NSB myth is that all the past ATGs fought everyone and its not the case at all

[SlySlickSmooth]

Ray Leonard vs McCallum would of been cool.

[Horus]

The only problem with talking about historical fighters is that maybe 15% here have any right to even be be discussing any fighter pre 1980. Any Tom,Dick and Harry can know the positives of a fighter of the past but finding out their flaws is much more difficult and requires real research when looking into in ring and career flaws.

That is really what it comes down to people judge the present more harshly because they are closer to it and know more about it, take the boxing world from the 40's 50's 60's with some modification (social and rule changes) to right now you would have the same people saying the same **** just the names would be different.

Period end of story, this **** doesn't really change and nothing being done currently in boxing is new at all.

based on the standards today, what you are saying is
Very true. Leonard would been considered the worst coward ever in this era.

[Farrod]

Please, be honest with yourself. Floyd was written all over your posts. You can't hide that you were thinking about your hero Floyd.


I watched Ali fight. He called out everybody. Did he fight everybody? You can't but he fought who people thought that he had to fight to be called the greatest. Some of those fights, he was heavily the underdog and some he had no chance ..... but he took them and was calling out for them, win or lose.

Some don't want to go Ali's route and state so. That is OK but then don't come back and say that you are the best because you are not. All you did was beat fighters that people expected you to win. Big deal! I can name you many fighters that had an "0" on their record up until they stepped it up and faced competition that made them no longer the favorite.

You stoopid.

[Horus]

I have more respect for Hopkins, Mayweather, Roy Jones and Pacquiao than I do Hagler. Because they all took more risk.

[12TRIBEsRiSe]

you do not have a clue about boxing history if you believe this to be the case. For example,
hagler made a career out of fighting smaller fighters. Litterally ducked the **** out
fighting mike mccallum, herol graham (wba strip him of his title for not fighting his mandatory #1 contender), kalambay, bigger man like spinks, and qawi. I can go on and on. But the point is mayweather is no different for any of great fighter in their eras. He didn't fight everybody, they didn't either. However, he still accomplished great things in the sport. Name the last guy mayweather fought coming off a lost beside people who he beat like madiana and casitillo.

Learn some history before u made crazy statements like this.

good post, and the fight with ray leonard n hagler didnt happen exaclty when people wanted it to

[The Gambler1981]

good post, and the fight with ray leonard n hagler didnt happen exaclty when people wanted it to

Let's not forget that whole stunt where Leonard was in a boxing ring and called Hagler up when people were thinking it was time and Ray saying it would have been a great fight to his face but it was never going to happen.

I could not even imagine how dudes would be tripping over that on here, even with Ray's detached retina he would be at best a one eyed ***** or at worst a ***** that is faking going blind to get out of the fight (I am sure that one would be real popular).

[Ham Porter]

Nobody uses those names as a stick to beat Robinson with because he fought and beat fighters of either comparable quality or those even better.


And a quick browsing of his record and the actual rankings of that era completely shatter your notion of '100 fights or more = padded record.'

good post, and the fight with ray leonard n hagler didnt happen exaclty when people wanted it to

Leonard and Hagler were also never, at any point, actively competing in the same exact weight class.

[Horus]

Let's not forget that whole stunt where Leonard was in a boxing ring and called Hagler up when people were thinking it was time and Ray saying it would have been a great fight to his face but it was never going to happen.

I could not even imagine how dudes would be tripping over that on here, even with Ray's detached retina he would be at best a one eyed ***** or at worst a ***** that is faking going blind to get out of the fight (I am sure that one would be real popular).

Leonard would have had to fight Spinks not to be considered A coward in today's standards

[SthPaw]

I think the politics of modern boxing have tainted the opinions of the fighters of the past resumes...For example, back then anyone would fight anyone, because that is the idea. Eventually stars emerge that go on to live forever, like SRR as you mentioned, but the attitude and way things where back then where still just to fight. Yeah his resume may be full of opponents deemed unworthy, but that wasn't the point, the point was to fight anyone on your way up and defend your title against anyone if you managed to get one.

Nowadays the big name fighters come out literally twice a year, every fight has to be a money spinner and drag in the numbers and for that to happen the opponent has to be someone with a name to help hype up the event and promotions.

That is why there is so much emphasis put on the resumes of the big fighters of today, because if they went on like the old days and fought anybody who was anybody, the PPV system would fall and that is where money lies in big time boxing. I think slowly but surely PPV has played a part in modern boxing at the highest levels in the loss of attitude of Best Vs Best and everyone takes on anyone. Big name fighters need to fight big name fighters these days, and thats why some people may look back at ATG records and wonder if many of the opponents where worthy.

[big_james10]

If a fighter has over 100 fights near 90% of their competition is bad to marginal

Today is a different era and fighters are being moved a bit faster and fight fewer fights because they get paid better than fighters of the past

Sugar Ray Robinson is considered by many to be the greatest fighter of all time and his resume and competition level is not even in the top ten. He also never faced a prime ATG at welterweight.At welterweight, the only great fighters he fought were Gavilan who was pre prime and Armstrong who was past it but still pretty good. Its not his fault, you can only fight who is available in your era and politics often get in the way, just as they do today.

He turned pro in 1940 and fought between 147-160 in an era that had the black murderers row like Aaron wade, Cocoa Kid, Holman Williams, Charley Burley, Eddie Booker, Bert Lytell etc.....him not facing those guys should not and does not take away from what he has done

Mayweather and Pacquiao has not fought yet but it is not the only big fight that did not happen.....None of the fab 4 fought Aaron Pryor, Michael Nunn, Sumbu Kalambay or Mike McCallum between 147-160 and all are still considered ATG'S....Trust me if they had to face all four, some if not all would come away with a lose

We have been lucky to see ATG like Roy Jones, Hopkins, Toney, Mayweather, and Pacquaio in our closing era....lets enjoy them while we have them and judge them for what they have done and not for what they have not done

I can't speak for the era of Sugar Ray Robinson, but I grew up watching Sugar Ray Leonard, Hearns, Hagler and Duran and, to some extent, Muhammad Ali. It was rumored that SRL moved up a weight class in the amateurs to avoid facing Aaron Pryor in the Olympic Trials. SRL definitely avoided Pryor in the pros. Neither Duran or Hearns were willing to fight Pryor either. Hagler spent his entire career at 160, so we have no idea how he would have fared against the top fighters at 168 and 175.

You cannot use logic and facts when you are talking about Floyd Mayweather on this message board because they mean absolutely nothing to the people who post here.

Good post, but it is more or less a waste of your time and energy to write it.