

Ezzard Charles if he retired after the final Archie Moore fight--not sure

Marvin Hagler if he retired after the Hearns fight--about the same

Roy Jones Jr. if he retired after the Ruiz fight--a little higher

Alexis Arguello if he retired immediately before the Pryor fights (I'm not sure who his last opponent was before Pryor)--same

Larry Holmes if he had retired before fighting Spinks--higher, because of the Tyson fight more than the Spinks fights.

Michael Spinks if he had retired before the Tyson debacle--close to the same. I still rate him pretty highly as a heavyweight.

Ricardo Lopez if he had retired before the draw with Alvarez--same

And for a more modern example: Manny Pacquiao had he retired before being put to sleep by JMM--higher, unless his comeback is good. It was a meaningful loss because it definitively put him behind Mayweather.

[Panamaniac]

That is, if they had hung up the gloves earlier in their career than they actually did. How much emphasis do you give past-prime losses? What about past-prime wins?


Roberto Duran if he retired after the first Leonard fight.

Muhammad Ali if he retired after the Zora Folley fight.

Duran would be second only to Sugar Ray Robinson, but Ali would not have achieved legendary status without his epic battles with Joe Frazier and his conquest of George Foreman. Had Foreman been his last fight, he would rank even higher.

[CHEECH]

good question n a big one since its like 12 questions in one thread. i'll say that the entire ali story would be broken in half. but his flawless performance v sonny liston would keep him in the who coulda beat clay that night discussions until the end of times. spinks, the Tyson fight made no difference to me,he was a great lightheavy n did very well in outslickin a faded larryholmes controversially but then he whacks out a one trick pony in cooney n makes a defense against a total uknown. he's an awesome lightheave chasing big money at heavy is all. any yall even remember the total unknown who spinks defended hit heavyweight title against?

[SCtrojansbaby]

Personally i think anyone who ranks a fighter differently because they continued to fight past their prime is a moron. You judge a fighter by what they did at their best who gives a crap if they lost 100 fights past their prime

[Bolo Punch]

Personally i think anyone who ranks a fighter differently because they continued to fight past their prime is a moron. You judge a fighter by what they did at their best who gives a crap if they lost 100 fights past their prime

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