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Will Ray Robbinson always be considered the greatest fighter P4P?
I have seen some clips of Robbinson's fights. He always looks impressive. He had power and speed. And I also heard that there are no videos of any fight were he was considered at his prime, which is a real shame but also points out that he was even better than what we now see. His 94 wins in a row is a truly amazing feat and his record speaks greatness.
With that said, is it not possible that there have been better fighters after or even before him. Could it be that the level of competition at the time was not exactly the highest quality. Could it be that fighters today have better training methods and improved skills. Could the general public be saying "he's the best" more out of habit than of any real boxing knowledge.
If any of you know anything about rock and roll you would know that since the 70s, "Starway to Heaven" has been considered, without a doubt, the greatest rock song ever made. It is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with their great band also considered the greatest Rock band ever. But do we honestly believe that out of the millions of songs composed since then there hasn't been a better song made. I can think of four or five that I like more. But nobody would ever consider replacing that #1 spot.
I, sometimes, believe it is the same way with Robbinson. Surely there have been fighters that have performed well enough to be placed at that #1 spot. Lets take the time and name a few:
Mohamed Ali showed great skill and dominated his division at his time. His level of competition is unquestionably one of the best ever as it is considered a golden age of the HW division. One can only imagine what he could have accomplished if he had not been robbed 3 years of his prime and if he had stepped into the ring in that first fight with Frazier a fully active and well condition fighter.
Sugar Ray Leonard who took on Robbinson's nick name and represented it well. He too faced the highest quality of opposition as he was a member of the so called Fav 4 and was the only one of the group to hold a victory over each of the other members. He also clearly beat another hall of famer in Wilfredo Benitez. He had speed, power, a good chin and knew how to give the crowed what they wanted with his flashy, unforgettable combinations. He, like Ali, fought till he was way passed his prime and his record is less great than it should have been.
Roy Jones Jr is a fighter that possessed such great reflex and ability that he managed to go through almost his entire career without truly possesing much boxing technique but he still managed to dominate pretty much anyone that stepped in the ring against him on shier ability alone. Many believe that during his rise through the Supermiddle weight division he was unbeatable. However he suffered from what many believe to be a lack of quality opposition and his two knockout losses dimmed his brilliance in the eyes of some fans.
Floyd Maywether Jr is a fighter that has truly mastered what is the skill of boxing. His style seems at times flawless and to this day none have managed to put a dent on his perfect reccord. He, like Jones, suffers from a belief that he has not face high quality opposition and his achievements of multidivision titles has been somewhat diminished as his rise happend just at a time when no true champion stood on his way. Even his latest win against Oscar has been tainted with a split decision and claims that he beat an old Oscar.
I'm certain there have been others who deserve a claim on that #1 status but might not have been as popular or had enough big wins to be considered. The point is, maybe it is time for us to start looking into the possibility that there might be better fighters out there. I, for one, am still looking. But I also recognize that that top spot is by no means reserved or taken. It is open to anyone who shows he deserves it.
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Originally Posted by ICE COLD BOXING
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