Fighters that you would favor to beat all of the Fab Fours (SRL, Duran, Hearns, Hagler)

RJJ & Carlos Monzon.

 

Robinson is the obvious one, although 1985 Hagler would be tough for him at 160. Relentless pressure was the most common way to trouble SRR, although you are still dealing with the consensus greatest offensive fighter of all time.

160lbs Roy - yeah, he would be too big for everyone bar Hagler, and speed did trouble Marvin.

Lack of footage on Greb is a problem when considering him, but obviously he has to be in the conversation taking into account the long list of greats he beat across multiple divisions.

It's probably limited to middleweights I would say. The chances of someone 147-154 having the skill-set, style and attributes to beat all of Leonard, Hearns and Hagler is problematic. At 160 it's a weight that Leonard didn't seem comfortable at, and where Hearns was much more vulnerable than at 147-154. Neither Leonard, Hearns or Duran were "great" middleweights.

Monzon has been mentioned, and I think you'd have to fancy him against the lighter members of the four, and then it comes down to how you see him matching up against Hagler.

Hopkins can't be ruled out. Exceptional ring craft and IQ, great chin, and a larger frame than all of the four.

There's a few exceptional H2H middleweights you could consider like Golovkin, Steele, Burley etc, but again comes down to whether you'd pick them with confidence over Hagler.

 

I generally avoid making predictions in fantasy fights between boxers from vastly different eras. Limiting to fighters from the same day weigh in era only, and whose prime was within a couple of decades of the fab four, I'd only make a Monzon at MW a favourite over all 4 in one off individual bouts. I wouldn't favour anyone to beat all 4 back-to-back.

 

Just Roy.

 

RJJ. He’s already one of the best fighters ever during his peak, and he was also naturally bigger. I don’t know if he could even make 160 under the old weigh-in procedures.

 

I think Sugar Ray Robinson, Harry Greb, Sam Langford abd Roy Jones Jr. would have good chances to clear these boxers.

 

Gayweather... with a machine gun.

Duckelo... with a missile launcher.

 

Sugar could. Very difficult but doable.

The others I highly doubt they could even split 50-50 with the Fab Four.

 

Bernard Hopkins, James Toney, Andre Ward. Size, strength, technique, toughness, ability at all 3 ranges, punches at all targets and levels and enough ring IQ to outsmart all 4.

It is hard for me to think of guys at 135-154 who could beat all 4 confidently.

147 Paul Williams would make some insanely fun fights. He just comes to mind as a bizarre style/physical matchup for all 4. I would love to see those fights.
154 Winky Wright could win against any of the 4 but I doubt he would go 4-0. Nobody would stop him, he would make it hard on them.

 

I think it has to be guys who fought at 160, back in the days of same day weigh-ins.

Guys like James Toney and Roy would have been LHW’s back in their era.

I think Monzon, Greb (from what we know if him) and SRR would have been potential candidates.

To me, it’s pointless looking at modern day MW’s, and especially as Duran, Ray and Hearns, all peaked at the lower weights.

 

Roy would have been a LHW in their day.

He could definitely have beaten them.

But we have to remember that Ray and Duran were in their primes at LW and WW, and back in the days of same day weigh-ins.

 

Highly doubt?

Ray and Duran were prime at LW and WW.

They were lesser fighters at the higher weights.

Roy would have been a LHW in their era.

You may think Ray and Duran may have been better, but in actual head to head fights?

Past their prime weights?

Duran and Ray at MW, wouldn’t have had anything for Roy.

Hearns was prime at JMW.

Marvin was prime at MW, where he sometimes weighed in at 157 pounds.

Roy could have beaten all of them in head to head fights.

He’d have had huge advantages.

 

If Ward had somehow made 160lbs, particularly on the day of the fight, it wouldn't take a fighter as formidable as Hagler to beat him, I'd give my Mrs. a decent chance. Ward would be a zombie.

168lbs with day before weigh ins, yes, sure, Ward was likely over 180lbs in the ring, completely different weight class to prime versions of any of the fab four.