This is not a thread made to stir up the usual arguments. This is a genuine question to REAL boxing fans and historians. Which ATG fighters (who are unanimously agreed to be ATG) did Floyd beat when they were in their recognised prime at the weight which is considered to be the weight they were in their prime at?
It's a loaded question because you can make that case against any fighter. Example, Frazier beat Ali in '71 - ergo Ali not in his prime. It becomes a self-referential truism that if they beat a fighter in his prime, he couldn't be in his prime, or he wouldn't have been beaten. And thus the argument continues in a loop forever. As far as Floyd is concerned, watch how Marquez - the incredibly skilled counter-puncher who nearly murdered Pacquio - can't even land a glove on him.
Not if you are actually being objective you cant. By that argument then Ali never beat Frazier in his prime either Barrera and Morales are both ATGs and beat each other at their respective primes in the weight division they were both at their prime in There are loads of examples of fighters beating a prime ATG in their prime at their best weight. Marquez was dragged up 2 weight divisions above the weight he was regarded as in his prime in and a few years after what most experts would agree was his prime. That my point Floyd didnt fight any ATG at their prime in their best weight division. Even Hasim Rachman has 1 in beating Lewis during Lewis prime years
He never faced someone who had longer reach than him too. Floyd is known to be a cherry picking fraud though. Although I concede that in his pretty boy Floyd phase he beat a prime Corrales, Genaro Hernández and Castillo so there's that.
Not sure on reaches, but other than Williams, was there anyone else around at the time that had a longer reach?
Williams wouldn’t have even been a challenge. The only guy with a longer reach who would’ve caused problems was Andrade, but he was unknown and Mayweather dropped back to 147 after Canelo. The reach argument is ignorant and only applied to Mayweather, just like the “prime ATG” argument. Hearns had a ridiculous reach and it isn’t used to diminish him. Hagler and many other ATGs never beat a prime ATG at their best weightclass. Duran and Hearns arguably didn’t either (Leonard green at Montreal, 154 not Benitez’s best weight).
I never said which ATGS have beaten other ATGS tho. I simply asked how many did Floyd beat in their prime and their best weight? To be TBE he surely must have beaten 1? I agree Duran and Hagler also didnt, Nor did Leonard. But again I say, I didnt ask the question to define an all time great I asked about Floyd. Many people say Ray Robinson was TBE but no matter how much you argue Randy Turpin did beat him in his prime at his best weight (yes Turpin lost rematch and did nothing after) but he still beat more ATGs than Floyd in their prime at best weight
Open boxrec - Scroll through his resume - consider which boxers were ATG (Quite a bit) - then consider if they were prime (hardly any) - then consider if prime, was it their prime weight - ZERO. There's your answer. Not even debatable.
None. It makes his 50+ fights, multiple divisions, and multiple decades as a fighter seem hollow. I have always stated that he never beat an ATG, in their prime, at their optimal weight. How you fight from '96-'16/'17 without doing so is absolutely crazy. There's a reason why so many people call him a duck...
