Had Kosta gone up to 147...

Presume you're referring to Kostya Tszyu here, depends when he moves up really, if it's the late 90's then he get's KO'ed by Trinidad and probably De La Hoya, fight with Quartey is a 50/50, he likely beats a faded Pernell Whitaker.
If it's the early 2000's he beats Mosley and possibly De La Hoya, Vernon Forrest is another 50/50.
They'd all be entertaining fights.

 

He beat Forest in the ams. Doing it in the pros might happen too.

 

I wouldn't seem him doing too well. There were a lot of p4p greats, tall big welters during his generation. He'd be up against Trinidad, Mosely, De La Hoya in their primes. Murders row for any fighter. He would be able to beat some of weaker champs like Six Heads Lewis, maybe scrap by Mayorga in a barn burner. I also say that as a KT fan, but his best win was Judah, too many levels up after that.

 

There's a reason he didn't do it and it's not because there's more money at 140

 

**** off with this crap child... KT was a natural for 140. Only you noob casuals think a fighter has to move up to prove something.

 

You’ve never even worn a pair of boxing gloves.

Aren’t you the “reach matters more than weight” guy?

 

He could definitely have beaten the likes of Mayorga (who drew with Hurtado), Spinks & Judah who all reigned at Welter. A Vernon Forrest rematch would have been interesting. Most of those guys were with Don King who wasn't going to give Tszyu a look in.

Tszyu stayed @ 140 b/c he had a big, phat contract with Showtime that paid him US$3m for every fight.

Anyone who saw him weigh-in for the Sharmba Mitchell rematch & Hatton fights knows that he didn't belong @ 140 at the end of his career. He looked like a corpse.

I would actually like to have seen him bow out @ 154 by challenging Winky Wright. No-one would have held a loss in that one against him & he may have surprised by doing a lot better than expected against the southpaw Wright.

 

I think he would have done fine. Maybe not thendominant dorce he was for ashile there at 140, but he would have been as competitive as anyone, other than the real elites at the weight at the time.

 

The only thing that's really missing from Kostya's CV is a fight with one of those elites when they were at their best.

And by "elites" I mean Oscar & Shane Mosley. Maybe you could sneak Vernon in there after he beat Shane & before he got poleaxed by Mayorga. And even Floyd who somehow managed to collect a belt @ Jr Welter without facing him.

Tszyu a live underdog against all of those guys & they knew the risk that facing him posed to them.

They weren't fighters who avoided tough fights but at the time the risk of facing Tszyu may have out-weighed the reward.

 

After he unified against Zab, he had a 5-fight contract with Showtime that paid him US$3m for every fight.

He actually got twice that for the Hatton fight in the UK which is why he went there. US$3m from Showtime & about the same from Fwank.

 

He loses to every top elite that era was full of lots talent, He might only beat six heads Lewis.

 

Not sure he would’ve fared well vs the top guys at welter. I think DLH, Tito, Mosely beat him pretty clearly. Forrest specifically is a tough fight for KT. I think they’d have fought him if he thru his hat the ring and made himself viable at welter. I think he’d have slotted in right about there.

 

I don't think the elite Americans were better than Tszyu. I just don't. I mean, when Tszyu did face the likes of Forrest & Judah, the results are there for all to see. I think Tszyu at his best would have been a handful for anyone at welter. Especially guys like Mosley & Mayweather who weren't significantly taller than him.