Which of these quality wins do you think is better? Morales over Zaragoza or Marquez over Casamayor considering both Daniel and Joel were past it...
I picked Marquez over Casamayor because he was moving up in weight, and the manner in which he defeated the previously never stopped Joel. Still, which fighter has the best win overall, there is simply no argument. In fact, Morales 2nd best win is better than Marquez's best win. Just thought I'd add that last part in considering there are people who think Marquez is higher than Erik in ATG rankings. Absurd.
Yea i think its absurd too that people can think like that but to come back to the thread, Morales at this point was very young and green so considering his experience at this point its a very good win, better than Marquez'.
checkit i don't think its a stretch to say JMM, Barrera, and Morales are on the same level. i mean JMM didn't get the opportunities to rule the division like these guys did when they were young and now he is a little older but he is on fire. JMM's greatness cannot be denied. But i still have Barrera numero uno, then Morales, then JMM. Its close. the difference is that BArrera and MOrales were dominant fighters in their primes. It was amazing to watch. They put a hurting on their opponents
I don't think we owe Marquez anything. I want to clarify, Marquez is one of my favorite active fighters, but he hasn't proven himself in the manner both Morales and Barrera have. Those two fighters got the big fights, and they beat great prime fighters, and Marquez simply hasn't. There's no doubt in my mind that he could if given the opportunity, but the only way to truly measure a fighters greatness is too measure the opponents he has defeated. Marquez's resume isn't on the same level. I won't overrate Marquez simply because he is at the top of his game today, he needs a signature win. Absolutely. Watching those two come up through the ranks and at such young ages was great. Marco had already made several World title defenses at age 22. He had a full career even before he fought Morales the first time.
See i think thats the problem. Morales' and Barrera's wins in the lower weights like this are very underated because most of the posters here weren't following boxing at that time so for them they are good wins but no more. Also the face that they were at 122 instead of 135 doesnt help...
The Barrera that took apart Croft, Mckinney, Magana at 122lb looked twice as mature and special as any young fighter on the scene today. The same applies to Morales who, despite being relatively inexperianced, stopped an aging but still game Daniel Zaragoza. I wish I could screen those fights personally for all the members here who haven't been exposed to those two coming up. Barrera, especially, was hailed as one of the best P4P fighters in the world despite being in his early 20s. It's great to hear Larry Merchant say after the 2nd Jones fight, "Barrera is a great fighter, but Jones is just a bit better". Marco would then go on to lift himself onto an entirely different plane to the Junior Jones of the world.
Absolutely. They probably had the greatest careers that any fighter ever had in their 20s if you see what i mean.But even if people watch those fights now, they won't see it with the same eyes as if it was live because there isn't all the hype surrounding it...
