A prime Pernell Whittaker.

Although different kinds of fighters, skillwise they're not far aprt IMO (for what they can both do respectively)

But Pea went on too long and retained his ability to not get KTFO (and I for one believe Jones' legs not his chin let him down late in his career) and remaiend competitive with top-level guys as his career dwindled.

Plus his better resume:good

 

I would have to agree with what everyone is saying if he had a better punch he would definitely be in with a shout. He is as talented a fighter as you will ever see and is without doubt in the top 15 of all time but I think Suar Ray Robinson and Duran have just that little bit extra.

 

Pernell was the best of his era.. He was robbed against a prime Chavez and a prime De La Hoya.. Those victories alone would've made this conversation moot. Add those to his legacxy and he's the best of his generation... and one of the top 5 of all-time

 

Chavez was past his prime. And it's a matter of debate if De La Hoya was in his prime. While I agree that the Chavez fight was a robbery, the De La Hoya fight certainly wasn't.

 

I don't feel it was a robbery either Robbi. Would you agree that performance still adds to Pea's legacy though? And surely the performance he put up against Chavez is still very impressive considering he was still undefeated and it was in such dominant fashion?

 

No criticism of the Chavez performance. Whitaker was past his prime as well. They were both still damn fine fighters around the time they fought. Whitaker never started to gain serious consideration as the 'pound for pound' fighter until he was a WW.

Yes, Whitaker fought well against De La Hoya. And he done well considering how shabby he had looked against Rivera in their first fight and also Hurtado. Many thought the younger De La Hoya would possibly knock him out down the stretch.

 

De La Hoya was in the heart of his prime. How is that up for debate? And Chavez, while past his peak, was not thought of as fully past his prime yet. Nothing prior to the fight suggested it. It was more or less the Whitaker fight that out him over the hill.

 

It's not a set in stone when De La Hoya was in his prime. It's up for debate for sure. Some people feel he wasn't at his best until 99-00. I'd say he was at his best for Whitaker fight.

Chavez wasn't fully past his prime, ala shot. But both he and Whitaker weren't in their primes though, thats for sure. I simply said "Chavez was past his prime" which he clearly was.