Talent and skill and accomplishment is all great but what can you really say about a fighter who is never involved in a great fight?
Last November, Ward and Kovalev fought a close fight, but would you really call it great?
Canelo-GGG was competitive, but great?
Hagler-Hearns was great. Duran-Barkley was great. The Thrilla in Manila was great. Any even causal fan would be impressed with these fights.
Yet, most of the so called p4p guys nowadays have never been in such fights. I mean, Lomachenko is a great fighter but his fights aren't balls to the wall great back and forth fights. Terence Crawford's fight with Gamboa was competitive but once again, I wouldn't call it great.
One great fight this year I believe has been Joshua-Klitschko. They will both be remembered for that one.
However, what will so many of these other fighters be remembered for? What great back and forth high action fight was Roy Jones ever in? Mayweather's fights with Castillo and Maidana were close and competitive but nothing like a Barrera-Morales or a Gatti-Ward. Bowe-Holyfield I was a truly great heavyweight fight even if Bowe wasn't a great heavyweight. Holyfield definitely left part of himself in the ring that night and fans are still grateful as they should be.
I've heard it said that an unbeaten fighter just hasn't fought the right fighter yet. This could be true. How many ATGs have retired unbeaten and even the ones who did, how truly unbeaten were they?
In closing, fighters that go through these kinds of fights deserve much higher praise in my opinion than guys who had a lot of talent but are never in these. After all, many consider Sugar Ray Robinson the best of all time and he did have these types of fights with LaMotta, Basilio and Fullmer. For the ones that don't and end on sterling records with lots of belts in their homes, it may be impressive. It may inspire a lot of admiration but one thing's for sure. It's sure as hell boring.
Last November, Ward and Kovalev fought a close fight, but would you really call it great?
Canelo-GGG was competitive, but great?
Hagler-Hearns was great. Duran-Barkley was great. The Thrilla in Manila was great. Any even causal fan would be impressed with these fights.
Yet, most of the so called p4p guys nowadays have never been in such fights. I mean, Lomachenko is a great fighter but his fights aren't balls to the wall great back and forth fights. Terence Crawford's fight with Gamboa was competitive but once again, I wouldn't call it great.
One great fight this year I believe has been Joshua-Klitschko. They will both be remembered for that one.
However, what will so many of these other fighters be remembered for? What great back and forth high action fight was Roy Jones ever in? Mayweather's fights with Castillo and Maidana were close and competitive but nothing like a Barrera-Morales or a Gatti-Ward. Bowe-Holyfield I was a truly great heavyweight fight even if Bowe wasn't a great heavyweight. Holyfield definitely left part of himself in the ring that night and fans are still grateful as they should be.
I've heard it said that an unbeaten fighter just hasn't fought the right fighter yet. This could be true. How many ATGs have retired unbeaten and even the ones who did, how truly unbeaten were they?
In closing, fighters that go through these kinds of fights deserve much higher praise in my opinion than guys who had a lot of talent but are never in these. After all, many consider Sugar Ray Robinson the best of all time and he did have these types of fights with LaMotta, Basilio and Fullmer. For the ones that don't and end on sterling records with lots of belts in their homes, it may be impressive. It may inspire a lot of admiration but one thing's for sure. It's sure as hell boring.
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