The crisp-punching, hard-hitting Arguello of the Pryor bout fights a prime Cervantes at 140. Who wins?
Interesting fight...... Arguello was not past prime in my opinion (140).....He still had enough..... Cervantes was powerful, had a great right hand and good jab...........But Arguello was the better fighter......had the great left hook and vicious right hand......Arguello by TKO
It took a super human effort by Pryor (or something to that effect) to beat Arguello. I think highly of Cervantes, but I can't think of too many guys who can stand in front of Arguello and outfight him. I actually think they are kind of similar, but Arguello was more refined and precise. Arguello wouldn't have to go looking for Cervantes and he would have time to pick his spots and box a bit. If Cervantes tried to turn it in to a war, Arguello could certainly accomodate him. I see it as competitive, but not a great matchup for Cervantes. Arguello by late-stoppage.
Do you really feel that Cervantes is that kind of fighter? I mean a kind of guy who goes to war or would try to take Arguello head on. Cervantes was a clever, patient boxer with a very high level of technical ability. He was a bit unimaginative and one paced, thats what saw him stumped against master boxers like Locche and Benitez. But against a guy like Arguello he has a much better shot at fighting his fight. They definitely have some similarities in their stance and style but I feel at the weight Cervantes was quicker and smoother. Quicker high class technicans had given Arguello trouble in the past, and to tell you the truth I think Cervantes is better than all of them...plus bigger and with better stamina. He aint going to fight him like Pryor...I think he is going to play it safe and smart, forcing Arguello to kick it up a gear to get the ascendancy. Possibly leaving himself open to more counters and quite possibly risking falling behind, or if the fight follows past examples, further behind. Its a very good fight IMO...Alexis obviously couldnt physically dominant at this weight like he is used to and I do truly feel he was starting to fade towards the end of his lightweight reign.
Interesting viewpoint. I'm one who doesn't underrate Cervantes. I see Cervantes as a physical beast at the weight with very good technical skills. The "footspeed/mobility troubles Arguello" angle gets overblown at times, but it is true and Cervantes was average at best in this area. I certainly don't think Arguello was prime at 140, but it did take a superhuman effort by Pryor (or whatever) to beat him. I don't think he was ever the same after Pryor I. I was going to check out some fights this weekend anyway. I like studying when a good question is posed, so I'll check out Cervantes-Dejesus, Hector Thompson, Locche II and a few blowouts I have. I felt like he overpowered Dejesus and Thompson (no easy feat) a bit. Benitez befuddled him, but obviously Arguello isn't bringing that to the table. I'll keep an open mind and post again this weekend.
You had to be a master technician to beat a prime Cervantes. Pryor beat well past it Antonio. Arguello was a good technical boxer, but Cervantes was very good, and a bit quicker. I would have to go with Antonio by decision.
