How many lightweights would you favour to beat prime Arguello?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by dmt, Oct 28, 2025 at 7:51 AM.

  1. dmt

    dmt Hardest hitting hw ever Full Member

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    Me: i would favour Duran, Leonard, Gans, Mayweather Jr. and maybe one or two others.

    How many lightweights would you favour to beat prime Arguello? 15 round fights as this is what Alexis fought under.

    IMO i love modern greats like Pac and Lomachenko but Alexis at 135 lbs beats them.
     
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  2. Reinhardt

    Reinhardt Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Benny Leonard
    Duran
    Barney Ross
    Pernell Whitaker
    Gans
    Canzoneri
    Ike Williams
    Perhaps a few others but this is not a knock on Arguello, Lightweight
    is a loaded division
     
  3. SheenLantern

    SheenLantern Active Member Full Member

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    Mayweather
    Pacquiao
    Whitaker
    Duran
    Mosley
    JCC
     
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  4. dmt

    dmt Hardest hitting hw ever Full Member

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    Chavez Arguello would be such an amazing match up.
     
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  5. SheenLantern

    SheenLantern Active Member Full Member

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    Two masters of accumulating damage on the other guy as the fight progresses. I pick JCC at 135 because the foot speed counters Arguello's jab better than when he was heavier. I think JCC accrues rounds based on activity.

    There is a world where this is just a 135lb version of Hearns-Duran though.
     
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  6. dmt

    dmt Hardest hitting hw ever Full Member

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    This is one of my all time favourite match ups. What a amazing war, whether it lasts 5 rounds or 15. Agreed that JCC probably wins.
     
  7. Tin_Ribs

    Tin_Ribs Me Full Member

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    Well lightweight historically is full of absolute horrible *******s more than any other division, so it's not wild to say that any number between five and twenty five might turn the trick on any given Sunday considering that Arguello had become a bit stiffer of leg and slower. The ruleset might be important re the early 20th century lads.

    Even outside of the likes of Duran, Gans, Pea, Leonard and not including the early bunch who we lack footage of, you're talking about the likes of Amber's, Armstrong, Williams, Canzi, Ross, Mandell, Chocolate, Angott, Brown, Ortiz, Elorde, Laguna, Buchanan, DeJesus, Mayweather, Chavez, Rodolfo Gonzalez, Locche, the young Naples, the young Langford, Welsh, McFarland etc. Even world class tricky characters like Joyce, Lane, Dawson and such might turn out to be far from an easy night. Not to say that they'd all necessarily beat him, but I'd be less than comfortable making him a clear favourite over any of that lot. There are a lot of excellent fighters at the weight though that he might batter on the right night. The likes of Kansas, Jack, Montgomery, Rosario, Mando Ramos, Teo Cruz, Nazarov, Castillo, Carter, Loi, Lomachenko etc. Mosley and DLH are interesting because of being lesser fighters but with a big size advantage, though I'm not sure Mosley had the spine to stick it through a firefight with someone like Arguello.
     
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  8. Levook

    Levook Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Basically agree with everything said here.
     
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  9. Turnip mk3

    Turnip mk3 Active Member Full Member

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    Buchanan
    Sweet pea
    Chavez
     
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  10. ChrisJS

    ChrisJS Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Duran, Armstrong, Whitaker.
     
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  11. Xplosive

    Xplosive Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Not enough responses have said Carlos Ortiz. Ortiz was too versatile for Arguello.
     
  12. drenlou

    drenlou VIP Member

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    This.
     
  13. Xplosive

    Xplosive Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    I sure as Hell would not pick Pac over Arguello at 130 or 135.
     
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  14. Saintpat

    Saintpat Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    I think Alexis was already starting to be post-prime by the time he was at 135.

    He lost to Vilomar Fernandez at 135 and imo Jose Luis Ramirez (it’s a close fight so I’m not saying robbery but I had JLR winning iirc by one point by virtue of the knockdown).

    Apart from those two bouts, his only outings at 135 of note were a stoppage of Cornelius Boza-Edwards (who was a 130-pounder really) and title wins over Jim Watt, Ray Mancini, Roberto Elizondo, Bubba Busceme and Andy Gannigan.

    His best win at 135 is either over Watt (a limited but game fellow against whom Alexis fought a very disciplined fight) or Mancini (a very aggressive and capable but at this point pretty green challenger).

    So Ramirez and Gannigan, both southpaws, knocked him down, which makes me think any hard-hitting southpaw is going to give him trouble at this weight. Mancini certainly had success until the championship rounds (and AA’s methodical approach to break him down) caught up with him. Bubba Busceme gave him some issues as did, obviously, Vilomar, so movers might also provide some trouble.

    Finding only a handful of lightweights all-time to be able to beat Arguello at that weight seems a stretch given his resume at lightweight.

    Alexis would beat his share of guys and give others a good go, but he was far from an unstoppable force at a weight where he really only has about eight fights of any note.
     
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  15. Reinhardt

    Reinhardt Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    ,,,very nicely done...Can't argue with this at all