Was John Mugabi really any better than Ayub Kalule?

I always thought Kalule was an underated scalp on Leonard's record. As to your original question,probaby not.
Small detour.I was once in the second row from ringside with a couple of mates ,we were watching a Tony Sibson fight.A black guy in a cream safari suit and wearing a white Stetson arrived and sat in front of me.
When the fight began to get exciting, he jumped up several times,I shouted to him to sit down as he was blocking our view,[I was a lot younger then,] he turned round looked at me and sat down.My mate grabbed my wrist and whispered that's, John "The Beast" Mugabi,I nearly **** myself,fortunately he didn't take it further,his English wasn't too great ,so maybe he hadn't got the gist of my reckless outburst.

 

I would have been put in the ground!

 

I nearly ran afoul of my trousers!

 

Good thing he didn't turn around, glare at you, and proclaim "I will knock you out."

LOLLLLLLL

 

A forgotten footnote. Kahule when he fought SRL he did give SRL some
tight moments in the 7 rd as he landed two good rights and right hooks
that backed up SRL. This was later noted by boxing magazines at the time
made SRL hesitant to fight Hagler as it showed SRL would be vulnerable to
southpaws. ( 87 was not the Hagler of early 80's )

 

I think Kalule had a better career than John, yet I would have loved to see how John would have done had he not fought Hagler. That seemed to diminish his skills. Although Hagler the night he fought Mugabi was rusty and not sharp at all.

 

Kalule was the better man, no doubt in my mind.

 

Kalule was too slow, had no punch, and not much anything else either. John was beatable but dangerous

 

Yeah. Eddie fought

Prime Julian Jackson
Prime Thomas Hearns
Prime Fully Obel
Prime Mugabi.

Bad management.

Kalule was never the same after Leonard. What a fight he put on. Just watched again, you can tell Leonard was concerned after the 5th.

 

Haven't seen enough of Kalule to speculate on this really but I watched a bunch of Mugabi lately and my thoughts on him are that he was very good. I feel like he ran into a buzz saw in Marvin Hagler for his first loss and was a bold move to go up to middleweight. Before that Mugabi had knocked off a series of contenders in impressive of fashion. He had a real good way of boxing and setting up his power punches. After that he went down hill he had an unfortunate break against Duana Thomas then he got caught by Terry Norris and Gerald McClellan back to back. I feel the beast that stepped in the ring with Hagler was a formidable test for any middleweight or junior middleweight.

 

Agreed it certainly took something out of him whether it be confidence in his power or whatever he was a different fighter after

 

Well one things for sure you would know where your chin stands in the pantheon of greats LOL