One guy was the first champion which Hearns knocked out in 1980 for his first title at welterweight, and the other guy knocked out Tommy in June of 1988 for Tommy's middleweight title. Who ranks higher in your mind.
Pipino easily. He ruled his division with an iron fist for 4 years. Barkley's biggest claim to fame is beating Hearns twice...and ceding his title to a LW.
Really? How's that? By beating who? Palomino, Benitez, Leonard, Duran? Hearns? Who? How? What? Why? When? Huh? He defended A title for four years. He certainly didn't rule his division, ever.
Cuevas defended the WW title 11 times between 1976-80, and often literally broke faces doing so. It certainly isn't Pipino's fault that he didn't face those guys when it really mattered. Only Hearns deserves full credit.
Christ, you're deluded. Did he break the face of any of the four linear champions that reigned during his title reign? No. That he could rule over a division that way,...that...is what's laughable. Legendary power? Sure. Fantastic story? Sure. That he ruled over his division? Utterly laughable. And all the broken faces of all the men in the world not named Palomino, Benitez, Leonard and Duran are not going to change that. He did not rule his division. Grasping this is the key to making it back from bizarro world. Edit: I see you edited. Ah, my freezing Internet service. Yeah, nobody is blaming Cuevas for anything, or running him down, from this end. I fully respect him. Believe that. It's just as simple as he didn't rule his division, however it unfolded this way. He just didn't. It's impossible to make a case that he did. Period. You'd have to be deluded to try and that statement from you very much needed called out.
Cuevas was more consistent in his prime run. Barkley had his moments though and fought an overall higher level of competition.
This is like the people who say Tito Trinidad ruled/dominated the welterweight scene of his era... despite the fact he spent the 90s defending the IBF title against Kevin Lueshing and Rodney Moore, whilst not fighting Ike Quartey ever and not fighting Pernell Whitaker until he was shot.
