Was Aaron Pryor the unluckiest fighter ever

[chaconfan]

He was very unlucky but he would have won all the big fight opportunities that he could have been given.

Pryor would have made easy work of leonard and it would have been quick.

Have you actually watched or read anything involving S.R.Leonard? That opinion of yours is literally NONSENSE. Unknowns knocked the wild, unbalanced Pryor down, and no boxer in history made EASY WORK of a peak Leonard.

[chaconfan]

There are far unluckier guys in boxing history. For example Holyfield. Robbed of Olympic gold, which made his pro purses far smaller.
Accused of headbutting which biased and unfair Tyson fans use as an excuse to take away credit from his great victory...despite Jim Gray showing Tyson the replays that CLEARLY show it was Tyson trying to get a butt in to get a DQ or NC.
He was robbed of becoming 5 time heavyweight champ due to being docked a point for a low blow that was a legit knockdown of Ruiz, but then Ruiz was not docked for a deliberate low blow straight after.
He was robbed of becoming 6 time heavy champ after easily outpointing Valuev. This was the biggest weight discrepancy in heavyweight boxing history too btw.
Further credit is taken from him for apparently being a steroid cheat..despite the fact that he never tested positive in any fight before or after, and despite the fact that the weight jump was nothing compared to many other boxers. The cruiser limit is 14st 4 and he fought the almost 18st Bowe at 14st 10 having trained with a pro body builder and personal nutritionist.
If he did take steroids it was only to help him get to heavyweight and since he had nothing in his system whilst in the ring, and whilst virtually all his opponents still outweighed him(some by a wide margin) he was hardly at an advantage.
Let us not forget, he was a natural light heavy, not cruiser.
Let us not forget that the ring magazine said he would not last one round with Tyson.
Tyson fans who say Tyson was not at his best should not forget that Holyfield was said to be shot after struggling with former middleweight, Bobby Czyz.
Give the guy the credit he deserves, he was an absolute warrior, who ducked no one, and never bad mouthed his opponents.

[chaconfan]

Isn't this far more unlucky?
The FACTS are that he was robbed in the first Quarry fight. The rematch was controversial too.
He had a very bad back and was past his best when he fought Ali.
He was robbed in the Maxim bout, here is the WIKI on it.."Floyd Patterson, the 19 year old Olympic graduate, won a "newspaper decision" over Joey Maxim last night, but the cagey ex-light heavyweight champion grabbed the verdict that counts - a unanimous if unpopular vote by the three officials. A poll of 11 boxing writers at the ringside at Brooklyn's Eastern Parkway Arena was unanimous for Patterson over his 32 year old opponent. Patterson, using a spectacular leaping right hand lead battered Maxim in the 6th, staggering him twice. Joey fought back gamely under bursts of fire by Patterson grabbing when in danger." -Associated Press. This is despite the fact that Maxim had 104 bouts to Floyds 13.
The Ellis fight was also a robbery, the Associated Press had it 7-4-4 in favor of Patterson. In a poll of eight ringside sportswriters by United Press International, six scored the fight for Patterson and two for Ellis.
The crowd booed the decision and chanted Patterson's name. A fair decision would have made him the first three time heavy champ.

[HandsofIron]

That is a legit win in your eyes?
Do you consider Resto v Collins Jr a legit win?

I believe Pryors entire boxing record should be considered tainted.

Arguello was the way smaller man who was fighting out of his natural weight class and thus couldn't bring his power up to 140. He shouldn't of taken the rematch imo.

If you're talking about the black bottle controversy, then yeah, that does raise some eyebrows/asterisk on the record.

[just the facts]

But he could crack, and Aaron knew it. Wouldn't have surprised me in Aaron fought Bobby Joe in 1983, and got knocked out.If he didn't lose to Kevin Howard in 1982, Young could have probably ended up champ in the post-Leonard era.Believe that.

There are levels to this sport and while Young was a decent fighter, he was a full level (maybe two) below championship caliber. A prime, non coked out Pryor crushes Young.

[Anthony342]

There are far unluckier guys in boxing history. For example Holyfield. Robbed of Olympic gold, which made his pro purses far smaller.
Accused of headbutting which biased and unfair Tyson fans use as an excuse to take away credit from his great victory...despite Jim Gray showing Tyson the replays that CLEARLY show it was Tyson trying to get a butt in to get a DQ or NC.
He was robbed of becoming 5 time heavyweight champ due to being docked a point for a low blow that was a legit knockdown of Ruiz, but then Ruiz was not docked for a deliberate low blow straight after.
He was robbed of becoming 6 time heavy champ after easily outpointing Valuev. This was the biggest weight discrepancy in heavyweight boxing history too btw.
Further credit is taken from him for apparently being a steroid cheat..despite the fact that he never tested positive in any fight before or after, and despite the fact that the weight jump was nothing compared to many other boxers. The cruiser limit is 14st 4 and he fought the almost 18st Bowe at 14st 10 having trained with a pro body builder and personal nutritionist.
If he did take steroids it was only to help him get to heavyweight and since he had nothing in his system whilst in the ring, and whilst virtually all his opponents still outweighed him(some by a wide margin) he was hardly at an advantage.
Let us not forget, he was a natural light heavy, not cruiser.
Let us not forget that the ring magazine said he would not last one round with Tyson.
Tyson fans who say Tyson was not at his best should not forget that Holyfield was said to be shot after struggling with former middleweight, Bobby Czyz.
Give the guy the credit he deserves, he was an absolute warrior, who ducked no one, and never bad mouthed his opponents.

Speaking of Tyson's fights with Holyfield, I wonder if Mike will provide any explanation as to what was going through his mind in the second Holyfield fight when he bit him twice in that new book he's supposed to be writing? If not, then I won't be picking it up.

[Anthony342]

There are levels to this sport and while Young was a decent fighter, he was a full level (maybe two) below championship caliber. A prime, non coked out Pryor crushes Young.

That's why I'm surprised he didn't try for a rematch, to beat the only guy who beat him. I guess he didn't care anymore by then. Maybe if he had gotten clean right after that, who knows?

[chaconfan]

Speaking of Tyson's fights with Holyfield, I wonder if Mike will provide any explanation as to what was going through his mind in the second Holyfield fight when he bit him twice in that new book he's supposed to be writing? If not, then I won't be picking it up.

Of course he will provide explanation. It will be lies just like his B.S book the undisputed truth. All the fouls Tyson committed, and he has the cheek to say he bit a part of the guys ear off whilst kids were watching, because Holyfield was butting him....which was proven to be false.

[chaconfan]

That's why I'm surprised he didn't try for a rematch, to beat the only guy who beat him. I guess he didn't care anymore by then. Maybe if he had gotten clean right after that, who knows?

At that stage of his career, he would have never beaten Young. I am a big Pryor fan, but even at his best, he was wild and reckless. Great to watch, but not one of the greatest skillwise.

[Anthony342]

Of course he will provide explanation. It will be lies just like his B.S book the undisputed truth. All the fouls Tyson committed, and he has the cheek to say he bit a part of the guys ear off whilst kids were watching, because Holyfield was butting him....which was proven to be false.

Yeah, that's kind of what I suspect as well.