Was Zale robbed of his peak?

[Humean]

The competition may or may not have been the best but at least Cerdan was able to step into the ring multiple times during the war years.

I imagine that it was easier to stay somewhat sharp and stave off ring rust that way than by taking a complete vacation from the sport.

Well I wasn't necessarily saying that Cerdan was as badly hindered as Zale, I honestly don't think you can make such a judgment either way. I just think you have to consider that Cerdan's career and life was badly affected by the war also and that lasted the full 6 years of the war. I have read many times about how Zale was past his best during the Graziano and Cerdan fights, and that is probably correct, but it is likely that Cerdan was also past his best. When Cerdan died he was 33, which is now usually within 'prime' years but it wasn't in that era - 33 was old. When Cerdan was entering his 'prime' years he was quite possibly the best welterweight in the world but unfortunately he couldn't prove whether than was true or not.