I think if Mike had fought holyfield in 89 he would have lost because he was overconfident and didnt train or fight the right way and holyfield was trying to prove himself but if it had happened in 1991 when holyfield was champ i think tyson would have won because holyfield was showing overconfidence in the ring as well(although he actually loved training so he was still always in shape) but he was brawling with bert cooper and trying to outpunch riddick bowe. Tyson in the ruddock fights showed fighting spirit and real hunger that he hadnt showed before. Both fighters smartened up after their first loss, Holyfield vastly improved his defense, brawled much less and put on the size and strength that allowed him to bully tyson around in 96, and tyson trained harder and regained the hunger he had when he first made his way up. However due to how dismissive tyson was of his competition sometimes i see holyfield definitely beating him if they rematched in 92. Give some examples of fights that would have had a different outcome if they had happened at a different time(please only examples of fights where the hypothetically different date would have been feasible)
First one that comes to mind is Duran vs Benitez. Two great fighters. I believe the fight happened at the only time that Wilfredo Benitez would've won. Had it happened pre No Mas Duran would have beaten him and interestingly enough had it happened later Duran would have beaten him worse. Benitez was the younger man but he was basically shot at 25 or at least no where near the fighter he had been.
Yes Benitez had a short window were he was unbelievable but I wasn't around during that time. But Duran was also limited at 154 and above, I don't think he had the foot speed or physicality at JMW to cut down an elite boxer or mover. Was it a feasible fight at a different time? That's what this thread is about fights that would have had a different outcome if they had happened at a different time when they were also likely to happen before or after they actually happened
I think that Hagler would have beaten Leonard in 1983 if Leonard had not suffered the detached retina in 82 and announced his retirement.
Who do you think was further past his prime by 87? And who do you feel won in 87? I've watched it twice and scored it once for leonard and once for hagler
I think Hagler was further passed his I think Hagler was further past his prime by 87. Leonard had been inactive since 84 when he made a one fight comeback against Kevin Howard and retired again after getting knocked down for the first time in his career but Hagler, who was older than Leonard, had been not only active all that time but had several tough fights against the likes of Hearns, Roldan and Mugabi. He won those fights but hard fights like those would have taken toil on him. As for the fight itself, being a young kid at the time, I was probably a bit biased as I wanted the flashy comeback kid to win and thought it easy victory for Ray. Looking back now though, it's looks a lot closer and honestly, the decision could have gone either way.
Yes it was feasible in the late 70s. Benitez could have chosen to defend his title against Duran instead of Leonard. Duran had just moved up to the Welterweight Division. It`s understandable why he chose Sugar Ray. The $$ but Duran`s name was big too. It would have been a huge fight. They could have fought even before that when Duran was the Lightweight King and Benitez was the Champ at `140.
The way Benitez took away Duran's right hand means Duran was always going to have issues with the super slick Benitez.
He was able to do that with a slower, older Duran who was more of a plodder than he had been. In the lighter divisions Duran was able to closed distance much better and create those openings. I do agree it would always be a tough fight. Benitez presents problems for just about anyone.
U could have tyson v Douglas in there I think. When the fight actually took place tyson s head and life was kinda all over the place. He no longer had rooney in corner and he was partying rather than training. Douglas on the other side had lost his mother and went in with a totally different perspective. But if this fight had happened, say 87 then I think it's unlikely tyson would lose. Tyson s mind wasn't quite as crazy then and he had a good corner team. I believe a different set of circumstances to when the fight actually took, would drastically change the result.
I disagree for the simple fact that Duran didnt need to go looking for Benitez. Benitez fought in the pocket so closing the distance wasnt Durans problem in that fight. Durans problem was that Benitez was able to take Duran's best assets and completely blunt them. That doesnt change for a younger Duran. I think Cervantes was every bit as dangerous and capable as Duran and bigger as well and Benitez beat him before he even entered his prime so I cant pretend that I think being younger would have helped Duran at all against Benitez. Its just a bad matchup for Duran.
Many people have stated that Duran's people didn't necessarily wanted to fight Benitez at Jr. Welter or Welter due to style issues. Not that Duran feared Benitez...but that it would be a very hard fight either way.
