How long do you think that Carmen could have held the welterweight title if he had remained at that weight class instead of going up to middleweight and challenging Robinson? Carmen was successful in that bid for Robinson's title but his title reign was a short one and subsequent tries against Fullmer and Pender didn't pan out. Basilio was a very strong welterweight champion and I think if he had stayed at that weight he might have been able to hold on to that belt for a few years. I don't see Virgil Akins, Don Jordan or Paret beating him. I could see Carmen hanging on until Emile Griffith came of age. And I don't see Griffith beating him by a whole lot. I think a younger Basilio would be able to handle Griffith but probably not the 1961 version.Opinions please.
Assuming he could still fight comfortably at the weight I think he could have stayed champ, or been on and off champ (winning a few rematches and regaining the tilte) for a few years. Probably wouldn't regularly lose until the likes of Griffith, Rodriguez and Paret hit their straps in the early 60s, and probably still would have been good enough to snatch the odd victory from them.
Basilio was a small middleweight, and with no jr. middleweight division yet created, was always fighting an uphill battle. Up to 1960 he would have been the best welterweight IMO.
