Welterweight: '97 vs '07 vs '17

[Dr Rumack]

With all this talk about welterweight being the hottest, most talent packed division in the sport, it's instructive to take a glance back in time and see how the division is actually a sack of **** when compared with previous decades.

So here we go:

1997

Oscar De La Hoya
Pernell Whitaker
Felix Trinidad
Ike Quartey
Jose Luis Lopez

2007

Floyd Mayweather
Miguel Cotto
Paul Williams
Shane Mosley
Antonio Margarito

2017

Manny Pacquiao
Keith Thurman
Kell Brook
Errol Spence
Tim Bradley? Shawn Porter?


**** man, if this doesn't demonstrate the inexorable decline of the sport I don't know what does. Welterweight may be a division with a great history, but a 38 year old blown up lightweight being the best around says it all.

[Dr Rumack]

This was a great welterweight fight

[-PBP-]

That's not really fair because we know how good Quartey, Trinidad, Cotto, Williams, etc. turned out to be after the fact. Plus the 1997 Sweet Pea was a shell of the ATG fighter that we are familiar with.

[The Akbar One]

With all this talk about welterweight being the hottest, most talent packed division in the sport, it's instructive to take a glance back in time and see how the division is actually a sack of **** when compared with previous decades.

So here we go:

1997

Oscar De La Hoya
Pernell Whitaker
Felix Trinidad
Ike Quartey
Jose Luis Lopez

2007

Floyd Mayweather
Miguel Cotto
Paul Williams
Shane Mosley
Antonio Margarito

2017

Manny Pacquiao
Keith Thurman
Kell Brook
Errol Spence
Tim Bradley? Shawn Porter?


**** man, if this doesn't demonstrate the inexorable decline of the sport I don't know what does. Welterweight may be a division with a great history, but a 38 year old blown up lightweight being the best around says it all.

Cotto, and Margarito would lose to every guy in the 97 group, and every guy in the 2017 group except maybe Porter. 07 Mosely would only be able to beat Lopez from the 97 group. He wouldn't beat Thurman, Brook, or Spence though. I think Paul Williams would give 97 Oscar fits. Depends on the individual style match ups.

[i love boxing]

Cotto, and Margarito would lose to every guy in the 97 group, and every guy in the 2017 group except maybe Porter. 07 Mosely would only be able to beat Lopez from the 97 group. He wouldn't beat Thurman, Brook, or Spence though. I think Paul Williams would give 97 Oscar fits. Depends on the individual style match ups.

??? You think these guys would beat Mosley? why

[soul_survivor]

With all this talk about welterweight being the hottest, most talent packed division in the sport, it's instructive to take a glance back in time and see how the division is actually a sack of **** when compared with previous decades.

So here we go:

1997

Oscar De La Hoya
Pernell Whitaker
Felix Trinidad
Ike Quartey
Jose Luis Lopez

2007

Floyd Mayweather
Miguel Cotto
Paul Williams
Shane Mosley
Antonio Margarito

2017

Manny Pacquiao
Keith Thurman
Kell Brook
Errol Spence
Tim Bradley? Shawn Porter?


**** man, if this doesn't demonstrate the inexorable decline of the sport I don't know what does. Welterweight may be a division with a great history, but a 38 year old blown up lightweight being the best around says it all.

97 hands down. It had 3 ATGs in one damn division, 2 of them wit hserious punching power.

2007 was pretty good too but we never really got a clear number one as May v Cotto/Marg/Williams never happened and Mosley v Williams never happened.

[The Akbar One]

??? You think these guys would beat Mosley? why

2007 Mosely, isn't the juiced up Sugar Shane that beat Oscar. He is a less formidable boxer, that had slipped enough to lose a controversial decision to Cotto. If Cotto is fighting Mosely close enough to win a decision. Guys like Thurman, Brook, Spence, etc. who had better footwork than Cotto, and more athleticism, would likely handle that Mosely in a more comfortable fashion than Cotto did.