Your Hottest Takes:

Inoue vs Chocolatito vs Espinoza discussion led me to my own "hot take"
- Overcoming "natural" size difference and moving through weight classes is highly overrated as an achievement today.
Fighters can put on weight much easier than They used to, They can hire nutritionists and S&C specialists. Even looking at Inoue, He moved through 4 divisions - but never really looked small comparing to his opponent. He was strong at 108 and He's strong at 122. He might even be stronger at 122, as from what I recall - guys like Taguchi and Adrian Hernandez were at least able to push him back a bit. There will come a point when it's step too far, but I don't think 126 is that.

Espinoza to Chocolatito would be what John Ruiz is to James Toney on Roy Jones's record.

 

Tell me you’ve never boxed in your life without telling me you’ve never boxed in your life.

 

Are you talking talent/skill/H2H wise or genuinely talking résumé and accomplishments?

 

Nonsense. Espinoza is a much better champion than John Ruiz.

 

If He is, the time will tell and We can revisit is - but I don't rate him at all. I don't expect him to hold on to his title for much longer. He's extremely limited and is only getting away with some very amateurish mistakes because of his size.
One could say that if You don't see it, then You are telling everyone that You never boxed without actually telling it ).

I think Fulton would school him.

 

He’d most likely walk Fulton down and stop him.

Toney was draining to get to 168 whereas Gonzalez maxed out at 115. Beating Espinoza for inoue would be more like Roy moving up to beat Tate or Ruddock.

 

No point of arguing what He would do, everyone will have his opinion here which is fine. Although the reason hat discussion quickly moved in that direction is that there's not much to talk about when it comes to what He actually accomplished. He fought one world class fighter so far. Guys like Rey Vargas or Brandon Figueroa are more proven than him.

Is Brandon Ruddock considered superior to John Ruiz? I kinda liked John, He was a solid world level operator for probably close to a decade, so that's not a person I used to put Espinoza down, moreso to show that only thing that Espinoza has over Chocolatito is size.

 

Espinoza is a bully who already twice beat a talented but smaller fighter (Robeisy). John Ruiz has a history of struggling with if not losing to smaller fighters and was never dangerous. Espinoza is more like Bowe than Ruiz.

 

I mean, it's a Hot Takes thread after all.
Let's see how his career develops. I think Vazquez will be tricky for him.

 

Holy **** I think we have a winner.

 

Michael Spinks is the closest fighter to unbeatable (best H2H) for his best weight (175lbs) than any other fighter is for their best weight.

This is a hot take because most don’t even consider Michael Spinks to be the best H2H at 175lbs.

 

At 175lbs, H2H I’d say Charles without there being a close 3rd, him and Spinks are neck and neck for 1st spot.

2nd Best H2H for their own weight, there’s a few, but this may be another relatively controversial one, but I’d have Mayweather as a candidate at 135 or 140lbs, although Mayweather didn’t fight every style, he never fought someone slick who he couldn’t outbox where he had to take it to his opponent to win.

A less controversial one in SRR at 147lbs or maybe Ezzard Charles whom I also listed as the 2nd best H2H at 175lbs, and Ezzard Charles on my list may make the 2nd best H2H P4P of all time, yet still doesn’t come first in the weight class I’m taking him in, because my no1 P4P H2H of all time happens to be in the same weight class, so both no1 and no2 P4P H2H fighters of all time may happen to be in the same weight class, although I do think Spinks vs Charles could easily be one of them battles where they have many fights, they’re both the very best it gets at that weight and potentially in any weight, because they’re both the very best of the best of all time, on any night, the slightest thing could make all the difference, one momentum swing in any given round, it’s fine margins here.

There are others like Duran at 135lbs, but I’ll stick to the 3 I mentioned because there are so many.