Which welterweight era has the toughest competition for welter Robinson ?

Fab 4 era, no question. Hearns, Duran and Leonard

 

If you stretch it out over a decade (say 1977-87), you can include Benitez, Cuevas, Palomino, Curry, Starling, Honeyghan and Brown. You could also throw Pryor into the mix.

Individually none of them would be favoured to beat Robinson, but cumulatively it would be a very difficult division to dominate and lord over for a lengthy period of time.

 

To me this is the answer as well. The late 30’s would also be tough With McLarnin Ross Armstrong Zivic Williams and of course Burley.

The 90’s with a good blend of size and styles DLH Trinidad Mosley Quartey Mayorga and Forrest

I also like the recent WW Crawford Spence Thurman Porter...but not sure about all of them just yet.

But yeah the fab 4 era would be the stiffest test

 

Burley was too inexperience at WW and Zivic/Mclarin/Ross are just levels below Robinson. Prime Armstrong would be an interesting fight. Armstrong is almost a mini-lamotta with better defensive skills.

90s era is just levels below Robinson

I think Robinson in the Mayweather-Pacquiao era would be more interesting, though I think he beats both. Crawford and Spence are both pretty good but as you said, too unproven. Would like too see where Canelo and Garcia fits in that WW legacy

 

I'd generally agree with late 70s/early 80s - Benitez, Leonard, Duran and Hearns - but here'a a shout out for the 60s as another consideration: Emile Griffith, Luis Rodriguez, Curtis Cokes and Jose Napoles, amongst others.

 

Napoles vs SRR and SRL are 2 of my dream hypothetical fights. But I am a big Napoles guy so I might be alone in this scenario

 

Other than the fab 4 era, Tommy Ryan's may be one of the tougher ones.

 

I like the 60’s and early 80’s.

Too hard to gauge what Smith, Ryan and Walcott would really bring to the table, but put Robinson back in their time with their ruleset and it becomes vaguely interesting I guess. And they all had experience fighting bigger men/moving up in weight so might not be easily awed (although I imagine Robinson would smash them all, even though I rate them all very highly)

 

I agree with the 80's/60's batch of WW Champs but...put the 80's/60's batch of WW Champs (had they been prime in the mid-late forties) against Sugar at that time? IMO he would have bested them all. Put a prime WW Sugar (prime in the 60's and 80's) against those guys? Sugar wins! To be fair there (might) have been a first time close decision loss in a couple but he would have won a rematch over any of those who (may) have copped a decision in the initial scrap. Why? 1) ERAS, 2) because he was the greatest WW in the history of the game.
3) because he was the greatest fighter of all time.
My $0.02

 

1930s
But the era that Robinson fought in was very tough competition.