Would legacy of Gomez, Benitez and Pryor have hurt if there no Jr weights in their era?

A LtWelter fight between Benitez & Duran came close to happening, but one of the top guys in
their top management threw cold water on it. But if Bruce Curry can knock down, so can Duran.

Wilfred Benitez vs. Bruce Curry (1st meeting)

1977-11-18 : Wilfred Benitez 144½ lbs beat Bruce Curry 142½ lbs by SD in round 10 of 10

• Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA
• Referee: Arthur Mercante 4-5
• Judge: Carol Castellano 5-4
• Judge: Barney Smith 7-3

• See Also: Wilfred Benitez vs. Bruce Curry (2nd meeting)

Notes

• Benitez was a 3-1 favorite.
• This content is protected
• Curry put Benitez down with a left hook to the chin at 2:18 of the fourth round. It was the first knockdown of his professional career. Benitez struggled to his feet at the count of seven. A barrage of punches sent him down again with 18 seconds left in the round. Benitez almost fell out of the ring as he tried to get up, but he managed to get to his feet at the count of eight and survive the round. Benitez was floored again just 15 seconds into the fifth round. Eventually, Benitez's head cleared and Curry started to tire.
• Under New York Rules, two judges and a referee scored the bout by rounds. A supplementary point system was used in case the rounds were even. Judge Carol Castellano scored the fight 5-4-1 for Benitez, Judge Barney Smith had it 7-3 for Benitez, and Referee Arthur Mercante called it 5-4-1 for Curry.
• Shortly after the fight, Referee Arthur Mercante said, "It was one of the best fights I've ever been in."

 

maybe, but would the legacies of Hagler and Hearns and Duran and Leonard be affected if the Jr. divisions were not there and they were at 135, 147 and 160? And the legit weights were 140, 154 and 168? Then those guys might not have been as great.. Who says 135 or 147 is more legit than 140 and 154?

 

Yes, they would have suffered respectively,...and in particular, I think Jr Feather was just perfect for Gomez,...one of my favorite fighters. I didn't use to, but today, I'm all for the Jr. classes...but I remain adamant that there should only be 1 champion per division.

 

some guys would not be as good at lower or higher weights. I would have loved to have seen Hagler at 154.. At 175 he would be a solid guy, and his reach could handle that weight. He would have been a boxer at 175. I do think moving around in weight hurt Hearns. I think he moved around too much in 1986 and 1987.. March 86, middleweight, June 86 Jr. middleweight, October 86 middleweight. March. 87 lightheavyweight, October 87 middleweight.. June 88 Middleweight. November 88 supermiddleweight. too much moving around. He didn't settle at a weight for long at this time. It would have helped him. He was too anxious to be the superstar.

 

Pryor moved up to 140 because he couldn’t get a shot at a lightweight title even though he was a contender at 135, so maybe in this scenario he eventually (hopefully sooner rather than later) gets that lightweight shot and becomes a great at that weight ... but I don’t think he would have been a major factor moving up to 147.

 

Benitez too talented. If no 140 lbs all it would have meant he wouldn't have broken record for youngest champ but still would have been champ before 20 at 147 lbs.

 

It's a fair but moot point. History provides the legitimacy that means 135, 147 and 160 are the weight classes that the higher number of great fighters have competed at, because they've been around longer.

 

Yes, the problem is not the number of weight divisions, it's the number of world belts.

I think Gomez was a bantamweight contender before he took the step up but not sure. Had he been able to make 118, bantamweight history might have looked different. He beat Zarate and Pintor after all, albeit in his own weight class rather than theirs.

 

Yes, agreed about Pryor. I think I also read that about him not getting a title shot at 135. He could have been the great lightweight of the 1980s - the Arguello fight would probably have still taken place but at 135 instead of 140 and maybe fights with Edwin Rosario, Ray Mancini and Hector Camacho would have too.

He still would have eventually self-destructed though.

 

yes, and he would have cleared out any other big bantam names that would have he would have encountered too. As highly as I esteem Olivares, Herrera, and Castillo, Gomez would have been too much for them as well.

 

I always thought Gomez looked slightly undersized at feather and more or less the same size as Zarate and Pintor. If he'd trained appropriately he could've probably made bantam around his prime for a time before making the weight caught up to him. Fighting at 122 meant that he didn't have to focus on keeping his weight down, though at the expense of bypassing the more prestigious division.

 

I just think if you put the legit weights at 135 147 160 you have totally different greats than you have if you put the legit weights at 140, 154 and 168...And what is the difference? How they started the weights? Pryor would not be talked about much.. It does change a lot since it does change what is a great weight for some. Could Terry Norris have fought at 147 or 160 like he could at 154? Probably not.. Curry never fought at 154 like he could at 147. Who is to say 135 is a legit weight over 140.. Or 147 or 154, but there is more history to the 135 and 147, and people then talk about lineal champs.. Which to me was always a little nonsense.

 

I agree that it is arbitrary in a sense - all weight divisions are - but the weight of boxing history is what brings the overall greater legitimacy to those divisions.

Historically, it means that the junior/super weight classes don't have the same depth of great fighters. And it would be no less arbritrary to have made lightweight 140, welterweight 154 and middleweight 160 but yes, you're right, it would have changed boxing history and who was considered great at those weights.

I do think that in modern boxing people now rate junior and super weight classes with similar legitimacy to the original eight weight classes. What distinguishes champions more is the belts or number of belts they hold and who they've fought to win them.

 

nice post I agree. I think in today's world 154 is just as significant at 147 or 160. But the amount of titles is ridiculous and the fighters today are not as deep. The fact Loma or Garcia and be 3 time champions (is Garcia 4 time champ now?) so quickly shows us that the champions are just not deep. They could not have won titles so easily in 1981. Look at the guys they would have to go through. Arguello at 135. Pryor 140 and Hearns 147... I don't think anyone could have beat those guys.