Pound-for-Pound All-Time Lists
I think that there should be two forms of all-time
pound-for-pound and weight-specific ranking lists:
1) The traditional list that looks at fighters holistically
and assesses their entire body of work in comparison
to other fighters.
2) A new kind of list that ranks fighters according to their
abilities at their peak moment in history; their brilliance in
any given fight. Or better yet, their sustained brilliance over
a shorter period than an entire career.
If we were making top-ten or top-twenty all-time lists,
either pound-for-pound or for a given weight class:
Who are the fighters that would make the second list
but not the first?
Are there any fighters that would make the first list
but not the second?
What are the most obvious or glaring examples?
For me, one that jumps out is Donald Curry. Curry
would make the second list, all the way up to top-
ten for welterweights in terms of short-lived brilliance,
but should not be seen holistically as one of the ten
best-accomplished welterweights of all-time.
posted by Mike Ezra @ 7:59 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Mike,that's quite an interesting way of seeing greatness.
I can't imagine anyone on the first list not appearing on the second. You simply can't be that great a fighter without having been sensational for vast segments of your career.
The second list, however, might turn up some unlikely faces. Thinking off the top of my head, I'd consider Hector Camacho at 130 pounds, Edwin Rosario (but only while still in his teens), and definitely Jeff Fenech prior to his second fight with Azumah Nelson.
One guy I always wondered about was Tony Ayala Jr. Was all of the stuff about him being so terrific just NBC Sportsworld hype or was he a legitimate in-ring terror (no question about his being one outside the ring).
Actually, the one guy I think who could possibly make the first list
but not the second is Archie Moore.
Donald Curry, is the perfect example to head the second list. Tony Ayala was a legitimate Lifetaker, but I couldn't envision him beating Hagler, and he'd have been vulnerable to getting stretched by Hearns early.
Ayala was the goods. He was a little reckless, but he would have outgrown that. He was good enough so that, at fourteen, he was knocking the fuck out of Pipino Cuevas in the gym.
What about Wilfredo Gomez?
Wilfredo Gomez is one of the best 122 pounders ever. He could fight his ass off, could punch, and was always in great shape until he found Cocanie. He's also the only fighter I've ever seen who changed the expression on Salvador Sanchez's face after he hit him. IF only for a moment.
How about for the second list Mike Tyson from 1986 to 1989?
I think Tyson is a worthy choice for the second list. Also Esteban De Jesus, who looked like he was going to be an all-timer but fell just a bit short.
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