How do you think Jose Torres would do against the likes of Michael Spinks, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Marvin Johnson, Mathew Saad Muhammad, etc?
I question Torres' ability to handle punchers. He was overwhelmed by Fernandez, lost twice to Tiger, and down and in big trouble against Green. Most of his best wins came against average or light-hitting opponents - Pastrano, Olson, Cotton, Fullmer, Gonzalez, etc. I would favor most, if not all of the above-mentioned LHWs over him.
Yes..it might be added that he fought a worn out, done for version of Willie Pastrano, who had nothing to offer to keep Torres off of him. I feel that the version of Pastrano that beat Johnson for ther title would have edged Torres. Jose Chegui Torres was very hot for that pastrano match, but was so-so in his three defenses..Wayne Thornton he dominated, but he should have been able to stop his man instead of going 15. The Cotton fight was a controversy..most feel that Cotton was most unlucky to lose this fight. his ko of Chic Calderwood was pretty spectacular, but then he lost twice to the much smaller Dick Tiger...the same man that Emile Griffith decked and beat for the middleweight crown just a fight before. Overall, the balance sheet for Torres wasn't too impressive IMO. I too think that the listed fighters would have probably beaten him....the closest would be vs Johnson.
BTW, I saw both Tiger-Torres bouts, both 15 rounders, and they were very similar, and Tiger deserved both of them.
Not to mention Cotton was 40 years old at the time. Torres was nothing much as a champion. The fact that he's in the HOF speaks to his later connections on state commissions more than it does his boxing. Hell of a lot of fighters I'd rather see there than him.
