How great could Aaron Pryor have been?

Arguello passed the torch to him and Pryor did nothing with it.

I don't seem to rate Pryor as highly as most people do. His style was reckless and his record lacking in depth. If not for the wins over Arguello, he wouldn't have much of a claim to being a great fighter. I do acknowledge however that his style was extremely difficult to deal with and that he was rightly regarded as a terror at 135-140. I don't think the welterweights at the time were truly afraid of him though.

Without drugs, he would have had a longer career but there weren't many options for him unless he wanted to go up in weight to the welterweight division. I doubt he would have found too much success with his small frame and relentless attacking style.

 

...about as good as he was, isn't that good enough?

 

I don't rate today's group of welterweights as highly as the welterweights of the 1980's. I thought Pacquiao would be just too good of a fighter even if he is not a big welterweight by today's standards.

Pryor beat a young matchstick version of Thomas Hearns in the amateurs, but could he have taken the punch of Hearns at 147? Even Pryor said that the likes of Leonard and Hearns were just getting bigger while he stayed at the same weight that he had competed at in the amateurs. Pryor was more of a lightweight.

 

I wonder if those Arguello fights took something from him, obviously there were the drug problems, but still..

 

Not at all. He came back in the rematch sharper than ever. It was the damn drugs unfortunately.

 

He knocked out Arguello in their rematch, and knocked out Pambele to originally win that title. Cervantes still had something left, knocking out Blackmoore in nine after getting dethroned by the Hawk. (Lennox himself was coming off his failed challenge of Pryor.) In 106 fights, Pambele was only knocked out twice, and Aaron was the only one to do it over the last 15 years and 55 fights of Antonio's career. Sang Hyun Kim was no slouch, a former WBC LWW Champion, and Pryor retired him. Gary Hinton was his final defense, against his eventual successor. In 50 fights, Miguel Montilla was stopped three times-by Escalera, Cervantes and Pryor. DuJuan Johnson may well have gone on to become a champion if he hadn't been murdered at such a young age.

Pambele and El Flaco Explosivo are massively historic knockout wins. The Hawk might have been simply dismissed as Arguello's Barkley to the Nicaraguan's Hearns, but the stunning way he unseated the legendary Cervantes from the throne sets him very far apart from the Blade.

In my opinion, Pryor is the top 140 pounder of all time. That doesn't mean I think he was invincible at the weight. Locche would have driven him crazy in a head to head pairing, but Arguello 2X by KO, and Pambele by KO are enough in themselves to make for a towering resume. (Imagine Schmeling knocking out Louis in their rematch.)

 

Pryor was like Napoles.....had to move up above Lightweight to get a title shot.

 

You've said it all for me. I really don't have to add much.

 

A hell of a lot greater than he was. I mean, his talent was undeniable. But, in my opinion, his record makes Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s record look deep. The two wins over Arguello is really all he did.

 

Again, that completely discounts his title winning knockout of Pambele. With Benitez's mind slipping, what he most relished was the memory of his decision over Cervantes to become a champion for the first time, more than the wins over Palomino, Duran and Hope. Too many young fans are saying "Arguello is all he did." Posters on Classic ought to know better. Pryor has said on many occasions that Pambele was the only opponent he was genuinely afraid of and intimidated by during his career. The Hawk was acutely aware of what a legend Cervantes had become (in surprising contrast to what many posters here do not seem to be cognizant of), and Aaron would be the first one to set any members on Classic straight about the man and his legacy.

 

Kid Pambele would have been a great win 6 years earlier.

 

Again, you've said it all, and in so few words

 

The nature of the win Pryor did get was sensational. Aaron came from behind to put him down for the count in four. Pambele would continue to perform at a high level for another three years.

Cervantes floored Pryor in the first (a fact not mentioned by issboxWRECK), and otherwise battled him on more than even terms before a third round right opened a severe cut over Pambele's right eye. Even then, Cervantes had guns blazing almost to the end. As fast a starter as Pryor was, Pambele had opened up an early two or three point lead on all three cards. This one deserves more careful scrutiny. Only an ATG could have dethroned Cervantes even at that age, let alone by quick knockout. The Hawk cut his reign short, as Pambele's comeback knockout of Blackmoore demonstrates.

It should be mentioned out that Antonio took out Miguel Montilla in seven for their rematch, his final successful defense. Pryor would later take 12 rounds to dispatch Montilla. (I also think Cervantes was entitled to the courtesy of a rematch with Pryor in Columbia. Granted, the outcome would have been a formality, but I strongly believe he was far more deserving than Montilla was.)