And Fenech got robbed blind in the first Nelson fight. Yes i know what happened in the rematch and i know Nelson reckon he had Malaria in the first but i still take that with a pinch because i know someone who damn near died of Malaria. And the controversy of the first fight is not eradicated because people still remember it.
I've also heard about the Malaria arguement, and often questioned it myself aswell. Could you really fight and survive 12 rounds with Malaria ? I don't know it seems a bit of a stretch to me. But what I do know Nelson often did better in rematches, so Nelson probably came in with a better gameplan as he often did in rematches. And Fenech was probably not quite mentally the same, after the robbery of their 1st meeting. Probably a combination of both.
Sal was at his best against come forward fighters.He'd counter the mess out of Jeff. There's levels to this game.
Levels to this game? That's a Toney vs Barkley statement, not only is Fenech on the same level with Sanchez but I'd argue he is a superior fighter. Jeff is about as good as it get's when it comes to marauding. Who did Sanchez beat to make you think that he's levels above Jeff Fenech?
As you'd expect. Jeffy quit proper boxing after the Nelson loss, It was well known the party life, gym injuries, weight issues and addiction had begun to rear there head. With the fight set in AUS only 9 months later and consideringthe way he won the first fight we can forgive him for a little unprofessionalism.
Nelson's full of it agreed, whatever happened in the second fight had much more to do with Fenech then Azuhma being "unbeatable in rematches" Martinez had one hand in there rematch and still taught him some things and made him struggle. For the first 3-4 rounds Mario boxed his ears off like the first fight, till the fracture.
I agree with you that Sanchez isn't necessarily levels above Fenech, but style wise Sanchez did do very well against aggressive come forward fighters Lopez, Gomez, Young Nelson. And even though Fenech did do well at Featherweight, i still feel like Sanchez was the better Featherweight of the two. And i think Fenech's come forward aggressive style would work against him, vs Sanchez's pin point accurate counter punching. If i'm gonna make a comparison i'd say the fight might look somewhat like Juan Diaz vs JMM, i know Diaz didn't achieve what Fenech did. But Diaz was an overly aggressive swarmer fighting against a master counter puncher, and in the end the counter puncher got him out there after a rough start. I feel like Sanchez vs Fenech might mimic that fight with Fenech getting off to a good start, but Sanchez's pin point punches would start getting to him and Sanchez stops him late. Fenech had a great engine but so Sanchez did aswell, as he often rallied in championship rounds to pull out fights.
Fenech was past his best when he moved to Junior Lightweight. He retired after the Marcos Villasana fight at Featherweight & that was the last time we saw him at his peak, imo. Even then his punching power was significantly reduced. He was dropped & hurt by Mario Martinez before the first Nelson fight after resuming at Junior Lightweight. Jeff certainly outworked Azumah in their first fight but there wasn't a lot of authority on his punches which allowed Azumah to escape with a draw. Who wins between Rocky Lockridge & Jeff at Junior Lightweight? Rocky, but that's b/c Jeff was pretty much done by the time he got there. Fenech at Featherweight would have been a handful for anyone who ever fought in that division - bad hands notwithstanding.
Who did Fenech beat? Stylistically, this fight favors Sanchez. Jeff wouldn't run through Sal, who had amazing stamina, granite chin, good defemse, and pinpoint accuracy.
First you, who did Sal beat on the level of Fenech so badly to make you think there are “levels” to this?
Levels can simply mean a notch or so above in skill. Sal always found a way to win before his death Nothing controversial about my reasoning.
With all due respect, I think Fenech is going to stay on him in a way no one else did and beat him up. Jeff isn’t a weight drained Gomez or a Green Nelson with no head movement. This would be the most dangerous fighter for Sal he’d have faced by a long shot. I’m not sure Sal is much better then the best version of Nelson to be honest. The guys Sal faced who came forwards to fight weren’t exactly the crème La crop. Who I ask compares to Fenech in any matter at all to just go with “because counters”
I honestly haven’t seen the fight should I? Is it a good one? I also haven’t seen Sal and neither have any of us in with someone like Fenech. I just don’t think the guys he made his bones off are any indication that he’d cope with or succeed with the pressure and intensity Jeffy brings in with him. I also don’t think Sal is even much better then the Nelson Fenech beat. But I’m a proud Aussie so maybe I’m just blinded by love. I’ll need to think more on this maybe. Any excuse to rewatch Fenech and Salvador, I don’t like Sals style but the way he handled things always amuses and captivates me he has a way about things.
