How good could BJS have been?

One of the best.

He had a natural talent. Born with it.

 

Average to above average... maybe. Guy literally looked good in ONE fight.

 

Canelo certainly didn't help with Billy keeping his head together.

 

At his best he schooled Lemieux, but Lemieux is Lemieux. He was definitely talented though

 

I think the word is "could," and i say this from position of wishing when i was fighting that i would have had anything resembling the ability that BJS had, that to see this ability/natural talent wasted by inactivity is frankly mind blowing.

 

I swear this gets ignored often.. Literally just ONE fight.. He struggled with Eubank, almost had a draw with Lee despite dropping him twice, looked sluggish against Akavov and Monroe Jr, looked excellent vs Lemeiux, struggled with Isuf, lackluster against an old Murray and got his face crushed against Canelo.. Let’s not forget he popped hot the very next scheduled fight after the good Lemeiux performance.. Every other fight he’s either looked sluggish or struggled.. That is who he is there is no what if..

 

Two weight classe champ

 

He was quite slick at his very best, although we should keep in mind that he was always feather-fisted and that is simply gonna hold you back past a certain level. I think that alone would have precluded him from being the standout MW of an era that also included GGG, no matter how many luckier breaks Saunders got.

 

Not quite true; his run of form 2012 until 2015 (circa Pryce through Lee) was quite impressive. Granted the best opponents in that run were Ryder and Eubank, and green versions of both at that, but most of the rest were also solid domestic/Euro/Commonwealth scene operators, and he looked stylish and world class in dispatching them.

 

above average fighter

 

He would have been very good. Maybe a fringe HOF if he had the right match ups to collect belts. He would have never beat a prime GGG or Canelo, but has a chance to beat everyone else.

 

I thought Billy was actually doing well against Canelo. He was starting to come alive, he just wasn't offensive enough and got caught with a massive shot. Most likely due to inactivity and not training to be perfect. With Canelo you have to be defensively sound for 12 rounds.

 

I think Saunders could have been very good. I agree that he underperformed compared to what his talent level was.

 

Fighters are what they are..

if they never "did it" they simply never had it!