Anyone feel that Tony Ayala would of struggled to win a title?

Ayala was a tough,tough kid, just evil and perverted...I watched him as a amateur and a pro, he was talented,tough and mean and had power and skill....Outside the ring he was a low-life but inside the guy was a serious dude...wasted talent

 

No they didn't. Monzon regularly beat his wives/gf's, and ended up killing his second. And yet only got 11 years. Why? Because he's a national hero. Tyson did the same thing Tony did, and only got 3 years. Yet people still idolize him.

It's not really about lack of character, it's about how popular these fighters are. People change their standards based upon how well-liked somebody is. Double standards at its worst. Which is so prevalent here at ESB.

 

You know what you're talking about, unlike other ESBer's. Tony may have been a scumbag as a person, but at least you can discern that doesn't determine fighting ability or lack thereof. Not just any 14-year would've gotten the better of a prime Cuevas. Duran, for all his greatness, was a natural LW. If he tangled with Tony at 154, Duran would've gone down. He's too old and slow at these higher weights. Enough said.

 

Absolute shite:yep

Duran too old & slow for Hagler & Barkley was he Duran would have murdered that fatboy clubfighter!! He'd have smashed the **** out of him. I'd be such a one sided brutal schooling as you'd ever get:deal

Duran would tear out what little heart that overhyped pretender was born with no later than 6 & thats when Ayala flees the ring weeping & whining like the bullyboy dog he is. Ayala would have folded like a beach chair. Duran would have beat him like a drum!!:deal

Ayala would quit once the one & only true "High Priest of Violence" set to work butchering him with ease & relish.:bbb

Iran Barkley would have murdered the ****:yep

Today fatboy the contender would be no more than a WBU/IBO titleist at best:smoke

 

You cant come to the conclusions you come to by what he accomplished as a pro or in some sparring session. Real championship character comes out when you fight on that level, and he never did, nor did he reach anywhere near the level of those other guys you mentioned.
I think Ayala would have folded just like he did in his comeback had he been in a tough fight.

 

I always felt Moore would've handled him.

 

Davey Moore was a good fighter but when you could put the power on him like Duran did you could beat him up. I would favor Ayala to knock him out late. On the other hand Duran would school Ayala. Duran would use his greater defense and intelligence to just outwork Ayala. Ayala had good punching power but he wasn't as tall, hard hitting, explosive, and fast like Tommy Hearns. So I feel Duran would give him a 12 round beating. Ayala survives but get's ruined.

 

Precisely. Gotta prove yourself first.

I could claim that had I truly been serious about my professional career, based on the calibre of guys Ive been in with, I'm one of the best heavyweights alive.

But I'm not. Never have been. Never will be. Not even close. What happens in a ring when the lights arent on and the asses arent in seats and the Mills Lane isn't being obeyed(or not) is what is telling. I havent been able to make it to sniffing distance of some of the guys I've shared the ring with and even on my day gotten the better of.

That he did it at 14 was great or whatever, but until you show that character in the ring, till you can put it together without headgear on against a true top level fighter, its heresay, and in boxing, we can't give the benefit of the doubt. Look at what April of 2011 has shown us about anointing potential before its realized.

 

I feel he was nothing but a tough question mark but would likely have had a lot of trouble at the top. You can't just run roughshod over guys like McCallum or even the LMW/MW version of Duran.

This makes me think of this current guy, Irishman Andy Lee. Supposedly the prince of Kronk gym now but I am really not certain he gets by Bryan Vera in a rematch.

 

*Tony would've murdered Duran... the plan back then was toi let Duran beat Moore for the title..then accept a big money fight with Duran for the title... no doubt in my mind, Ayala not only beats him, but Ko's Duran at 154 pounds.
*People don't know that Tony not only put a beating on Cuevas while sparring.. he also Ko'ed Roger leonard, who at the time was all army champion..etc,etc... Leonard was also wearing every type of protection available, including a full face headgear... and still got ko'ed.
*to those who didn't know him, u would think Tony was an *******... in fact, Ayala was a very quiet unassuming guy in the gym... didn't talk ****..didn't say much... he was an alcoholic and heroin addict... his true evil side would come out on the occasions he was high... but in person, he was short, pudgy and young... not the lion most would think... in the ring, he held back alot... but he was a vicious body puncher... maybe ranking up there with the best.
*I hear folks in here talking about this guy... and they have nooo idea just how bad a fighter he was... he was always in shape... the pudgyness was always there... he never had weight issues cuz he was a gym rat..he ran everywhere all the time. The way he boxed is something u just dont see anymore... he was a boxer without moving his feet... he was a master of the bob and weave... believe me... it was going to be a great fighter to beat this guy...

 

:good:good :good:happy :happy:happy

Duran fans just can't accept the fact that their man is out of his element at 154. You are right, Tony would've blasted Duran into the next universe. Just too damn strong and relentless for the pudgy LW to overcome.

 

From Tony the man himself

``Duran, I would have blown out. At any time in my career I would have knocked him out. Duran punked out and I still hold it against him. He punked out before `No Mas' [his surrender in his second fight with Leonard], as far as I was concerned. Duran's place in history is undisputed, but if he had come into my territory, he would have been mine. I owned the junior middleweight division.''

In essence.

 

No ****ing way Ayala of 1982 could beat "Benitez, Hearns or Duran" if they were all properly trained....... Moore is his best chance at victory..... However, a trained Moore was very game, like Ayala was game and green in 1982............

Duran in Nov. 1982 would've been much more serious and conditioned down in Florida had Ayala been his foe instead of James Batten........ No doubt.... Duran was bored and depressed against "Laing and Batten." After Arum promised him aide and a title fight, Duran wasted Cuevas and then Moore in wicked fashion, and boxed well against Hagler..... '83 was a different Duran altogether......

MR.BILL:hat:bbb

 

From the man himself:

Allan Green on Andre Ward:


"I know for a fact that I will blow him out of the water."

It didn't actually happen though.

 

Tony would have ran over Miguel Cotto... He was chunky but very strong and still one of the strongest JMs ive ever seen. At one time overrated, but on the classic underrated threw excellent combonations,very tough,excellent power.. For a 20 year old he was very impresive was only gonna get better... But yey at 20 he probably wouldnt have beat anyone in the fav 4 (Duran would have to be motivated to win this though).... Benitez better be at his best to or he gets iced......

By 23 though whos to say Ayala couldnt handle them:think We will never know.