Boxing Greatness in the Middleweight Division

[Chollo Vista]

I'm noticing a trend with MW that doesn't happen too many times with other weight classes. Guys normally clean out the MW division.

Hopkins cleaned it out before Taylor came.

Taylor cleaned it out before Pavlik came

Pavlik cleaned it out before Hopkins start hating

Sergio Martinez cleaned it out before GGG came knocking.

Now, it's GGG's turn.

Only a matter of time before someone replaces him and guess what they'll do? Clean out the MW division

[j0zef]

Tbh I don't think there's anything HE can do to be mentioned among the fighters you mentioned. He started too late, got screwed in germany and had to rebuild his career after he was 30.

To be one of those greats, he'd have to truly unify the division (linear/WBO), take care of all current challengers (Lara/Danny/Charlos?/Eubank), move to SMW, beat a few top names there, and then beat 1 top name at 175.

I don't think half the guys will ever fight him, and I don't think he has the time left in his career to accomplish all of that.

[Citizen Koba]

Billy Joe is true with wins over ( Lee-Eubank even tho Eubank didnt do nothing either but whatever I'll give him that)...Jacobs meh..I argued over the stoppage of Quillen as far as Le-Puke is concern hes just trash what can I say? I mean Rubio whooped him then that geezer whats his name lasisian beat him too.

@154 you got Lara,Canelo,Trout,Charlos, Bundrage,Vanes,Cotto the Charlos : these resumes **** all over 160 you got guys that been in the P4P here who are going to be HOF...why do you ask such stupid questions?

Ha ha Well I was going to make an argument, but even as I started it I realised it's gonna be too hard of a sell.

Suffice to say that while I'm not gonna claim that the MW division is stronger than 154 I don't think it's in actuality that much worse either.

[Kagami Taiga]

Ha ha Well I was going to make an argument, but even as I started it I realised it's gonna be too hard of a sell.

Suffice to say that while I'm not gonna claim that the MW division is stronger than 154 I don't think it's in actuality that much worse either.

I dont see how it isnt much worse. 154 is a division that actually has talent from top to bottom. Casnelo, Lara, Andrade would all be world class fighters in any division they fought in and they are better than anyone at MW not named Golovkin. Then you have guys like J-Rock and the Charlos. MW has none of that. It has Golovkin(amazing talent), Jacobs(a pretty good fighter) and Saunders(i've never been impressed with the guy). Thats about it unless you include Eubank, whose similar to up n coming guys at 154. MW just doesnt have that juice right now.

[Citizen Koba]

I dont see how it isnt much worse. 154 is a division that actually has talent from top to bottom. Casnelo, Lara, Andrade would all be world class fighters in any division they fought in and they are better than anyone at MW not named Golovkin. Then you have guys like J-Rock and the Charlos. MW has none of that. It has Golovkin(amazing talent), Jacobs(a pretty good fighter) and Saunders(i've never been impressed with the guy). Thats about it unless you include Eubank, whose similar to up n coming guys at 154. MW just doesnt have that juice right now.

Yeah that's why I didn't pursue it. I know what I mean but I'm struggling to put forward a cogent argument.My feeling is that perception is a lot of the issue here - 154 is a division very deep in US fighters and one that has received as a consequence much more US exposure. In short these are names that we know better. What makes beating someone like K9 or Ishe better than beating someone like Sergio Mora for instance or Andy Lee? Does beating Austin Trout qualify someone as a world class talent? How would these guys actually fare against each other - many of the 154 guys come to the ring the same size as MWs anyway. How would Canelo fare against say Saunders or N'Dam? Would Lara leave Lemieux looking stupid or would he wind up on his ass like he did against slow as molasses Angulo? Are the Charlos 'Hungry Young Lions' or merely relatively untested prospects? Look, once again I'm not trying to say MW is deeper or more proven, merely that I'm not actually convinced the 154 guys are significantly better head to head.

Ok, Ok . Come at me folks! I know I'm going out on a limb here.

[1hourRun]

Yeah that's why I didn't pursue it. I know what I mean but I'm struggling to put forward a cogent argument.My feeling is that perception is a lot of the issue here - 154 is a division very deep in US fighters and one that has received as a consequence much more US exposure. In short these are names that we know better. What makes beating someone like K9 or Ishe better than beating someone like Sergio Mora for instance or Andy Lee? Does beating Austin Trout qualify someone as a world class talent? How would these guys actually fare against each other - many of the 154 guys come to the ring the same size as MWs anyway. How would Canelo fare against say Saunders or N'Dam? Would Lara leave Lemieux looking stupid or would he wind up on his ass like he did against slow as molasses Angulo? Are the Charlos 'Hungry Young Lions' or merely relatively untested prospects? Look, once again I'm not trying to say MW is deeper or more proven, merely that I'm not actually convinced the 154 guys are significantly better head to head.

Ok, Ok . Come at me folks! I know I'm going out on a limb here.

154 owns 160 if they had a tournament : Canelo KO's another Britt in Saunders.

1. Canelo
2. Lara
3. Miguel Cotto
4. Demetrius Andrade
5. Jermall Charlo

vs

1. Golovkin
2. Jacobs
3. BJS
4. Le-puke
5. Eubank Jr.

The close fights I see in this list is : Canelo - GGG , Jacobs vs. Andrade or one the Charlos but even Trout gives him good work ; funny how Lara been calling out triple duck and he dont want it. Miguel Cotto was already lineal @160 whoopin on Martinez...and Canelo is also lineal....wow! but none of these bums at 160 done nothing....again Canelo,Lara,Cotto were/are P4P fighters.....why do you persist? its not even close.

[HEND]

really good division my ass...

GGG, Jacob and Canelo (if he moves up) are the only close to the top - top fighters, BJS and Eubank are not.
Derevyanchenko, Khytrov and Murata are promising prospects but still only prospects.

154 is a lot-lot better.

168 is also pretty whack now, but even that is a little better than MW

I don't say this to take anything away from GGG but these are just the facts...

Good thing is that now he will fight a real threat in Jacobs

[soul_survivor]

MW is weak at the moment because none of the top fighters, apart from GGG, are proven. That's not to say they aren't good fighters. BJS is skilled, Eubank Jr is tough as nails and Lem can punch plus has decent skills himself.

[Kigali]

MW is weak at the moment because none of the top fighters, apart from GGG, are proven. That's not to say they aren't good fighters. BJS is skilled, Eubank Jr is tough as nails and Lem can punch plus has decent skills himself.

GGG is just as unproven as the rest of the top MW's.

[KingHippo]

Ha ha Well I was going to make an argument, but even as I started it I realised it's gonna be too hard of a sell.

Suffice to say that while I'm not gonna claim that the MW division is stronger than 154 I don't think it's in actuality that much worse either.

To be honest with you, I'm not crazy about 154 either. But people like to devalue the 168 division when Murray couldn't even crack the top 5. I also think the top 5 at 154 is much better. I have no respect for David Lemieux and he would be a fringe contender in any division. Billy Joe Saunders is local talent at best. Out of the prospects, Derevyanchenkov is the only one who impressed me so far. But 154 has a monster by the name of Erickson Lubin that blows him out of the water in my opinion.