Could Gregorio Peralta have won a cruiserweight title?

If the division existed in his time? The guy won 98 fights, gave George Foreman two tough fights, held Ron Lyle and Oscar Bonavena to draws. He has an impressive record but was a little too small to be a real heavyweight. How would he have done if there was a cruiserweight title at stake?

 

His draw with Bonavena was b.s. Bonavena was all over him like a wet blanket in that fight.

 

Interesting. I've never seen the fight. Thanks.

 

The first Foreman fight is on youtube, but I have never been able to find the second bout, where George stops him in the tenth round. I would really like to see the second fight.

 

In that rematch with Foreman, was Peralta actually off his feet at all, or was the fight stopped while he was on the ropes? I never saw the rematch either...and I'd like to. I just watched #1 this morning on You Tube. I saw the fight live on closed circuit tv in '70 with my dad and a neighbor and I remember being real impressed with Peralta. I'm a huge fan of Argentine fighters in general. Peralta looked real good to me.

 

I think Oscar even had him down.

 

I think he could have... At least a strap or two. He mixed it up with some pretty good heavys and light heavys. He was a crafty boxer and one who was difficult to score a stoppage against at that.. Drop him in the cruiserweight class around the time that men like Ocasio and Deleon were holding belts and he might very well have ended up with one of them..

 

He had him down in both fights but in the second they didnt count it as a knockdown I dont believe.

 

He looks very unskilled to me. If you're talking about one of those numerous belts though, yeah he probably could get one in some point.

 

I think he could have done, of course dependant on the Champion he was challenging, Greg is probably one of a number of smaller, Pre-division Heavy's who if they had come along a decade or so later..who knows, Greg sticks in the mind for many for his two sterling efforts against George Foreman, Bert Whithurst did similar in two fights with Sonny Liston, perhaps Ol Bert is another who could have benefitted ?

There must be quite a few of those 60's heavies who could of made a good modern Cruiser Doug Jones Perhaps.

 

Wasn,t he in a movie?

 

I saw the rematch in a closed circuit theater back in the 70's, it was black and white and a somewhat wavy picture, Peralta did the rope- a dope and they stopped it on the ropes...crowd cried bull**** no knock-down and he really was not hurt but the Foreman build up was in place.....Peralta was not a powerful puncher but held up under Big G's attack in both fights, the difference of a bit of boxing knowledge. I was always a big fan of Georges but I have to say he would have had a hard time with the skill of Walcott or Charles unless he could roll over them, they were too smart and better than Peralta who in fact held up well.

I also thought at the time it was a B.S. stoppage

 

Sounds exactly like what Peralta did to Lyle. He moved and pot shotted and whenever Lyle caught him in a corner or on the ropes Peralta would throw enough and land enough stinging punches that Lyle couldnt just bludgeon him down. He would then slip out or tie up Lyle and then continue to move along the ropes again. He was fat and old by this point and Lyle kind of came on a bit in the second half but it wasnt really enough so a draw was a good verdict.

 

Than Foreman and Lyle are overrated if they coikdnt finish this little guy.

 

Bonavena had Frazier down 2 times in their 1st fight as well and had Chuvalo down 2.
Bonavena was 7 years younger than Peralta and a bit bigger 2.
Frazier was younger than Bonavena but Bonavena deserved a victory in zeir 1st f8.

While not doing wors zan Frazier vs Bonavena, Peralta did mach beter zan him vs 4man.

Peralta > Frazier.
Peralta iz 1 of z very best cruiserw8s b4 z divijen's incepshen.
Mach beter zan Jirov, Hill, Macarinelli, Tiozzo & Michalczewski so y wud hi not hed won e belt @ 190 or 200 ?