Too close to call.....put a gun in my head and make me pick and I would say Mancini, seems more skilled to me on the inside, faster and with the better combinations....
Lopez. Neither was special, but lopez was better defensively, hit harder. Mancini could make me look stupid by outworking him, but I think he'd bust up and get hurt, then stopped before that. You couldn't miss mancini with a punch, and he was so incredibly protected for so long that you can start to think he is good, unless you factor in that he avoided every good fighter of his era.
You got this a little backwards. Mancini fought Jose Luis Ramirez and Arguello back to back when he was 20 years old. Both guys had 70 plus fights at the time. On paper Mancini was made for Ramirez who was a huge puncher. Mancini dominated him. Mancini WAS spoon fed some opponents after his war with Kim resulted in Kim's death. But Bramble proved himself a worthy opponent. Conversely, Tony Lopez fought damn near every big fight he had in Sacramento. Check the first Lockridge fight. He was knocked down in the 8th round. He got a 17 count from the ref. He benefited from several highly disputed decisions in his career. Lopez was at his best at 130. He wasn't stopping Mancini if Ramirez couldn't and Arguello barely could. Lopez was damn game and if this fight was in Sacramento he could eke this one out. But Mancini would be stronger than Lopez at this weight. I'd go with Mancini.
Mancini in his very brief prime was just a better fighter than Lopez, and would stop him late him late in a grueling war. Ray was the stronger, more durable man, and his strength would take a toll on Lopez the longer the fight goes.
Im more of a Tony Lopez fan but I have to agree that Mancini was a bit better at `35. I dont see a stoppage either way. Boom Boom by decision.
Boom Boom... but it's not easy. Mancini was very good. Even in his losses he boxed well. He was stopped in the 14th round by the great Alexis Arguello, the fight was close up until that point. He was stopped in the 14th round by Livingstone Bramble at Bramble's very best, the fight was close up until that point. In a rematch vs. Bramble he lost a decision that could have went either way. Mancini retired after these two fights. Mancini came back 4 years later with no tune-ups and took on a prime Hector Camacho. Camacho won by SD, a lot of people thought Mancini deserved the win. Mancini retired again. He came back 3 years later and was stopped by Greg Haugen... prime vs. prime, Mancini beats the shlt out of Haugen. Mancini did beat- Jose Luis Ramirez by lopsided decision. Deuk Koo Kim by 14th round stoppage. Kim died from injuries sustained in the fight. This had a major impact on Mancini. Bobby Chacon by 3rd round stoppage.
Mancini did have a pretty short prime but if prime Mancini had come up against Lopez, Mancini would of been the winner of this contest but if in Lopez hometown it could well be a split decision or draw .
