Is Aaron Pryor under appreciated in general?

I’ve seen him dramatically overrated or totally dismissed. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground. No, he’s not at the Fab Four level, but he’s a legit all-time great.

 

In terms of ability I think he was as good as some of those guys were. But the dynamic of the Fab Four was that they faced other as well as shared some common opponents. Pryor wasn’t part of that circle. But as per the thread title, yes. He is probably under appreciated

 

This.

 

I cant say he's Fab 4 level, no.

But what he is is easily one of the greatest H2H forces in the history of 140.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself. Pryor is one of my personal favorites but he is also a guy that did more damage to himself than his opponents did. He screwed up deals to fight both Leonard and Duran which would have been huge paydays, he had that piece **** Panama Lewis steal his glory with a tainted bottle that he didn't need and he let cocaine wreck what was left of his career

All that said, I still love watching his fights to this day. He was incredibly talented and tough as nails.

 

100%. I’m also a big fan and love rewatching his fights. There aren’t too many Id pick to beat him at his devastating beat or many I like watching more than him.

 

Noway is he Fab 4 level.

I've been saying since i arrived here he is overrated.

Truth be told however over the years i have noticed things have slowly evened out substantially. Things are much more balanced in here nowadays, IMO of course.

 

Overrated John ? for me he was avoided by the LWs of his day, reckon he could have beaten any LW in the years before he won world title ( from a ATG lest we forget ) No1 140lb all day long, I would ( may be in the minority here ) have given hin a 50/50 against SRL, and one of most entertaining fighters to watch ever.

 

Leonard would have pole axed him Mike. This is the sort of overrating i was talking about. It may have been competitive for a short spell but Ray would have stopped him. Leonard is faster, hits harder, more skillful and has fantastic durability. Pryor is a lot looser and in no way has the speed and power to overcome it. Pryor wasn't exactly hard to hit flush. Oh, Leonard is also the naturally bigger man and has 4" of height on him as well as 5" of reach. Pryor is no Duran and regardless it ain't happening again to a smarter more experienced Leonard.

Pryor got his title shot after 24 fights, Leonard actually got his after 25 fights. Leonard had beaten a couple of quite good fighters prior too.

I'm not incredibly convinced Pryor was as avoided at 135 as some try to convey TBH.

Cervantes was an ATG for sure but the man was 74 fights deep and had been fighting pro for a whopping 16 plus years. Benitez as a kid had beaten him more than 4 years prior.

Cervantes was still performing well but man that is a lot of mileage to have.

Pryor's highlights are an old Cervantes and an aging Arguello 3 divisions up from his first title. Apart from that he has a fe2w wins over average contenders.

How one rates him has everything to do with how you judge Cervantes and Arguello at the time he fought me. For me there's no doubt Cervantes was quite tired and worn. I think the Arguello wins are really good.

 

I'm in the 'he's overrated, massively' camp but I was probably apart of those who overrated him. Is he one of the best ever at 140? For sure, but there's still seven or eight I'd pick to beat him there. Maybe more.

What I really think makes him overrated is when people say that he's one of the best ever at 135 or 147. Duran or Leonard would have stopped him.

 

What gives him fab 4 status? Those guys are the fab 4 because they fought each other. Pryor did not fight all those guys or in a group like that. He fought Hearns as an amateur and might have fought Leonard later on. But how could he be at the level of the fab 4? Impossible. He gets a lot of credit for his wins. Cervantes and Arguello especially.

 

He's overrated.

 

This,,,his ceiling was 140 even if he hadn't lost it mentally. It's impossible for me to see him beating Duran or Leonard at 147

 

Just gonna put this here. https://imgur.com/gallery/0yOcHpX