Simple. What fighters do you consider to have an ATG skill set, even though they are not ATGs? For example, I'd list Lomachenko. Though his career is not over yet. I think Orlando Canizales and Samart Payakaroon easily had the skill level to compete with much greater fighters around the same division. Who else would you include?
I guess it depends on the definition or who’d be the cut-off for “all-time great”, but it seems that Mark Johnson, Ricardo Lopez and Gilberto Roman, for example, aren’t deemed ATG fighters around here but they had all-time skills IMO.
For me: Donald Curry Lionel Rose Hilario Zapata Sumbu Kalambay Orlando Canizales Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson Gilberto Roman Yuri Arbachakov Ivan Calderon
I think he deserves to be considered an ATG. One thing often under stated, was he was a really good wrestler, better than Joe Goss when they fought, and he even threw Sam Hurst.
Maybe not "skill-set" in the conventional sense, but Jeff Fenech had ATG ability at some of his lighter weights without the resumé to compare to others. Did Chris Byrd have an ATG Cruiserweight skill-set, or was he just really good at fighting bigger opponents? He had a much better record at heavyweight than nearly all the best cruisers in history, most of whom were naturally of a similar size if not actually bigger than Byrd.
I'm not so sure about Fenech. I'd argue it wasn't his skills per se that made him a special fighter, it was his relentlessness and indomitable will. He had skill of course but he wasn't supernaturally talented like some of the other fighters already mentioned (Camacho, for example). Give Camacho Fenech's work ethic and bloodymindedness and give Fenech Camacho's speed and boxing skills and you'd have an almost untouchable offensive force. I think that's why Fenech's prime was relatively short. It relied so much on the physical exertion he put in that he used up every ounce of energy and was then just 'gone' as a fighter.
Definitely these two. They both had that extra something missing to take them to ATG status but it wasn't missing in the skills department.
Completely agree about the skill part - that's what I was alluding to in the first sentence. I do think that Prime Fenech had freakish physical attributes that set him apart from his peers. Whether being bigger and stronger than all of his opponents is "talent" or not, he had uncommon gifts that he gleefully used to bludgeon his opponents into the ground. His style only really worked though if he had those physical advantages, and the confidence that comes with that. His latter career problems were probably a perfect storm coming together - rising in weight, miles on the clock, bad hands, losing his mental edge, having his chin cracked, and running into Azumah Nelson. I'd go out on a limb though and say that Fenech at 122 would give anyone who competed at that weight the fight of their life.
this is what is wrong with these Forums and a somehow misguided evaluation of Fighters. ATG typically means 'achievements', achievements is a misrepresentation of Boxing. Boxing is a Business, NOT All Great fighters can win, hold or even fight for a title, some of our Great champions, did indeed earn their titles, others didn't and some others again were lucky to get one... Ownership, Protection, Payed Rating and Step aside money, Corruption, it's not like Boxing isn't famous for it. also you do realise that since the dawn of the Gloved Era until present day, you do realise there have been Hundreds of Thousands of fighters! so in answer to you question - Non - All Time Great Fighters with ATG skills? the answer is 'THOUSANDS' of them!
