Debating my top ten SMW list

Why can't you see Ward ahead of Calzaghe?

 

Ward was a fiddler, great with dirty infighting and staying out of distance with mind numbing tactics. He is NOT in the class of James ****ing Toney, who fought cleanly toe-to-toe without being hit or clinching.

 

He wasn't as pleasing to the eye, but he was better at 168 imo. I can't see him being as embarrassed aagainst anyone as Toney was against Jones.

And no weight drain excuses. Whether or not he was doesn't matter. A large part of an athlete's quality is preparing well. If you don't in the biggest moments you have no excuses.

 

If this is about who aesthetically looked best at 168, it's Toney hands down. But this isn't figure skating.

 

Maybe, not sure, though. Would he beat difficult guys like Kessler and Froch as easily as Ward did? Don't think he ever did, anyhow.

But even if you're right that Toney at his very best was better than Ward at his very best that isn't a clincher for me. It's about the consistency of the performances. Ward was always good in there. Being good enough to get the win on every night is better than winning impressively most of the time but losing now and then because a dip in performance imo. I feel that talent is overrated and professionalism underrated on this forum.

 

I don't think Froch would lay a glove on Toney, and would be punched to pieces.

 

Maybe. One can only speculate. What I think we can say with more authority is that he never did that to anyone of Froch's quality.

 

What, punch to pieces? Try Nunn, McCallum (last round), Barkley, Littles and Prince Charles - all significantly better quality fighters than Froch.

Carl led with his nose.

 

We know Taylor and Groves punched Carl to pieces.

 

If you think Nunn and McCallum didn't "lay a glove on Toney" you and I have been watching very different fights. And how was Barkley, Littles and Prince "significantly better quality fighters than Froch"? What world class fighters did Littles and Prince ever beat? And what 37-year old former LW did Froch ever lose to? Who ever KO'd him in the first round?

Froch probably beat more top ranked guys than those three combined.

 

Those pieces did a pretty good job stopping both of them.

 

Sven Ottke lost more fights than he won, in reality.

Froch and Kessler are simply not in the same stratosphere in terms of talent as Nunn, Hearns, McClellan, McCallum, Watson or Littles.

Graciano Rocchigiani was better than Kessler. Without question.

Lindell Holmes looked great against Tate. Frank Tate was a far more accomplished boxer than Froch or Kessler. Olympic gold etc.

 

Yet he's 3-0 against them.