Whitaker v Julio Cesar Chavez in late '88?

You mean '88?

Pea wasn't that experienced, although he had a brilliant amateur career. The problem with Chavez is that at 135, Pea was even more committed on his backfoot, younger, and even faster.

I'd pick Pea again, but it'd be competitive.

 

I would say something but you did tell me you hoped I'd die in the last thread.

 

I wouldn't call the Whitake of '88 "green" per se...........he was fighting a very high level of opponents almost from the very beginning and had already racked up some very notable wins. He was also more mobile in '88, and I don't buy into the Chavez-apologist crap about him being "past it" when he fought Pea in 1992. NO ONE was saying that at the time, not a soul. I hate it when people parrot that **** 20 years down the line like they thought of it themselves. It's a tired and wholly inaccurate statement.

 

Now, come on, with all of these negative things about death and me together, and having the wrong decade.

 

True Big McG but Whitaker had a vast am career so he had plenty of experience. However, it's a fair point that Chavez would have the clearly better experience and was younger himself. Problem is, even as somewhat "green" as Whitaker was.. imo.. he would still be the best fighter Chavez ever faced.

 

Draw.

 

I would favor Chavez at this age and this weight. Welter was always beyond his reach, at least at the level of excellent he displayed at lightweight and superfeather. On paper, the Whitaker fight looked great in 93. In reality, Chavez was on the downside of his prime and above his best weight... and beginning to be an entitled little ****.

 

Seamus, would you say even that whitaker would still be the best figther he fought.. or do you think others were better than even a kinda green whitaker.

 

I'd still pick Pea. Very tough fight.

 

Whitaker is an all time great no matter how you slice it. Chavez fought other greats later in his career... ODLH, Tzysu, maybe even Camacho, but none in Whitaker's class... because Whitaker's class is top-20 or 25 IMO. Ray Robinson and Harry Greb were not available.

And I would not favor Chavez by a whole lot, by the way. It just would have been a much better fight.

 

Whitaker would always win for me, he's just a level above and has more output and movement at lightweight too so stylistically it's the same deal. I suppose you could argue Chavez would have more of strength advantage at this weight though

 

True enough about not many saying Chavez' was past his peak, but i think lot of the "invincible" Chavez thing at 140 had to do with the Don King and Chavez hypemachine being in full flow by then.

Plus, most boxing publications and the general media reporting tended to play it safe as far as calling someone past their best, especially for the big names.it was usually only when you had guys obviously shot that stuff like that would be widely stated.It's often still the same, even in this more widely connected day and age.just look at DLH over the last years of his career.Or Mosley, who imo has not been a really top fighter for over ten years.

This said, my own opinion on Pea vs Chavez was more that both were out of their element rather than notably declined.Neither at 147(or Chavez for most of his 140 days) were the fighters they were earlier imo.A lack of physical attributes at the weight in comparison to earlier days, and Chavez being at the very tail end of his prime added up to a lesser fight than we would have got circa 1990.