Fernandez had a short prime. But Gene fullmer didnt want mutch to with him again after their first fight. Who wints this two similar fighters big time punchers with a short prime:huh
I would be afraid to fight either one... I remember Mugabi hurt a guy and sprint across the ring to finish him almost jumping
From what I've seen/read Fernandez was similar in the sense that he could be stopped but could really punch. I wouldn't want to say though I think RB or My2Sense could give you a pretty good approximation of what might've happened :good
What a war this would be. Fernandez is currently one of my favorite fighters from the 60's to watch. This would probably be a pick 'em fight but the more I watch of Fernandez the more impressed I am. Great match-up. Check out his fights against Jose Gonzalez, Fullmer, Tiger & Gaspar Ortega for some great action bouts. As well as a few others that seem to be currently doing the rounds.
Why does everyone have Mugabi in 160 lb. fights? He was a JW who moved up. 160 was not his best weight division. .
Because jnr middle either didnt exist or was in its infancy when Fernandez fought. He moved up aswell...At around 23/24 he was a ranked welterweight contender but couldnt stay under the 147 limit anymore. He may well have only needed to step up to 154 if at been around at that time. I cant see how Mugabi had better performances at 154 anyway...His best performance was at 160 in losing to Hagler. And most of his notable wins coming up were above the 154 limit. John got destroyed several times at junior middle...and I dont think Florentino has any massive size advantage in this fight. They are fairly closely matched in that regard.
I would lean toward Fernandez, whose power and quality were more proven at the higher levels IMO. Mugabi seems to get assessed more on "what would've been" had he not fought Hagler. I don't think Mugabi was as good/talented as someone like Ruben Carter, and he certainly wasn't as good as Dick Tiger or Gene Fuller. I don't think I'd even favor him over guys like Jose Gonzales or Rocky Rivero. Fernandez was the naturally bigger, stronger man, the better boxer, and has the better wins/performances.
Fernandez was vulnerable to getting knocked out early in fights if his opponent got to him before he could work up a sweat, if Mugabi comes out firing on all cylinders he may well get that early kayo. However, Mugabi`s porous defence could prove costly as he wasn`t particularly hard to hit and he may well end up getting caught on the way in and flattened himself. My guess is that if Mugabi doesn`t get Fernandez out of there within the first 3-4 rounds Fernandez takes him out later in the bout or wins a close but clear decision in a scorcher of a fight.
I agree with the above, Mugabi early or Fernandez late. However I don't think Fernandez has much of a size advantage in this match-up. He was a strong, powerful fighter but spent the early part of his career fighting as a lightweight and later a welterweight, until stepping up to 160. In fact I just recently viewed a welterweight bout of his. Fernandez was more proven to me but then again he was more proven than Carter when Carter knocked him out.
For those who haven't seen it: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKN02jgtf4s[/ame] [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2zHwXKo-Qo[/ame] [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0QNKoLk9QM[/ame] [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvzi5K_W980[/ame]
True, but he was scrawny and weight drained at those weights. He was always destined to be a middleweight. Here he is outmuscling/overpowering another big, strong MW (and future LHW champ) in Jose Torres: [yt]DaKKcUBCvZs[/yt]