Nobody really mentions him, but I’m having a look through his record and he is a 4 weight world champion and we can forget the loss because all of his achievements came after that and his opponent came in 2 weight divisions above what he was supposed to weight and Nietes lost a SD, so is he an all time great great? Because I think he is
I was a big fan, I tried to catch his fights. He was a belt-holder, not a dominant or lineal champ, he didn't clear out any divisions; but he might just creep into an argument based upon the longevity. Who knows, you'd need to do a detailed rundown of his opposition.
Because he basically has no significant wins in his entire career. The perfect example of the difference between beltholder and world champion.
That’s a bridge too far. He more than proved himself against Ioka, though. If I had any reservations before that fight, they were gone after. He moved up in weight against a far younger, high class technician in his prime and beat him at his own game. The skills are real.
Obviously, but Tanaka is already strong champion, and I think at year-end he'll win against Ioka. He's got potential. And I think victories over much younger champs are good for legacy (Like Holmes - Mercer, Carbajal - Arce)
