middleweight 80s v 90s

[whdempsey]

"prime jones would beat hagler"
Hagler would heat his show boatin' ass up
imho.
jones to me is way to over rated
a flash in the pan

After ten years of being rated in the pound for pound top ten, titles in four different weight classes, one defense of his middleweight title, five defenses of his supermiddlweight title, and thirteen successful defenses at light heavy, you're calling Roy Jones a flash in the pan.

You can't be serious.

Whether he's overrated or not is up for debate, though not in my book, but there is no way a knowledgeable fan could call Roy Levesta Jones Jr. a flash in the pan. That's like calling Ivan Calderon fat or the Pope Protestant. It's just not true.

[dempseyfire]

A prime Hagler was not the tired chasing Marvin who fought Ray Leanord. He was a fast pressure fighter who could jab and counterpunch you into oblivion. He would TKO Jones in the middle-late rounds.

[oldgringo]

After ten years of being rated in the pound for pound top ten, titles in four different weight classes, one defense of his middleweight title, five defenses of his supermiddlweight title, and thirteen successful defenses at light heavy, you're calling Roy Jones a flash in the pan.

You can't be serious.

Whether he's overrated or not is up for debate, though not in my book, but there is no way a knowledgeable fan could call Roy Levesta Jones Jr. a flash in the pan. That's like calling Ivan Calderon fat or the Pope Protestant. It's just not true.

Boy, that Ivan Calderon...what a fat ass.

[oldgringo]

A prime Hagler was not the tired chasing Marvin who fought Ray Leanord. He was a fast pressure fighter who could jab and counterpunch you into oblivion. He would TKO Jones in the middle-late rounds.

I agree. A prime Hagler also had a great jab and could put his punches together well when he wanted to. His technical boxing skills are often overlooked IMO.

[whdempsey]

Jones UD 12 Hagler.
A lotta people forget how powerful Jones was at middleweight. He went 22-0 with 20 kayos. That's a pretty big deal. Jones is definitely fast enough, and probably powerful enough to dsicourage Hagler. Hagler would try outjabbing Jones, which wouldn't work because Jones doesn't jab. He would jump in and jump out and confuse the hell outta Hagler, just like Hopkins.

Benn KO 5 Duran
The variables here are Benn's power and his chin. Duran hit hard enough to hurt Iran Barkley, but Roberto was never on the verge of stopping him. For my money, this looks a little like Duran-Hearns, except it lasts longer, and the end isn't as sudden, because Been wasn't the disciplined boxer that Hearns was.

McClellan KO 7 Leonard
McClellan was huge. He was also strong, and his incredibly hard. To me, this looks like Leonard vs. Howard, except this time Leonard doesn't get up. (Not that Howard and McClellan have similar styles, but I'm trying to help everyone get the picture in my head.)

Hearns KO 13 Eubank
Hearns wasn't at his peak at middle, but neither was Eubank, who really hit his stride at super middle. Eubank would hurt him early, even come close to knocking down. But after that Hearns backs off and starts to use his jab, dancing and making Eubank look ****** and feel frustrated. Then Hearns starts putting together combinations, two and three punches at funny angles, forcing Eubank to swing more wildly. Hearns beats him to the body then, and when round 13 comes, Hearns finishes with his long right hand.

The questions are wether Hearns recovers well from being hurt. After all, he didn't have the best recuperative abilities. But remember Hearns getting rocked by Roldan and Leonard? The only difference here is that Hearns finishes his opponent.

[whdempsey]

Boy, that Ivan Calderon...what a fat ass.

Ha. And I guess the Pope is as orange as a pumpkin?

[Assman]

Where are Toney and Hagler. Anyhow, I agree that the early 90's had a better class of fighters. The 80's had better pound-for-pound fighters since Hearns, Duran, and Leonard all moved up through the weight classes.

[SonnyG8R]

Calling Leonard and Duran legitimate Middleweights is silly anyway. I'd probably replace Duran with Barkley.

How about comparing 80's vs. 90's Welterweights?

Benitez, Leonard, Duran, Hearns

vs.

Trinidad, Whitaker, Quartey, De La Hoya