How good could Tony Ayala have become..?

damn right they were. ayala is another ibeabuchi: fun to talk about but nothing much to go on. look at valero: if he retired today we'd be talking in five years about how he'd run roughshed over every lightweight ever

 

Ibebuchi fought better guys than Ayala did. Just by beating Byrd he beat a contender. And people say Ayala could beat Hearns and Duran and Benitez? Ayala didn't even fight the top 10, yet people will say he could fight the elite fighters like Hearns and Duran at 154 and beat them?

 

well i get fans getting excited about a fighters potential. but unfortunately as i've learned, anyone can look good against tomato cans. it's how you handle the elite that matters. everything else is just heresay. fun heresay but really, there's nothing to back it up

 

I agree on the above except that they all the legendsdidn't fight each other as a fight between Hagler and Benitez didn't take place.

 

Well, first off, Robbie Epps, because it showed what Tony was truly capable of. People dismiss Epps as a tomato can, but the truth of the matter is, he outpointed the top-ranked MW contender shortly before this. Another is the round three KO of Carlos Herrera, who went the the distance with Hope. And Steve Gregory, trained by the same man who trained Ali and Leonard, and who went the distance with Ayub Kalule. Tony took him out in round 3 with that devastating left.

One that stands out to me though is his 1979 National Golden Gloves win over Lamont Kirkland, who went on to become a noted contender at LHW. This 3-round bout was fought at a catchweight of 165 lbs. As with Maldonado, Tony was knocked down early, but came back and wobbled Kirkland with some vicious rib punches, and got a decision win. And Kirkland was rangier and had the power that Hearns did, if not more.

The Maldonado fight is also a testament IMO. Not because Tony got knocked down, but the way he responded to it. Mario just pissed him off.

 

These are decent points but nothing to show Tony could even beat Davey Moore, let alone Roberto Duran or Thomas Hearns at 154.
The facts still remain that Tony could not compete with elite fighters like Hearns or Duran, and he might not have done well with the top contenders at that time, who Duran and Hearns were beating regularly. Those guys are multititlists and Tony never won a world title.

 

Tony never won a title because he never had a chance to. Tony at a mere 14 busted up the feared Cuevas in sparring. What other 14 year old could've done that? Davey was a promising contender, but rather easy to hit, so I can't see Tony having too much trouble with him. Duran was too old and pudgy at 154 to keep pace with the much stronger Ayala. Duran will have his moments but the combination of Tony's nonstop assault and power will ultimately determine the outcome of that, like it did in the Hearns fight. As for Hearns, I think he has a good chance if he can cleanly plaster Tony with those right hand bombs, but given Hearns weakness of chin and durability, who's to say he can stand up to the unrelenting bull for too long, who is also stronger than both Cuevas and Duran?

 

Ayala would had trouble with the high caliber of Duran and Hearns. Roberto Duran won a title at 154 and fought Hearns and Hagler at 154 and 160. Duran loved the styles of Ayala on the inside. Duran would work and work and stop Ayala in maybe midrounds or late rounds. And Hearns? Hearns was too sharp and fast for Ayala. You are putting the Ayala who fought Maldonado in with the greats like Hearns and Duran and he would have to fight much better than what he showed to win that fight. His head movement was not there. With a guy like Tommy Hearns when Hearns fights a guy with not much head movement his head is like a punching bag. It was never a matter of who would win but a matter of what round will Thomas get the knockout. Ayala probably wouldn't last 3 rounds with Hearns. No knock on Ayala he was a good contender. You are putting him in against guys like Hearns and Duran who found fighters weaknesses and exploited them. That is why they are remembered as legends. Cuevas looking bad in a sparring match when Ayala was 14 doesn't mean Ayala would beat Duran and Hearns. Cuevas was going soft on the young dude.

 

Cuevas did in fact state that he wouldn't go easy on Tony simply because he was a kid. After all, Cuevas himself turned pro at 14.

Duran would not get the better of Tony on the inside. Tony was bigger-boned and far stronger. Duran will get the worst of those exchanges. At 154, he's fatter and tires considerably quicker, and nothing wears an opponent down like the body punches Tony so effectively used. Not to mention Duran lost to Kirkland Laing and Robbie Sims. How can he logically beat a pit bull like Tony Ayala? And Davey Moore? Duran thumbed his eye, it swelled shut, and Davey was virtually defenseless from then on.

Watch the Kirkland fight. Tony did have head movement. After being floored in the 1st, he eludes Kirkland's punches and then effectively counters to the body. In his pro fights, Tony oftentimes didn't use head movement because he didn't have to. He knew he was the stronger guy, so it was only a matter of time before the opponent succumbed to his power. I can see Tony being more cautious with Hearns, first slipping his jab and then attacking downstairs. Like I said, if Hearns is to win, he better get Tony out fast, otherwise he will eventually collapse from either a sustained assault to the ribs or a left hook to the chin.

 

This is making me so ****ing mad. I think you had to be around in the 80s to appreciate Ayala. HE WAS ONLY A ****ING PROSPECT!!!!

In no way could he EVER be compared to Hearns et al.

It's a ****ing racing certainty that any of the ATGs would have given him a serious walloping.

He might have been a champ but just as likely to have ended up a bum.

Now **** OFF

atschatschatschatschatsch

PS Ayala is also a woman beating coward and a grade A piece of ****. I hope the rotten ****er dies in jail.

 

Are you related to Robbie Epps? My sincerest condolences on that ass-kicking he took.

 

iBEABUCHI IS FAR EASIER TO GAUGE THAN aYALA imo (Oops, caps lock)

 

I couldn't give a **** about Robbie Epps just the poor dumb ****ers who constantly drone on about how great fat-boy ayala was.

He never made it, time to move on.

:good:good:good:good:good

 

thanks i ordered the fights i could get hold of today so i shouls have them in a couple of weeks.

maldonado
baker
hallacy
cheatham
baquedano
epps
herrera
gregory
esparza
campas
cardona
gurrola