You are right about Pintor he was kind of hot and cold at 122. I used to train with Adrian Arreola when i was a teenager and he pulled of a big upset ko over Pintor, then Pintor came back with an impressive win over Meza, then got kod by Payakarun shortly after, But the Pintor that Gave Gomez hell would have whipped anyone at jf of BT today. I agree that Pintor was to inconsistent at 122 to have reigned a long time though
I think he would have been consistent enough to have a good reign as after the top names, it is quite bear but a name like Daniel Ponce De Leon could get a big upset if a rubbish Pintor turned up..
I just watched the six-part YT upload of Pintor VS Zarate in 79 tonight. If you can give Zarate a fight, you're a potential champ in any era.
Pintor still detests Zarate. In the book "The Big If" about Johnny Owens, they go all thru Pintor's career and talk to him throughout. It is a great read and terrific for finding out about Pintor's life. But he has no pity whatsoever for Zarate's circumstances now.:viking
in the book on page 174 it says, "I've heard Zarate is in the street now," Pintor said. "He is into alco. and drugs and that will finish anyone. Being a world champion opens many ddors, some good, many more bad. People talk about you all over the world and it brings money, but you have to know how to deal w/ it. It is a starting point, but it depends on you as to where you go from there. I heard Zarate is dying from hunger. It is sad but he got what was coming to him. Carlos Zarate was a nasty person. There are many sayings in Mexico and one of them is that everyone is the architect of their own destiny. Do I have any sympathy? None whatsoever. If you live badly, you end up badly. If he came here and said,"I'm hungry" , I'd say, "Take whatever you want."If he asks me for a peso, I nwill give it.But I am not going to go out and find himand give him help. I don'y owe him anything.When he was World Champion he had everything. The world was at his fingertips, but he threw it all away. ' Interestingly, in the book it says Pintor never made wait for the Meza fight. He sweated it out and did everything but coulkdn't make weight. So they begged Montoya (meza manager) to let the fight go on for the title, ansd Montoyab did. A great read, by Rick Broadbent published by MacMillen in 2006. In my career dvd set of Piuntor, they show him going to John Owens hometown and Owen's dad (who is now dead2009), coming to Mexico. Great stuff.