The Top 100 Pound for Pound All-Time Greats

Than marquez and Holmes? Yeah actually

 

Reasoning?

 

McG having him there. He is MUCH more versed in the -126 realm of fighters than I am.

 

I'll treat that as a non-answer.

 

I was thinking more like...2 or maybe 3 tiers?

 

Ach, you forgot to mention Davila

 

Thanks for that.

I've seen a number of Zarate performances but it's been awhile since I've actually sat down and watched them. I distinctly remember watching him fight Davila, Amores, and maybe Ferreri too, coming away relatively unimpressed each and every time. There was one fight in particular he was losing until he pulled it out by hurting and stopping the opponent. That might be the Amores fight you mentioned.

Anyhow, even if his opponent's were more capable than their resumes suggested, they didn't look like world beaters on film, and by most accounts the Pintor fight could have gone either way. I have that fight in good quality actually. I'll try and sneak it in before my girlfriend comes over.

I'm going to give this guy another go. I actually do want to like him, I really do, but there was just something missing the last time I went over footage of him at Bantamweight. I'll keep you posted how I get on.

 

I've been very, very surprised lately by the clear omission of Zarate in so many bantamweight/best Mexican fighter threads lately. It's really odd, as I don't see how anyone could possibly count him out of a top-ten list for either. Seems so many more prefer Olivares, which is a mystery to me given his relative inconsistency.

 

Olivares just looked better on film though, didn't he? Well, I think he did, and he also has more showier names on his resume. The likes of Lionel Rose, Bobby Chacon, Chucho Castillo, and he gave the great Alexis Arguello a hell of a fight at 126lbs. It's one thing being able to tell us how good the likes of Davila and Amores were, but it doesn't really mean anything to most fight fans. Who are they? Who did they beat? The only names most fight fans would recognize on Zarate's resume are Wilfredo Gomez, Lupe Pintor, Jeff Fenech, and Daniel Zaragoza. He lost to all of them. I mean, Zarate is mostly famed for beating Zamora. Who is Zamora? Who did Zamora beat? Just another John Mugabi.

 

Interesting point about Dempsey. I must admit I turn a bit of as blind eye toward him too, as I just consider him part and parcel of an era that simply had to have its heroes; he was perhaps THE symbol of a big, loud, flamboyant era. Back then, you didn't tear heroes down like we do now, and the old-timers really bristle when people try to do that. They need those icons. Made me always question his worth as a fighter, though.

Plus, he's a heavyweight.

 

It's possible that I mis-remembered it. As I say, I haven't sat down and watched a fight of Carlos Zarate's for well over a year. His fights tended to be pretty unspectacular. And not just because they were relatively one-sided, but also because Zarate was one-paced.