Why is it not held against Holmes legacy more that he was never the undisputed HW champion of boxing

The initial claim was that Usyk would have fought an undeserving opponent at cruiserweight rather than a top contender for more money and I see no reason to think he would have.

 

Usyk went with Rico instead of Kabayel.

Floyd retired with safe fights against Berto and an MMA fighter.

Calzaghe retired against Roy and Hopkins.

The list is endless.

 

Weight division is immaterial to the subject matter. You said Usyk would decline to fight a novice because it is "conduct unbecoming of a champion". Those are your words. You made a boo boo and exposed your own double standards.

 

One of these is not like the others.

Calzaghe stepped up from SMW to take on the reigning ring magazine LHW champion, Hopkins, who had dominated the bigger Tarver for that title but 2-years earlier, had dominations over Pavlik and Pascal to come and other victories over ranked contenders several years ahead him.

 

His most recent heavyweight title defense was against a guy with a 1-0 record.

Do you see any reason to think there were more worthy contenders, lol?

Is it your contention that moving up to heavyweight from cruiser broke his moral compass and made him greedy?

 

I was highlighting the fact that fighters do what it’s in their best interests.

 

Of course they do.

Sometimes its in their best interests to fight a novice like Usyk vs Rico or Mayweather vs McGregor, sometimes a subpar contender like Mayweather vs Berto and sometimes a well past prime ATG like Calzaghe vs RJJ.

And sometimes its in their best interests to fight a p4p ranked, Ring magazine champion in the weight divison above, like Calzaghe vs Hopkins.

 

He should get criticism for plenty of other things like fighting poor opponents when he had plenty of better options.

Floyd scored some of his best wins at the very end of his reign. No minimizing risk that I can see.

 

Yet nobody was screaming for him to get a title shot and he was very lowly regarded as a challenger.

Holmes seems to have taken the fight thinking it would be a mismatch he would win easily. He almost certainly wouldn't have fought Witherspoon had he known it was going to be a hard fight.

 

We’re 20 pages in, and you’re still repeating the same thing.

He didn’t have plenty of better options.

And again, he fought the majority of the top 10.

If you can’t be bothered to do your own research, then at least go and read the posts by Dubblechin.

Floyd didn’t mimimise risk?

He got to his desired 50-0 by choosing a non threatening Berto, and a guy who’d never boxed before.

And that was after dodging Manny for years.

 

You’re moving the goal posts now, talking about something different.

Even if Tim was underestimated by Larry and the public, the fact is, Larry remained fighting those undefeated, ranked guys.

Even after a scare by Tim, he fought a young guy in Bey, who’d just beaten Page.

 

Manny was the number 2 fighter at welterweight when they fought so all those years of dodging didn't amount to much. Beating the number 2 guy in your weight class is always a huge accomplishment.

Sort of like Thomas beating the number 2 Holmes in 1984/85 still a very big win

 

Floyd’s last two wins at the end of his second reign as champion were against Boston cream puff Tom McNeely and an Ingo whom Patterson had just beaten (and who was only notable because Floyd got battered by the one-hit wonder, lol).

His last three defenses of his first reign were against no-fight Pete Rademacher, a carefully managed Roy Harris (built-up record but hardly tested, and who would go 7-5 in his last 12 fights, starting with the loss to Floyd) and horizontal Brit Brian London (who would go 13-16 rest of his career after being exposed in the Patterson fight).

What are you even talking about?

 

And that argument fails to impress me no matter how many times you try it. You don't get to fight young undefeated fighters when better options are available without copping some criticism.

These young ranked guys were not the best he could of fought.

 

We are talking about Floyd Mayweather