Could Azumah Nelson ever have beaten Whitaker or Sanchez?

Azumah Nelson in my mind is probably pound for pound one of the greatest fighters of all times, even if most fans and historians don't rate him as such ( which they may or may not. ) Dude was ranked for about 16 years and beat a rather lengthy list of good fighters.. he was only stopped once and most of his defeats came with old age... My question per the thread title is weather or not he might have beaten Pernel Whitaker and Salvador Sanchez if the meeting took place under more favorable circumstances for Nelson? His bout with Salvador took place in 1982 when Azumah had 13 fights and was placed in the ring with an ATG in the peak of his prime. The bout went 15 rounds to a late stoppage with numbers being fairly close on the cards.. Eight years later he would rise in weight at the age of 32 to take on Whitaker - Another ATG at his pinnacle and in bout that also went the distance.. I'm not sure when most feel Nelson was at his best, but Its hard to believe that it was the 13 fight version who fought Sanchez OR the 32 year old rendition who had to rise in weight to fight Whitaker.. What if we're looking at Azumah around say 1985. And additionally, what if he always had the luxury of fighting in his own class rather than having to jump divisions to face anybody? Could he THEN have beaten Sanchez and Whitaker?

 

It's possible that the much busier whitaker and with his southpaw style might always trouble Nelson. But it would have been interesting nonetheless to see them fight at a weight and age that was more favorable for Azumah.

 

I remember watching both fights on HBO. The first match definitely should have gone to Fenech. But the outcome of the rematch confirmed Nelson's claim that he was having health problems in the first fight. Not sure if I believe that he had Malaria or not, but something definitely wasn't right.

 

Agreed.

 

I think his power and precision punching was a fairly strong asset. while he wasn't the busiest fighter to ever lace em' up, he didn't waste shots either. Very efficient boxer.

 

You may be right.. But I just think that its a little hard to judge given that Nelson had nearly zero professional experience going into that bout, while Sanchez was a peaking ATG, and was taken 15 rounds in a very tough fight. Two years later, Nelson beats ATG Wilfredo Gomez and spends the rest of the decade as one of its best fighters. Hard to believe that there was no improvement since losing to Sanchez.