Arguello was 19-0 in title bouts over three divisions from 1974 to 1982, the first to ever successfully defend in more than one division without being dethroned in the ring, only uber rugged Arturo Leon went the Championship Distance in 16 challenges, and Alexis stopped NINE future world champions. His four significant defeats, to Marcel, Vilomar (avenged five years later) Pryor I & II are all legendary and on YouTube. Overall, 19 (18) -3 (2) - 0 in Championship competition. Mancini was the very first time any had successfully defended in three different weight divisions. (Armstrong never defended at 126, and lost his first defense at LW back to Ambers.) Olivares was the first champion he defeated in 1974, Billy Costello the last in 1986, concluding the substance of his career at 76 (67) - 7 (4) - 0. (Nobody considers his win and loss in 1994 and 1995, although both are on YouTube if you're curious.) Hearns? Was projected to win titles from WW to LHW before dethroning Cuevas (there was no CW division then), and he succeeded. Got dethroned in four weight divisions though, by SRL, Barkley 2X in two different weight divisions, lastly by Uriah Grant. Won 16 title bouts, and went 16 (10) - 4 (3) - 1 in world title bouts (if you include the WBO, WBU and IBO titles, covering 6 of those 21 matches - no questioning all of Arguello's bouts were considered world championships, as either he or Pryor were the best in their divisions. (Marcel was second to Olivares at 126, but Ernesto did enough to reach Canastota. Could he have unified over Ruben?) Tommy defeated six future champions (Bruce Curry, Murray Sutherland, Duran, DeWitt, Andries and Hill). Cuevas to Roldan did it for Hearns, got him the four WW, LMW, MW and LHW titles projected for him. But Hagler in 1985 and Barkley I in 1988 are awful three round blast outs. Tommy sputtered in 1988 and 1989. Over the Championship Distance, he gets stopped short of the final bell in his rematch with SRL. Hearns is the GOAT at 154, Arguello at 130. No way can I go against Alexis here. Beat just two previously unmentioned champions, retiring Legra in a round and stopping Noel in three. Beat many contenders who challenged for other titles, like Robert Vasquez and Enrique Solis. His non title resume is nothing to sneeze at. Art Hafey, Godfrey Stevens, Gerald Hayes, Pat Jefferson, Kevin Rooney (who I saw win fights and was no kind of patsy - I was shocked at how Arguello ruined him at Alex's 140 debut with a single devastating shot, long on YouTube), went 41-1-0 between Marcel in February 1974 and Pryor I in November 1982. (Interestingly, Hearns went 40-1-0 from his 1977 debut until Hagler in 1985.) In Arguello's last 62 bouts, only Pryor was able to stop him, in 14 and 10 rounds. Three times, Tommy was done in three. We might dismiss Grant to being age 41, but again, Hagler and Barkley I, both in 3 rounds, is significant. This simply didn't happen after Alexis became a contender. How he devoured world champion southpaws is the textbook on doing so from an orthodox stance. For as much as I appreciate Tommy's accomplishments, how he could be greater than El Flaco Explosivo is an articulated counterpoint I'm interested in reading.
Great thread! I went with Alexis, I was including his style and durability as well as resume. Hearns is maybe slightly ahead on resume but I feel Alexis was more consistent, more dominant during his time at each weight and didn't lose as brutally apart from Pryor which was at the end of his career, and were very competitive. Hearns always had a feel of vulnerability while Alexis always looked rock solid. he was down a few times but you never felt he was going to lose. The only marks against Arguello are his loss to Marcel, Fernandez and his very close fight with Ramirez which some felt he lost, all on points though and all excellent fighters.
I am a little surprised Arguello is ahead of Hearns but there’s no real argument I have with that position. I have Hearns just inside my all-time top 30 and Arguello just outside - it’s very close. I also rate what fighters did after their primes so longevity comes into it and Hearns has the edge there, I feel. He was a champion for the better part of 12 years (not including cruiser weight, which I don’t count): Welter: 80-81 Jnr Middle: 82-86 Middleweight: 87-88 Super middle: 88-89 Light heavy: 87, 91-92 The main criticism aside from the nature of some of his defeats (KOs against Leonard, Hagler and particularly Barkley) is that he wasn’t the outright no. 1 in most of the divisions he fought in. Welter, he lost to Leonard (but honourably); Middleweight, he lost to Hagler (showed heart but it was ultimately a 3 round kayo), super middle - he deserves credit for getting the winning side of a draw v Leonard for the WBC/WBO titles but it was a division still in its infancy and he ultimately held a version of a title that no-one at the time cared about. The junior middleweight division is his best claim as he was already WBC champ when he beat Duran, who was WBA champ. Yeah, Duran was stripped of his title for fighting Hearns but it you’re stripped of your title for fighting the best fighter in the division who is co-champ, that’s a bull**** decision. If Hearns had beaten Leonard, he’d deserve to be significantly ahead of Arguello. In terms of title lineage, Arguello’s WBA featherweight title made him the man at 126, he was definitely the no. 1 at 130 and his win over Mancini meant he was effectively the undisputed champ at 135. His title reigns were generally better than Hearn’s too. So I totally get why people have Arguello ahead. Really good comparison this one.
I attended the Arguello vs Castillo title bout live with my Dad. Arguello really hurt Ruben Castillo in round 11.
Of course, and as I hope i inferred, I don't really consider Grant a part of his legacy, or perhaps a superfluous epilogue to it.
I'm truly enjoying this also. A previously unexpressed element of my reasoning is that Arguello was indeed smaller and remained a titlist from 126 to 135. Hence, being much smaller and lighter than Tommy at all times, I factor in that his dominance would be more of a challenge to retain. Did the black bottle Panama Lewis mixed win the first bout between the Hawk and El Flaco Explosivo? Manny Steward had his number (although Arguello also ditched Futch for their rematch). Did Pryor win in Miami with a PED administered by Lewis, a well established POS? Alexis unloaded 107 punches per round for 13 completed stanzas, overlooked by who the winner was (and how he won). Did that black bottle cost Arguello a fourth divisional title? Regardless, I have a book titled, "How to Want What You Have." Alexis was the first to defend in more than one division without ever losing a defense, became the first to defend in three divisions with Mancini, and the first to defend in three divisions without ever being dethroned (or even close to losing a title). Only one can be the first. The Nicaraguan was first in multiple ways, not as a challenger, but great, great Champion. After Duran-DeJesus III, experts stated that Arguello was the only one capable of dethroning El Cholo at 135. Duran-DeJesus III produced the P4P best since SRR at 147, so this is really saying something.
