Great fighters, and lesser fighters who had their numbers...

the best (and easiest) one is barkley/hearns

flowers/greb (greb was way past prime though and flowers is still a legend)

bowe/holyfield

 

I disagree completely that Tarver would have given prime Jones problems. The Jones of 1997/8 would have spanked Tarver like a disobedient stepchild. Tarver had no stylistic advantage, no serious quality, he just came along at the right time, nothing more. If Glen Johnson or Chad Dawson or any top level lhw of the past decade had got there first, they would have been the one to dethrone Jones. He was there for the taking.

 

Saddler/Pep. Pep is the higher regarded fighter but lost 3 out of 4 to Saddler.

 

JL Castillo and Floyd Mayweather.

I had JLC winning the 1st fight by 2 pts, Floyd winning the 2nd by 4 pts. A rubber match was most definitely in order, shame it never happened. No-one has given Floyd so many problems so far. He should be 39-1 IMO.

 

Rafael Herrera over Ruben Olivares
Frankie Randall over Julio Cesar Chavez
Junior Jones over Marco Antonio Barrera

 

Junior Jones and Marco Antonio Barrera is probably the best example I can think of now.

 

Robbie Peden and Nate Campbell.

 

it's a tricky one but though bowe ranks on h2h, holyfield's status ATG is far more secure. holyfield makes a lot of peoples top 50s, bowe isn't even close. bowe had his number because of his amazing talent and size, which only came together for one fight against holy, than to a lesser degree in a handful of other fights. you're right: they are about on par with each other but not in status. bowe is a what if, holyfield is a legend

 

Nate Campbell is a great fighter the day that hell freezes over. He's a mouthy loser.

 

Away to ****, Bowe was a great fighter but Holyfield achieved a lot more in his career and should be ranked considerably higher.

 

this :deal

 

I think Holyfield is well ahead of Bowe, relatively speaking, as far as ATG status goes. Bowe never beat anyone of note outside of Holyfield. Holyfield beat Bowe, Moorer, and Tyson. He also beat several good HW contenders, and was undisputed champ at HW and CW. And Bowe definately had Holyfield's number. He beat Holyfield twice. He became the first to knock him out in the one win, and won awide decision in the other win. His only loss to Evander was a close MD.

 

I don't think this qualifies either because Bowe's success vs Holyfield had more to do with size than having Evander's number stylistically, but I have to disagree with you, Evander is on a different level in terms of greatness. His career is in a different stratosphere to Bowe's.