Duran, a 5'7" light weight can fight Hagler & Barkley but TBE isnt expected to tangle

I agree somewhat and know what you're trying to say.. I'm saying a loss to one guy can't be better than an entire career of wins.. That loss may show he was willing to fight better opposition, but it's not better than a win..

 

If Ortiz went up two divisions and took on the one of the top 3 fighters at that weight division ever, then yes on a p4p basis he would be. But Floyd and top 3 don't go together at any weight above 130.

Pretty much everyone has Duran ranked ahead of Hagler on a p4p basis, even though Hagler beat him. Why? Because Duran started out at 118 was in his prime at 135 and fought Hagler at 160 and while he didn't win, none expected him to and he gave a very good account of himself. Most of all he showed that he had the ***** to get into the ring with Hagler, something very few, if any, lightweights in history would have done.

 

So if Floyd went the distance with GGG and lost by a split decision are you saying that this would be a worse result than beating a shop worn average talented Hatton or Gatti? Maybe in your books, but not mine.

 

So a Marquez loss to Floyd is better than anything Floyd has done then...

 

It's not about how or why you lose.. There's no reason column after losses.. There's no 47-1 but went the distance with with a guy who should have knocked him out...

 

No because of three reasons.

First, Mayweather never fought at welterweight his entire career.

Secondly, Mayweather isn't an ATG at welterweight, and

lastly the fight wasn't overly competitive.

If Mayweather had been one of the best welterweights of all time and been a welterweight his entire career, and if Marquez had gone up and lost a split decision, then I would likely answer yes to this question.

Put it this way, should Mayweather get into the ring with GGG and lose a very competitive fight, it could ranked as his best accomplishment, even though GGG isn't anywhere close to the best middleweight of all time.

 

This is where you are completely wrong. I would admire Floyd a lot more for stepping up and giving it his best, even in a losing battle, than to simply fight tomato cans and pad his record. Yes this would mean he lost a fight, but better to lose against an ATG then to avoid ATG's and fight no hope fighter simply to preserve your 0.

Who you fight, can mean more than whether or not you win fights.

Put this another way, most posters he would have a far higher opinion of Floyd if he stepped into the ring with a prime Pac, regardless of the outcome, then is currently the case now.

 

The thing is though, he's not fighting tomato cans.. He can't make 154 but you want him to fight a legit MW who is thinking about moving up? If Floyd knew he would lose not because of skill, but because of pure size, getting admiration is not worth it.. And GGG isn't an ATG.. Also, if you blame Floyd for the fight not hanging this whole 5 years, then there's no point in this conversation...

 

It's funny how I never gave an opinion on Cotto, but you decided what I thought for me I guess..

I don't think he'll fight Cotto honestly.. So I'll just wait and see.. If he does and beats Cotto, good for him.. He'll face one fight left and 100 new people he's "ducking" from 140-160.. That's 4 weight classes of "top fighters" to "duck"...

 

But back to the Duran comparison. Duran should have lost to Barkley based on pure size, (hell Barkley looked like a lightheavy weight he was so big, and he had just KO'd Hearns) most people thought Duran was going to the hospital that night, I kid you not. In addition to about a 6" height advantage, he had a reach advantage, age advantage, and power advantage, and pretty much threw combinations throughout the fight, especially to the body.

and yet Duran had the skill set, the power, the defensive ability the fortitude and the chin, to pull off a win.

That's why he's a legend and Floyd's a wannabe legend.

 

He already beat Cotto once, so I don't see that as having much meaning. Pac 4 years ago was the fight to have been made. That was a legacy defining fight for them both.

 

I'm pretty sure, in fact I'm almost 100% sure, that if Floyd really wanted to fight Pac 4-5 years ago, he could have made it happen.

 

Such a goofy post.

1) Mayweather was smaller than Duran. Floyd was still a jr. lightweight when he was 24; Duran was already a lightweight at 19. Mayweather is still a smallish welterweight at 38; Duran never made welterweight after he turned 30 and probably couldn't (either because he was too big or lacked the mental strength, willpower, and dedication).

2) Golovkin hits way harder, is more skilled, and more dangerous than Iran Barkley. There were probably at least 4 or 5 other middleweights who were ranked higher than Barkley or would have beaten him in the late 80s.

3) Duran didn't fight Barkley for "glory" or "the challenge"-- he did it for the money. Barkley would have never been on Duran's radar if he could make tens of millions fighting guys closer to his own size.

 

A whole lot of nothing.