Which fighter has the best chance of salvaging thier career at this point?

I believe all Juan Diaz has to do is drop down in weight and start all over again, maybe at 130. That is if he has the dedication and determination to do it.

If Cotto wins a title at 154, he could still have a couple of more big fights although I think he would come up on the losing end in most of them.

 

I still feel Taylor is a world class operator, but his belief system has gone and has been for a few years, i'd say even at the point he was being ridiculed for the Ouma and Spinks performances. Who knows, a year and a half out, maybe two, he can come back, at super middle, gain revenge on Froch/Pavlik who by that point will have lost a couple, and nobody can tell me he can't beat Carl, then go after the super six winner. I actually scored the 2nd Pavlik fight for Jermain, and that probably crushed him further.

Its not outwith the realms of possibility. He could, much to a lot of people horror, climb back to the top of the rankings and back into a top 20 pound for pound.

 

In terms of taking competitive fights each time they fight?

I agree with TheGreatA's pick :good

 

Like Cotto, it's not a case of bad chin, just a case of his weakness (pressure) being obvious to see.

Abraham is an enormous puncher; no shame there iMO:good

 

Of those listed, Diaz.

Hatton is ****ed mentally - almost Audley Harrison-esque levels of delusion going on there, he'll never get over the Mayweather loss until the day he pops his clogs.

Taylor could, as Smith says, given a year out and some serious roadwork I see no reason why he can't come back and at worst be a beltholder at super middle.

Miranda was never that good anyway, ditto Lacy and Peter..... Wright is pushing 40 and was shut out by Williams..... Arce is old and on the downslide.

 

hesitated between Cotto and Taylor.

Cotto's career doesn't really need to be salvaged though

 

Ricky Hatton - fat, lost his hunger (not for pies) and hence past it
Zab Judah - innactive, bad discipline, bu sill has a spark that few fighters have, at 140 he may just be a threat and be able to beat a champ or 2
Miguel Cotto - should beat Forema because hes not very good, might not be shotbut probably is, will be bowled over by the first top fighter he faces

Jermaine Taylor - shot

Juan Diaz - can be a decent gatekeeper, wont beat any top LW

Edison Miranda - only a gatekeeper and beat, been beat up too much anyway

Winky Wright - innactive, aged, I wouldnt write him off if he got a shot at Pavlik a while ago, but now hes done

Jeff Lacy - shot never that good

Sam Peter - too fat, getting fatter, never that good, Audley beat him

Jorge Arce - past it

 

Of the options available, i voted for Juan Diaz.

He's still relatively young, and as mentioned earlier, i believe with a few adjustments to his training regimen (roadwork instead swimming as rumoured) he could maybe get down as far as 130. He seems quite chubby so i wouldn't have thought he would have trouble making the weight.

If he can make the weight safely, i would have him as one of the top players at 130, compared to maybe top 5-6 at 135. He definitely doesnt belong anywhere near 140 though

 

Where is the none of the above choice? :yep

I would say Cotto and Peter. Peter has the skills, hes just a lazy slob. Hopefully Cotto isnt too shot, hes been through some serious wars.

 

In my opinion the answer pretty much has to be Cotto by default. He doesn't have that many options left at Welter, and JR Middle has a lack of really good names, but he at least have every chance of going out on a high note, plus his name is out there with the public so that any Cotto fight from this point forward is still going to draw attention.

Hatton has showed the extraordinary gap in class between himself and the best fighters in the world and suffered two devastating KOs along the way. Additionally, he seems to have a harder and harder time training himself down to his weight and to have relatively little enthusiasm left for more than one or two more fights.

Judah has always been somewhat overrated and is one of the biggest front runners I have ever seen.

Taylor has suffered too many hard KOs in recent fights and while he can compete well with the best in his division, he seems to no longer have what it takes to beat them.

On the plus side for him, Diaz is still young and has an exciting style. As a minus, he has pretty much run out of marketable names at 135, and I don't think he'll fare well against the best at 140. Besides, he should also be looking to get out relatively soon if he's serious about a law career, as he's probably already made enough to pay for school and such.

Miranda can do a lot to resurrect his career with a win against Bute, but with a series of losses against his best competition in the last 4 years, I have my doubts about whether he's up to the task.

Winky is just getting too old to do much at this point.

Jeff Lacy was overhyped and his best weapon has been taken away by the shoulder injury. He's done.

With loses to both Klits and to Eddie Chambers, and with him seeming to be less and less interested in staying in shape, I think Peter has hit the wall in terms of how far he can go.

Arce seems to be showing the wear and tear from a long time in the game and has limited options in terms of the big names he can fight and reestablish himself.

 

If his mind "is right" Cotto by a landslide.

 

I think Cotto is about done. Best guess is Peter. He is still young.