RIght folks I've just finished having a fairly heated discussion about Salvador Sanchez with a friend of mine. I just want to know where people reckon he does rate in the all time list as a FW and as a P4P fighter. And also where you think he could have ended up if he hadn't died so young. I'm not going to offer my opinion up front because I don't want to influence the debate.
..........I don't know where I rank him, as I don't rank fighters, but as far as what else he would have accomplished, I hold a rather unpopular opinion. I am not convinced by all this "he was only 23" stuff. As we should all know, it isn't physical age that makes the difference but ring years, and they start 'em young in Mexico. Sanchez turned pro at 15, and had a number of long, taxing fights. It's an awful lot to assume that he could just have gone happily along for another 5-7 years racking up victories like he had been. Benitez and Cuevas are two good examples of very young men who became second-rate fighters by their mid-twenties. I also think it's an equally big assumption to say he'd have carried 135 as naturally as some think he could have. I'm not trying to suggest he couldn't have done it, he was the real deal, but it's just all guesswork. And we've seen enough history of failed attempts to at least pose the question. In short, I think we saw his best. And it was plenty, though I don;t know I'd put him #1 at 126 all-time. One more amendment.......one argument that holds no water to me is the "well, he died too young to rate properly." This is bull****. I would invite those that parrot this time-worn crap to go look at the number of defenses other featherweight champs had, or the number of fights. Nine title defenses is abbreviated to you? Please.........
Ditto. Great post. He's my all-time favorite fighter. I think he was an absolute genious. I agree that we saw his best. I also think it's hard to speculate what he'd have done at 130 let alone 135. He did enough to be in the top 30 all time in my opinion. I don't think he did enough to be rated the best Featherweight ever (although I'd give him a good chance against anyone H2H). I think, had he lived, that a win against Pedroza and a rematch win against Nelson or Gomez, and throw in a defense against maybe Lockridge (who I think he'd have dismantled) and I'd say he was #1.
They do start them young in Mexico, but even with that in mind some Mexican fighters have maintained a high level into their early 30's. I would say MAB and Margo are two recent examples - and both have been in a few wars. But all of your points are well taken.
Key word is recent, though. Longevity is improved in general today, what with lower weight fighters being able to drain themselves in "safer" ways among other things.
Bumped to agree with Sal's views on the topic (10 defenses against opposition that ranged from solid to spectacular is very good, anyway)... And to stare at Olander's avatar some more.
