"Lost to the best fighter they fought"

Add Wlad to that list.

As for Charles, was Marciano really better p4p than Moore? And wasn't Gavilan the best SRR beat (I'd say Armstrong if he wasn't aging and probably not at his best at WW)?

 

Conversely, fighters will be criticised if their losses aren't against the best fighter they fought.

eg

Lennox Lewis
Roy Jones
Terry Norris
Barry McGuigan

 

Doesn't the usual criticism only apply to fighters who lose to all of the best fighters they fight?

 

You show me an undefeated fighter ...and ill show you a fighter that hasn't fought the best competition

 

And Duran

I never liked that quote. Most ATGs are undefeated in their prime (Louis, Ali, Marciano, what Hagler should've been, Monzon, Mayweather) and guys like Tunney, Leonard and Robinson being close. Usually the loss occurs when they're poorly managed early on, fighting on past their prime, or out of their natural weight class.

A great fighter who's managed well and doesnt fight past their prime will be undefeated and have good competition (such as Ali if he had retired after the boxing ban. Is anyone gonna call Liston, Folley, Chuvalo and Terrell "bad competition"?

 

When Armstrong fought SRR, he had had 159 fights, and was 34 years old.

Prime Armstrong vs WW Robinson, and it could have been a different story.
(but it is only conjecture).

1943-08-27 : Henry Armstrong 140 lbs lost to Sugar Ray Robinson 145 lbs by UD in round 10 of 10

• Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA

• Poster
• There was a crowd of 15,371 at Madison Square Garden and the gross gate was $60,789.
• The Associated Press scored all ten rounds for Robinson.
• Armstrong announced his retirement after the fight, but he returned to the ring the following year

 

Actually most all-time greats lost fights in or at least near their primes. Robinson, Greb and Langford are probably the three greatest fighters ever and even at their best they did lose from time to time. When you fight tough competition on a regular basis it's bound to happen. Prior to his loss to Schmeling Louis had KO'd two former heavyweight champs and would KO another soon after so was he really not prime? Likewise Ali who had just KO'd the top two heavyweight contenders prior to his loss to Frazier. Marciano was just shrewd enough to quit while he was ahead.

 

People may not like Don King....but at least he got Sanchez & Gomez together. Too bad the ABC's wouldn't help out on a Pedroza v Sanchez fight before Sanchez died.

 

I feel thats what great fighters do .They search for the biggest challenge. Even if it mea

i believe that is what great fighters do .They search for the biggest challenge even if it’s at higher weight. Let’s take Floyd for example. He would come back to fight a rematch with Pacquiao...but he’s not interested in Errol Spence or Terrance Crawford, that says a lot. He’s said himself that he’s the biggest pay per view star ever so it shouldn’t matter who he fights . And he’d probably box a woman for the right price

 

He fought Oscar once...maybe that was the "woman" fight on his record.