I've seen Chavez plenty of times. He was nothing special. What's his best win? Feather Fisted Hector Camacho?
Chavez was 32 when he took the beating of his life against De La Hoya, I don't know how old you are, but barring injury, most athletes are better, stronger, smarter at 32 then they are at 22. You must be a child.
I dont know how old you are neither, but somewhere under 13 would sound about right. Your daddy hadn't met your momma in that street corner yet around the time Chavez was in his prime.
82 Mexican cab drivers (and a few past-it fighters) step up; 82 Mexican cab drivers (and a few past-it fighters) fall down.
So was SRR and all the other greats. His record is even more impressive because it's harder to beat bums with weak records than to beat known champions. To go 80+ and not lose is an accomplishment even if most of the victims are bums. Tyson got KO'd by some Buster named Douglas remember?
So you're trying to convince me and yourself that you are stronger at 32 than you were at 22? I don't believe it unless you're on PEDS.
Chavez definitely, even if he came up short sometimes (versus Pernell), was pure quality and class. He fought many excellent opponents and laid it out there. Not just in the "warrior" sense and take a proper lickin', but in that he was willing to take risks in the ring, as well as in getting to the ring. Big ups to that old school mentality. It has been thinning out for a long time, and I doubt it will even be visible much longer. Floyd? He does not have it. He and his fans go on about the superficial "rankings" of his opponents, but what about their actual threat level? What of the actual fight, and desire to, well, fight? Everything feels so commercialized these days, as opposed to an actual fight-- a game of men, as opposed to a simple spot-- in which everyone vies to be the best-- which is how it used to feel. Mayweather exemplifies this more than any other boxer to me. Going on about money and haters and whatnot... Damn. It's just such a bad look when it comes to being a competitor. It is antithetical to being a gladiator and hungering for battle. Different strokes for different folks, sure, but it leaves me with a heavy heart when I think of what boxing used to be. And in this case, what Chavez was (despite I find myself a critic of him in many aspects). That's just my two cents. Sorry for the tangent.
Roy Jones Jr was the most talented boxer in history. His record however doesn't show this. He was unbeatable at 168. But most don't put him up with SRR because he didn't beat as many, not because he didn't beat his share of great fighters. Now look at someone like Mayweather. Mayweather is the closest thing to SRR that we have. He beat every fighter he has ever faced. He's never lost. He could have gone 100-0 if he chose to but chooses to fight one or two fights a year and take long layoffs. Yet no one compares him to SRR because he didn't beat 40 or 50 bums along the way.