How did Kosta Tszyu get in the hall of fame?

yes, i agree. the phillips ko cost him a shot at de la hoya. hatton is going to get into the hall eventually along with calzaghe. none of these fighters matchup with legends that are there. if these guys are getting in, i'd like to see gatti make it at some point.

 

I believe all the guys you mention could beat Kostya, but in all fairness, Mosley never fought at 140, Oscar was there for a very short time, and Felix Trinidad wasn't anybody until he was a welterweight. To expect him to fight Shane and Trinidad really isn't fair. Perhaps a fight with Oscar could have been made, but Kostya wasn't looking to move up, and Oscar was just looking to grab a title in each weight class, which is why I'm sure he opted to fight an old Chavez for the WBC as opposed to challenging Kostya for his IBF title, as Kostya was the man at 140.

In the timeframe of the guys you're talking about, 140 was never really a division they fought at for any significant amount of time...

Kostya never left 140 and while he was there he did run the division. At the time he fought Hatton he was far past it, as if he were prime I think he'd have beat him handily.

I definitely think that he's HOF material but hey that's just me.

 

Very good but not great. Needed a signiture win against a top guy in his prime. The KO losses were a big negative in my book.

 

Good post.

Tszyu gets marked too harshly for the Hatton loss (fair enough about the Phillips loss though even then there were extenuating circumstances) as he was nearly 36 and had only fought 3 rounds in 2 and a half years.Plus Hatton fought out of his skin and his relentless style simply wore out a rusty and older man.I think prime Tszyu beats him handily as well.

Tszyu ruled a strong 140 division (that was ranked as boxings best division for a number of years during Tszyu's reign) for a long time.He unified,beat decent competition often in dominant fashion and usually on the road and always conducted himself with class and dignity.

I think he's a worthy HOFamer especially if you factor in his amazing amateur record as well.

 

These rants against Kostya are pathetic. He racked up an amazing amateur record (259-11) was fighting big time names only a few fights into his career (Juan La Porte, Steve Larrimore, Livingstone Bramble, Sammy Fuentes and Hector Lopez in his first 11 fights). He fought almost exclusively high quality opponents and ruled the roost with one, 1, ONE loss during his prime, a loss he learned from, regrouped and regained the title. Absolutely a HOF'er in my book.

 

:thumbsup
As a comparison is Aaron Pryor's record that much better than Kostya's at 140 ???
Not many more career fights,less title fights no huge name on his record except for an Arguello far removed from his best division and an ancient Cervantes,some poor defenses due to his lifestyle and a much shorter time at the elite level.

And he's an absolute consensus HOF member.

I'm not disputing Pryors place there at all but Kostya is also worthy of admission imo.

 

deserves it for the chicken dance alone. i can only imagine the agony on PowerPuncher's face...

 

:desk:desk:desk:desk:desk:desk:desk:desk:desk:desk

 

He beat more current or former world champions during his career than any other fighter save Roy Jones or Oscar DLH.

He absolutley pwned Vernon Forrest at the amatuers and stayed at Jnr Welter his whole career - You can't really knock him for not fighting the welterweights on that list.

Your resume is only as good as the available fighters at that weight - Who did he duck in that period?

After loosing to Phillips, he came back on a 9 fight streak to unify the title for the first time in years with 8 of those wins coming by KO.

Ricky Hatton had a lot of help in that fight and was dirtier than a Venezualean brothel, and Kostya still gave him props in one of the classiest post fight speeches the sport has heard.

I'm sure if he was from the USA he'd be more beloved, and have had more fights, he isn't - But he is in the hall.

 

Well, now, hold on a sec, there, mate....

 

..lesser fighters got in HOF so why not Kostya?

 

Even Kostya has a better resume than Lopez.

 

Let me rephrase that.

At the time Tszyu was active, the only fighters active to beat more current or former world titlists were Oscar De La Hoya and Roy Jones Jnr.

Not in history or all time, at the time Tszyu was active.

 

:deal

Also this thread has been done.