The strong argument is great, but wasn't Marco every bit if not more precise than Nelson? I think Marco boxes well enough he can negate the disparity in strength by keeping him at the end of the jab. He had a very good one. I'll watch more Azumah.
Other than highlights, the only fights Ive seen Nelson in were the Sanchez & Whitaker fights, he did well as a very very green fighter vs Sal but was stopped in rd 15, good effort tho. He hardly won a rd vs Whitaker, maybe 2 or 3 at most but he was 31 by then & up at LW vs a peak 26 yr old Whitaker (I actually watched this fight today), it was a clear loss but his will & refusal to keep trying did really impress me. Ive seen plenty of MAB but am unable to call this one due to not having seen enough of Nelson. I have a feeling Azumah would have a good size advantage tho. :good
I'd say Marco was usually the more precise at this weight.Nelson could be precise and technically sound as well, but was often a bit sloppy, using brute force, top notch physical ability and viscious clubbing power to get the job done. That said, even when he was winging punches, he was still usually accurate, a bit like Galindez in approach.It would be interesting to see how he would fight Barrera.
I like them both, and rate them very highly. I take Azumah to give any Mexican Feather hell, but although no Sanchez, Barrera I think has enough to get the split nod over 15 interesting rounds.
That would be a sufficient excuse if you were talking about a Pat Cowdell or Pat Ford, but he was fighting the best fighter he ever faced. I don't think Sanchez ever really exhibited a higher level.
What about Lopez and Gomez he dominated 2 great fighters,and Azumah was not supposed to be a "tough fight" at the time,but he pulled it out when he had to. He was an underdog in the 1st Lopez fight,and his fight with Gomez and he brought his A fight with him. On a few occasions Sanchez fought to the level of his comp,but always seemed to step it up a notch when he had too.
Gomez, whilst a fantastic fighter, appeared less than at his best at 126 I feel, and Danny Lopez, whilst a very good fighter, was kinda tailor made for Sanchez. I still think Nelson presented the best fight to Sanchez out of anyone he fought (i.e. his effort was of the highest calibre), even if he was a bit of an unknown at the time of the fight. I don't disagree that Sanchez often fought to the level of the opponent, I'm just saying, the opponents he faced never got better than Azumah Nelson (at 126 anyway - Gomez is arguably a greater fighter) and he seemed to have all he could handle with him.
I disagree that Gomez gave him all he could handle. I think Gomez buzzed him with a good shot in the 4th?:thinkBut I think Sanchez handled him fairly easy. I do agree with you that Gomez was better at 122,and Lopez was tailor made,but those guys were also huge favorites,which counts for a lot in my opinion Sanchez had tough close fights with Ruben Castillo,Pat Cowdell,Patrick Ford guys who were very good,but Sanchez should have beat them more convincingly
Back to Barrera vs Nelson:huh:think THis is about as even matched as they can get I think Both were better at 126. Im gonna say Barrera wins by majority decision with his sharper counterpunching. In the rematch ill go with Nelson by a close decision. There would definitly be a rubber match at 130 and ill take the easy way out and say a Draw Or Na ill change that to a split decision for Barrera.:think
I'll pick Nelson to decision Barrera, out-monstering him down the straight in a very close, exciting fight.