Who could of been the GOAT, under different circumstances?

:huh Good question.

 

deal

 

Well, Burley's main problem was that he didn't have a manager who could get him a title fight. The best fighters around, including Robinson, were quite shameless in avoiding him because he simply wasn't worth it. Robinson actually signed to fight Burley but ducked him in the same way Hopkins ducked Calzaghe nearer their primes. Burley was simply far too much risk, far too little reward. However, for many of those around at the time, they considered him the best fighter they ever saw. Most people would say Roberto Duran belongs in the top 5 of all time and yet his own trainer, Ray Arcel, considered Burley to be the best fighter he ever saw. Eddie Futch was famously the man who figured out Muhammad Ali and trained many truly great fighters and he considered Burley to be the best he ever saw.

His resume is not as impressive as he was, however, he still held wins over great fighters like Archie Moore, Holman Williams, Fritzie Zivic.

Burley is the ultimate "what if". Had he been marketed better, I think he would have beaten Robinson and many more of the great fighters around that time. When he did get the chance, he proved he was elite but too few were willing to step into the ring with him.

 

He was also never KO'ed in 98 fights despite going up against larger, HOF talented opponents. For Arranmcl. :yep

 

Hard to imagine someone genuinely better than peak Ray Robinson. I've never seen anyone with the potential for it, not yet at least.

You can be more accomplished than him though, in regards to resume. There are already at least 2 who fit the bill.

 

Pacquaio and Money May obviously!


(I kid)

 

One hell of a rant, Duranimal.

 

I think Robinson's opinions on Burley are interesting. He was reported as saying that he thought very highly of Burley, to the extent where you'd think SRR himself thought he'd lose, and the fact is, he did duck Burley.

Who knows what would have happened? Maybe Robinson would have won, I'm not sure. I think Burley would have been a huge challenge though.

 

Roy Jones, best ever. Hung around too long.

 

With or without roids?

 

Maybe Ali if he was allowed to fight in his prime.

 

Even if Roy Jones didn't spend huge chunks of his career fighting cab drivers who could he have beaten that would possibly have made him the GOAT?

Let's make a resume and see if it'll make Jones the GOAT

Hopkins x 2 @160lbs and 170lbs
Benn@ 168lbs
Calzaghe @ 168lbs
Toney @ 168lbs
Michalczewski @ 175lbs
Ruiz @ 200lbs +
Tyson @ 200lbs +
Lewis @ 200lbs +

Case for top 10 ATG with that resume (possibly) but GOAT?

 

If he did it all without roids then yeah.

 

Langford in a different era could have won titles from 140 to heavyweight. When you consider that he went from beating Gans in 1903 to Wills in 1914, with more opportunities he could have proven himself the GOAT.

If he hadn't been injured in the plane crash, would Pep have had as much trouble with Saddler? If he didn't have the (relative) black mark of losing the series to his arch rival, would he have been ranked even higher?

While it may be a stretch, what if Pryor had fought and beat Leonard, and overcome the personal demons that ruined his career?