JC Chavez - The best in the last 25 yrs ?

Pernell Whitaker has got some real good competition and skills, probably the best in last 25 years.

 

There was a bigger gap, I agree, but only in certain areas. Chavez was never a fast starter, nor was he ever reknowned for his footspeed. He was reknowned for his ability to cut off the ring and chop an opponent down, and his abilties when he was able to get to an opponent were enhanced at lower weights. However, Whitaker's abilities to stay on the move were better at LW, as were his reflexes, workrate, etc. Chavez still has no real edges stylistically here.

They certainly look better, being half his mass and all, but for their size they weren't the better or more accomplished fighters at all.

 

And? Trinidad was the favorite as well. As has been mentioned in another thread, Haugen was favored over Whitaker. Lacy was the favorite over Calzaghe. Get the picture?

 

He's won some, lost some, looked impressive in few.

I've seen them all. The fact that you have the likes of Robert Allen on the list seems to show desperation. Old, shot, smaller Simon Brown was an underrated win? Johnson was a pressure fighter/brawler? He more resembled a punching bag at that stage of his career. Joppy was a good all-arounder? He was generally below par in most areas aside from toughness, not a very skilled fighter at all. These guys may have been roughly the style you described, but few of them were actually good, skilled fighters.

True, but the fact that a natural WW who's only had one win at the weight is his best win at a weight class he's supposed to be rated among the best ever in says something.

He was still easily the smaller man that night, and the fight was quite close, not to mention boring, but I guess that's what to expect from Hopkins these days. And you keep bringing up P4P rankings, which mean little to nothing when the entire argument here is based on the lack of size of the opponent.

You're entitled to your opinion, I'd rather not get into that right now. But tell me, which one of Hopkins's worthy challengers would be likely to give McCallum his L? Joppy? Robert Allen? Simon Brown?