Gamboa was failing to impress, very early on in his pro career, on his way to weight struggles, personal issues and eventually having to fight beyond his optimum weight class - when past his physical prime. His best years as a pro were probably 2010-11. He was seen as taking on the weakest link in the Featherweight Championship pool, via Salido, and his performance here didn't inspire confidence in him going on to dominate the division; more so that Gamboa still needed to improve. People raved about the Solis win, which followed, but not only was Solis nearing the end of his meaningful career (having been bested by Pacquaio and Cruz, years earlier), he was also probably over-cutting to make the Featherweight limit. Meanwhile, it is likely that Gamboa had a significant weight advantage on Solis, at the time of the fight. The win looked impressive but, in my opinion, it was a sacrificial showcase for Gamboa, rather than an actual fight. Ponce de Leon's best days were well behind him, when he'd campaigned at 122. By the time he fought Gamboa, he'd just taken a loss against Broner and he failed to make an impression at 130. Gamboa, then stepping up to 135 and having had his personal life fall into turmoil, met Crawford, having garnered very little in the way of Lightweight prestige. It had also been more than a year since his last fight. I don't think the Gamboa win adds a whole lot to Crawford's resume.
Hah, I figured there's some history there. I think a lot of fighters You mentioned for Tszyu were past their prime, would You agree? I think Crawford beat other good fighters, Gamboa was still solid at lightweight - beat Darleys Perez, not some great win but He was talented and capable. Guys like Burns, Dulorme, Horn, Felix Diaz, Kavaliauskas and Benavidez also were capable. I'd mention Urkal for Tszyu as well, I liked him a lot. Smart fighter and gave Tszyu one of his toughest fights, for a reason.. All in all, I'd say it's close. Perhaps Judah and Sharmba are a bit better top 2 wins than Porter and Postol... but I wouldn't say it's level above and then in terms of depth, I'd say They are comparable.
Yes definitely guys on Tszyu's list were past there best. I believe I mentioned that in the beginning of the post. I just wanted to list what I considered the top names on each resume. Resume aside I believe Tszyu was the better fighter though. Like anything here it all boils down to opinion which is why I usually end my posts with IMO. Some people here just can't stand it when you don't see things the same way they do lol. It's on the news everyday now unfortunately.
Two large differences between them are that Crawford has been dominant, even at 147, and that Kostya has two unavenged stoppage loses. Vince Phillips wouldn't stop Crawford.
Very solid writing my friend. You laid that out much much better than I ever could. Excellent insight!!
