His speed did not increase. Just look at his lightweight fights from a few years prior. And the whole "dangerous" argument seems odd. Was Marquez better at 40 than he was at 30? Or is it that he just punched harder?
Did I say Marquez was prime in the Bradley fight? No. I said he was the most dangerous version of Marquez. He was wiser, even more seasoned/experienced, and might have lost a step in speed and stamina (though not by much), but his timing got even better and he increased his punching power.
His timing was better in the first Pac fight. Do you remember how ****ing fast Pac was in 2004? The quickest feet and combos in boxing back then. Marquez was knocked down 3 times early and still had the stamina and conditioning to fight back.
hes has a case for elite, but anything above is too far. Bear in mind elite is above world class, that should be good enough for a guy who won titles but struggled to keep them for long.
cmon he didnt beat Pac...and if he did it would mean more of a "fame"/HoF case as being famous for beating an ATG, Marquez is different - beating a 40something ATG doesnt make you an ATG, it makes you a serious angler for cherrypicks. Still a good win though, just nowhere near great.
He won a highly questionable decision over a spent, Manny Pacquaio, and lost both subsequent rematches. JMM was 40 when he fought Bradley, and Marquez only fought one more time for the remainder of his career. These wins are even less meaningful than De La Hoya's wins over an aging ATG Chavez. (For the record, Bradley is nowhere near the fighter that Pacquiao, Marquez, Chavez, or De La Hoya is)
This. He had an excellent career, but not ATG worthy. Making Bradley an ATG would put him in the same class as Sugar Ray Leonard and Floyd Mayweather, which he clearly wasn't.
I don't even think he is hall of fame. Something is lacking in him which makes him in the hall of fame even.
Did not find Bradley vs Marquez to be close at all, I thought Bradley won it comfortably. And I am one of the few that saw Bradley beating Pac in the first fight. Manny was given too much credit by everyone for ineffective flurries, a lot of which never landed. *edit* Also I voted yes, but I thought in this instance ATG was referring to HOF. To clarify, Bradley was great but not a ATG. He should definitely be in the HOF I'd even say ahead of Cotto. Bradley was a true warrior and one of my favorites of his era.