That's just ability. Not true greatness, which is shown in adversity ie Louis/Walcott/Marciano coming from behind, Ali outlasting Frazier, Leonard v Hearns I, Eubank-Watson II, Benn-McClellan etc
Exactly. Although he may of had to dig deep against Eubank, nobody else. That's why he moved up, to challenge himself I guess?
I may change my list and put Littles in in place of Liles. And McClellan I don't know because the outcome, I don't know
He couldn’t obtain fights with Liles and Benn, so he moved up to LHW for a new challenge. If he’d have stayed at SMW, he’d have racked up the defences that Joe and Ottke made without breaking much of a sweat. Neither of those guys would fight him. Benn had retired. Liles wouldn’t fight him. There’d only have been Collins.
Fastest reflexes and most unorthodox punches, yes. Best on a highlight reel. Lots of questions though. Toney was 50%.
You could put Gerald in. I think he could have been a huge force at the weight. But it would be unfair on the others. Liles and Littles are hard to split. They split their fights. Liles has the win over Nunn. Littles lost to Toney. I’d have loved a Toney-Liles fight.
I don’t think Toney was only 50% and nobody ever beat Toney like that. He also easily beat Malinga, Sosa and Thornton, and beat Lucas after playing basketball. He was levels above his competition.
I wouldn't, Liles was a bit boring and had no personality. Littles looked the better fighter. Unlucky to pick up that injury before the signed Eubank fight in 92, and unlucky for Eubank actually because CBS were going to cover it in the States. I think it could've been a phenomenal fight. Littles was looking real hot back then.
Same, but résumé is more important imo. Hence why Jones isn't #1. Yeah, and? Doesn't mean he gets a free pass for not fighting anyone after Toney. Because they were the best opponents at the time. Much better than former LWs, guys who were 2-2 in their last 4 fights and shot fringe contenders. And yet they were much much more worthy than Erik Lucas was. Much more than Paz. Or Thornton. Or Byrd. He just didn't fight them. And so his résumé suffers. Hence why he's not #1. No, he fought Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler and Chad Dawson. All were better, and seen as better than those two. Ward didn't beat the two you mentioned, because he was beating better opposition or being inactive. Roy was fighting guys much worse. It doesn't, on a H2H basis. It does on a résumé basis.
Didn't look impressive against ordinary Malinga or post retirement, post shoulder surgery Thornton. He struggled to get through against Malinga until he found that one leaping left, and was made to miss the extended flurry against Thornton on the ropes when Tony's shoulder had already dislocated! Nunn looked better against a 100% Toney. Sosa had laughable technique and coming off career shortening/ending WARS with Prince Charles (who was never the same after Toney). Lucas don't know him.