Black Sports : POUND-FOR-POUND CHAMPIONS: COULD TODAY'S GUYS COMPETE WITH CHAMPIONS OF YESTERYEAR???

MississippiRed said:
Ok that's cool........I think some of the fighters of today would most definitely be alright......Floyd Jr., Bhop, Winky Wright, Lennox Lewis, a young Mike (right before he got the title and right after), Roy Jr,Manny Paquiao,Diego Corrales,Jose Luis Castillo, I think cats like that would have done good with some of the better fighters back then............this brings to mind another question though......are those legends so well known because of their skill or because of a few legendary fights ? There are a few fighters I know who are sharp as creases in the 80's but not so well known because they never had that career making fight that appealed to the majority of folks outside the fraternity of boxing fanciers I mean to the average fan not the cat that lives and breathes it......for instance how many folks know who Simon Brown was.....(I was and am a big Simon Brown fan)....but there are countless others that are known amongst real boxing fans but not so much among the casual fan.......Winky Wright languished for years as an unknown to most folks until they saw him work Felix Trinidad......even though he'd been putting in work for a long time.....
Good topic though....


Red

Hey Sip and Pan, good responses...

Sip, I saw Simon Brown, and thought he was a very good fighter, and ironically, that's what I base these comparisons on, because I can't claim a lot of familiarity with today's guys... And I agree with you, that there a bunch of great fighters who because they never reached the summit of their profession will go down as nameless, anonymous souls to all but their admirers...

For instance, back in the day, there were a number of nice fighters who because they came along at the wrong time, a time when great fighters reigned as champions, they'll never get the recognition they deserve... I remember back in the day that Isamael Laguna and Esteban DeJesus had legendary fights with the champs of their day, Carlos Ortiz and Roberto Duran, and reigned for a hot second as champs because they BEAT these great fighters at least once in, say, a trilogy of fights...

These guys are all but forgotten because they didn't dominate... They were skilled crafty boxers, though - extremely so... As a child, I dug them because they didn't get hit, and I was always a counter-puncher, myself, in my littel street brawls...(smile!) Wilfredo Benitez was, also, a tremendous boxer - tremendous, man... At 17 he dethroned the reigning welterweight champion, and if the guy wasn't so damned lazy he coulda dominated in an era with Hearns and Leonard... I firmly believe that, because you could not touch the man, couldn't hit him if you wanted to... Another guy, because he died so young, who will never get the recognition he deserves as a fighter and a champion, was Salvador Sanchez... He had everything Benitez had, plus incredible punching power... Great, great, great boxer who died at age 25, after destroying Azumah Nelson, another great fighter... Destroyed him, as well as, Wilfredo Gomez, who could not be beat as the bantamweight champion until he stepped up to meet Sanchez...

The best fighters have always fought at the lower weights in my humble estimation, but the Heavyweights always have gotten the pub... There have always been a lot more really great guys competing for that top spot at the lower weights, because their just more numerous in the society... That competition actually makes guys better fighters I think... That's why we can name more guys down there who were tremendous... I, too, believe that there are fighters who could compete in any era, because they just had mad skills... I think that the fighters of old would simply do what the guys do today to get themselves ready, and let the best man win... By the way, Pan, there have always been some big cats out there fighting... Primo Carnera in the 1930's fought Joe Louis... Ernie Terrell was annihilated by Ali after refusing to call him by his name in 1967, and both were 6-foot-6 and well over 230 pounds... Ali, himself, was pretty big man at 6-foot-3, 212 poiund fighting weight... Tyrell Biggs and Bonecrusher are about 6-foot-5, and so was Frank Bruno... Explain what you mean by size being a determinant of who is better prepared to win a fight in any era... I don't understand that... Ed Too Tall Jones was no real fighter, but the cat was 6-foot-9!!!!(smile!)


Thanks for the responses fellas...


Peace!
Isaiah
 
I think this article is an interesting contribution to this debate

Former heavyweight champion George Foreman has claimed Lennox Lewis is the best heavyweight of all-time after beating Mike Tyson.
Before the Memphis clash Foreman claimed the Briton was the best heavyweight since Muhammad Ali.

But after his thrilling demolition of Iron Mike, Foreman, who was beaten by Muhammad Ali in the 'Rumble in the Jungle' in 1974, believes Lewis is the undisputed king of the ring.

"Lennox is beyond doubt the greatest heavyweight of all-time," Foreman said on Monday.

"He is not second any more, he is there at the top of the tree. It reminded me of a young George Foreman and an elusive Muhammad Ali - everything you want in a fighter."
Lewis' ranking alongside the heavyweight greats was also backed up by another fight legend - 'Smoking' Joe Frazier.

"Lennox is right up there with George Foreman and Muhammad Ali and he has proved himself the best heavyweight out there," Frazier said.

Lewis' trainer Emanuel Steward has often claimed that his fighter is the finest heavyweight to step into the ring since Ali dominated the division in the 1960s and 70s. "I have known for a long time now that Lennox is the best heavyweight since Ali and the world should now acknowledge that," he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/specials/lewis_v_tyson_fight/2036717.stm
 
panafrica said:
This means that Frazier acknowledges that Foreman is greater than he is and Foreman acknowledges that Ali is greater than himself.

Now if only Forman and Frazier would formally acknowledge this publicly and take back some of their own words on "The Road to Glory" that would help to narrow this down. However, does this mean that Lennox Lewis is a better boxer, pound for pound than Joe Louis?

That's almost like me asking is there a greater running back all-time than Jim Brown!
 
omowalejabali said:
This means that Frazier acknowledges that Foreman is greater than he is and Foreman acknowledges that Ali is greater than himself.

Now if only Forman and Frazier would formally acknowledge this publicly and take back some of their own words on "The Road to Glory" that would help to narrow this down. However, does this mean that Lennox Lewis is a better boxer, pound for pound than Joe Louis?

That's almost like me asking is there a greater running back all-time than Jim Brown!

George Foreman has long since acknowledged Ali as a superior fighter than himself and Ali was known as the "greatest" never Joe Louis. This is for good reason: Joe Louis is the most accomplished heavyweight champ (12 year reign with 25 defenses, both records), but no one views him as the most skilled heavyweight champ. Ali takes that distinction hands down. However I don't take Foreman or Frazier's words literally. I think the most important point is that here are two of the top 10 greatest heavyweight champions of all time recognizing Lennox Lewis' (a modern fighter) place along side of them. If those who are in the sport acknowledge his greatness, who are we to doubt it?
 

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