Why is Aaron Pryor considered an atg?

I don’t think that he is? Very few on here seem to call him that.

 

Bloated up Arguello? You seem to have a serious agenda against Pryor. Many people consider that one of Arguello's best performances despite the loss. That was a hell of a fight.

 

Was that the one that Pryor got some mystery energy drink in between rounds?

 

Because he was. The Arguello win(s) were better than the Cervantes win, by a fairly clear margin. Here’s the video. Show me what part of Arguello’s body is bloated:

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Because name fighters from the early eighties just were. The announcers and all the new magazines told us that over and over and over again.

It was a period in the United States when interest in boxing had taken a huge upturn and there were a lot of new fans.

There weren't films a click away of older fighters. You might see a few seconds of one in an opening montage, but that's it. There were a lot of new magazines with 20 year olds writing for them who were very impressionable. There was a title fight on seemingly every weekend. But most of us didn't have any device to record the fights on. So that's who you saw. And all the name champs with a decent media person in their corner was pushed as either great or an all-time great.

So, they were.

Hell, Thomas Hauser wrote a whole book about Billy Costello. Freaking Billy Costello. He had a belt for a year.

It seems silly now. But a lot of people who came up then can't or won't let it go.

 

Arron Pryor was one of the all time greats, he defended the title with explosiveness since taking it from another all time great, Antonio Kid Pambele Cervantes on Aug 2 1980, KO 2. The fight against another all time great Alexis Arguello was one of the best battles that I have ever seen on Nov 12 1982. Both took tremendous shots, then Pryor unleashed his full arsenal in round 14 to end the bout, especially after several anxious moments. Too bad that Aaron did not continue to show his talent for the rest of the decade, despite another stoppage of Alexis about a year later. He was absolutely talented, had speed , movement and punching power. It is Hawk Time.

 

He had an amazingly entertaining style, fought in the early 80s, thrashed one of the greatest fighters of all time and had a lengthy title run. Whether or not he actually was one is a different story. If probably go with no, in a similar way to why I say no to Loi. Good record, and he did beat an all-time great, but it's a tainted win.

 

I think back when he was fighting, he was considered one of the best fighters in the world but he never pushed on after the Arguello fights. There were talks of high profile glamour fights against the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Ray Mancini and Hector Camacho which could have elevated him to superstar status but they never materialised for one reason or another. Maybe this contributed to him developing an drug addiction which would eventually curtail and bring an end to his career which was a shame because there was always a feeling of disappointment that for all that he achieved, he could have had a even more outstanding and memorable career.

 

Very true and thorough post, it is a story of many all time potential greats of the game who never reached greater heights due to other distractions, in this case the use of Narcotics. It is another story of a could have been,

 

I wouldn't really argue it either way I guess .. Cervantes was passed his best , and the fights with Arguello actually say to me How great AA was a lot more than Pryor .. but thats just me ... Pryor was a sad story in Boxing and missed out on his biggest opportunities because of contractual problems with LARosa ... In a nutshell ,,, he had the opportunity and he blew it

 

Pryor was a naturally gifted fighter. His stamina and punch out put were exceptional. He was wildly brave, had massive killer instinct , limitless stamina, a strong amateur background, a terrific chin and recuperative powers, very good speed, a wide assortment of punches, could box if he choose to and major two handed power .. a few things about Aaron. He was a wild child like Leon Spinks. He was street. He was also a natural 135 pounder. He only went to 140 because no light weight champ would fight him and Cervantes offered him the shot .. Now Cervantes was clearly old but he was still a master in the ring, an incredible , now near forgotten fighter who the American audiences hardly knew because he was not on the air here .. it was not that Pryor beat him but how he beat him .. after suffering a flash knockdown Aaron destroyed him .. it was an astonishing beat down. Pryor became a television sensation in the US because he was an action fighter who engaged in very exciting fights .. when he fought Arguello the first time even though Alexis was getting a bit old and was moving up to yet another division, he was still a household name in the US because of years of televised Saturday and Sunday afternoon network bouts and a bit of a crossover star because of the high profile Mancini fight ... the general consensus was that Alexis was too experienced, too disciplined, too straight punching and hard punching for a mad man with a low ring IQ like Pryor .. the first bout was a super fight, an instant classic and made Pryor a superstar .. his stamina, his chin, his fierceness and his power were astonishing and the finish , the gallant Arguello being pummeled into submission was graphic and brutal .. the controversy that followed may or may not have been legit and disputed but the rematch was not as Aaron easily defeated what was left of Arguello .. Aaron was already and likely always messing w drugs but once he made big money it was over for him .. that said, he was a hell of a fighter ... I don't know how he would have done against a prime Whitaker, Chavez or Mayweather but he was a great fighter ...

 

As fights, in isolation, the Arguello fights are still heart stopping but Pryor's career will always be tainted by Panama Lewis and the mysterious bottle.
Drug use in his personal life killed him young and the sight of him in comeback fights while still suffering from its effects were horrible to watch.
When I think of All Time Greats, I think of Robinson, Ali and Chavez.

 

Pryor kicked the **** out of Arguello 2twice. Not close.