1990s welterweight tournament: Felix Trinidad, Ike Quartey, Pernell Whitaker, Terry Norris

IBF welterweight titlist Felix Trinidad (1993-99), WBA welterweight titlist Ike Quartey (1994-98) WBC welterweight champ Pernell Whitaker (1993-1997) and WBC super welterweight champ Terry Norris (3x 1990-1997) all managed to avoid each other between 1993 and 1996.

Whitaker would then lose a close decision to Oscar De La Hoya in 1997, De La Hoya would win another close one over Ike Quartey in '99 and Trinidad would outpoint a now past-it Whitaker also in 99, before De La Hoya and Trinidad met in the most disappointing superfight of the 90s, again in 1999, with Trinidad taking a highly controversial split decision. Meanwhile, Norris lost his WBC super welterweight title for the third and final time in 1997.

But what if welterweight history in the 90s had played out a little differently and these four had faced off against each other at their best in a round robin tournament? Here are the matchups:

-Trinidad v Quartey
-Trinidad v Norris
-Trinidad v Whitaker
-Whitaker v Norris
-Quartey v Whitaker
-Quartey v Norris

Who wins overall? Note that the fights with Norris would take place at 154, not 147. Does that change anything?

 

But Norris was arguably the most vulnerable of the four. He could box very well when he wanted to but he was also ill disciplined in the ring with a hair trigger temper and a weak chin. Those are all factors against Norris.

 

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