Is Kostya Tszyu really the greatest 140 pounder ever?

I am not asking this in a tongue in cheek way,I thought he was a great fighter,wonderful right cross,unified the division and beat soom good fighters along the way.But I never really considered him to be THE best at 140 ever. I don't know,I don't have great knowledge, so I'm asking you guys,was he really the best?There must be other contenders! Maybe I'm being harsh but to me personally, he doesn't have the signature win and his losses weren't to 2 legends or anything(although Hatton can still make a mark imo) I know at the time,Mitchell and Zab in particular,where very very highly rated,maybe I'm being harsh. Thoughts peeps?

Tszyu is highly regarded by all and respected universally.
At 140lbs his power was hard to equal and he trained hard to accompany that natural gift with stamina speed and boxing ability. His case for being thee best 140lber of all time is a strong one and perhapsI wouldn't hesittae so much in granting him this staus if it were not for the great level of competition at this weight.
Julio Caesar Chavez was great at this weight. Aaron Pryor had a short brutal reign exclusively at 140. Roberto Duran resided here long enough to make his case. Gavin Rees....just kidding!

For me Tszyu very well may be the best 140lb fighter of all time, but until I study his numerous competitors thoroughly first I hesitate to brand him the best.

I dont think so , he failed himself there a bit by not avenging his first loss.
That was a great fight and Vince Phillips deserved that win, he beat it out of Kostya which is the only way you could ever win against him. Chavez got caught at the end of his time, soooo ?

I think he was a bit overrrated! Yes he was a fantastic fighter, but I don't think his opposition was amazing by any means and he got owned by Philips and busted up by Hatton.

Best of his time, not best ever imo

When KT was an amature he was probably the most skilled ever.
That Fight against Vernon Forrest is still used as the pinnacle to reach for all amatures.

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Originally Posted by BIG H

I think he was a bit overrrated! Yes he was a fantastic fighter, but I don't think his opposition was amazing by any means and he got owned by Philips and busted up by Hatton.

Best of his time, not best ever imo

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I thought Philips just out gunned him later on,was a great fight up to that point (must dig that one out)

Great Point Andre, tszyu was an incredible amateur! That fight was just amazing!

No Chavez is its not even debatable.

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Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

No Chavez is its not even debatable.

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i think from what we have heard it is...


from my point of view theres kostya, chavez and pryor but if hatton came bk down to unifiy ( i dont think he can personaly, but i really hope so) he could also make the claim, knocking out castillo, retireing kostya, beating the slick boxer puncher witter and the slick paulie. but like i said i think ricky may be poast his prime

Yeah my man Ricky has the opportunity on front of him, but with the masive booze up he's had the past month or so, coupled with his ticking body clock I fear he may never grasp the title.

As for the Kostya V Chavez question, would Chavez in his prime have handled Tszyu? Probably, but Tszyu still holds the upper hand.

I would agree Tszyu is the best 140 pounder

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Originally Posted by oakleyno1

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Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

No Chavez is its not even debatable.

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i think from what we have heard it is...


from my point of view theres kostya, chavez and pryor but if hatton came bk down to unifiy ( i dont think he can personaly, but i really hope so) he could also make the claim, knocking out castillo, retireing kostya, beating the slick boxer puncher witter and the slick paulie. but like i said i think ricky may be poast his prime

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Julio Cesar Chavez made 12 defenses of Jr Welterweight title, 17 in total and he beat names like.

Chavez's best wins

Meldrick Taylor x2
Frankie Randall
Greg Haugen
Hector Camacho
Marty Jakubowski
Angel Hernandez
Roger Mayweather
Tony Lopez
Alberto de las Mercedes Cortes

Kostya Tszyu made 8 defenses, 13 in total.

Kostya Tszyu's best wins

Sharmba Mitchell x2
Diosbelys Hurtado
Jesse James Leija
Roger Mayweather
Julio Cesar Chavez
Diosbelys Hurtado
Miguel Angel Gonzalez
Rafael Ruelas
Zab Judah

Looking at the records its more debatable than i first thought.

The Phillips loss hurts his legacy unfairly IMO, he should have pulled out of that fight due to illness but being the champ he is he went ahead with it. If you watch that fight Tszyu was pounding Phillips for the first 3 rounds and very nearly stopped him, he lost all energy as the fight went on, he went into the ring at 138lb and did not gain lbs after the weigh in. Hatton got him at the end of his career, happens to everybody. Is he the best ever 140lb fighter? I go for Pryor just ahead of Tszyu and Chavez. I remember there was talk of Tszyu wanting to fight Chavez after he beat LaPorte in his 4th fight! I think he would have won.

No.


Pryor is the best, followed closely by Chavez then Tszyu.

But I don't think that if they fought each other any of them would have an easy night with the others.

I've thought for a while that his resume was overrated.

He doesn't have a great win, he has some good wins.

Doesn't mean he's not a good fighter, I think he was a great fighter but he never had that elite win. Maybe for a time Judah looked like a great win but does anybody really think that's a great win now? You can say it wasn't his fault that he never had that big fight win but that's not really the point.

And he didn't avenge his losses, although the Hatton one is understandable cause he was getting up there and just decided to retire.

So I would say no.

I think Aaron Pryor and maybe JCC were better, but Kostya is one of the greats for sure.

You can make a case for JCC, Pryor, or Chavez being the best at that weight. All great fighters. But in his prime...i wouldn't bet against Tszyu against anybody at 140. Tremendous power, skill, and intelligence. As The Third Man already mentioned...he wasn't physically right in the Phillips fight. The Hatton fight was a combination of age and horrible refereeing. Not trying to make excuses for Kostya...just don't think he was at his best for those two fights. My dream fight has always been Tszyu vs. Mayweather in their primes. That would have been a tremendous fight!

I'm really surprised,I did this thread about a year and a half ago, and I'm sure the consensus was that he was the best 140 pounder! Wow!You guys all make valid points.

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Originally Posted by zhubin

You can make a case for JCC, Pryor, or Chavez being the best at that weight. All great fighters. But in his prime...i wouldn't bet against Tszyu against anybody at 140. Tremendous power, skill, and intelligence. As The Third Man already mentioned...he wasn't physically right in the Phillips fight. The Hatton fight was a combination of age and horrible refereeing. Not trying to make excuses for Kostya...just don't think he was at his best for those two fights. My dream fight has always been Tszyu vs. Mayweather in their primes. That would have been a tremendous fight!

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I used to think Tszyu would beat Mayweather but I'm not so sure anymore.Not at all. To beat Floyd,you need alot more things than just 1 huge punch. Mayweather has shown,even in the Oscar fight,if your arsenal is primarily based around 1 punch,you're not going to beat him,no matter how good it is(and Oscar's left hook is a thing of beauty).

I do think Tszyu had a way of solving boxers,and he had an awesome sense of timing,but Mayweather is in a different league to Mitchell and Zab. And as for Kostya lasting with Aaaron Pryor,forget about it. Every fighter has a style that they cannot handle,for KT,I think that is in your face pressure fighters,like Hatton and Phillips. They never gave him a chance to get his bombs off,they never gave him time to think. Pryor was more monstrous than those 2 combined,Pryor stops Tszyu every time for me.The Hawk may get dropped but he'll get back up and win for sure imo.

I don't think Tszyu could have beaten Hatton even in his prime.Hatton had too much pressure and walked through his best shots. I'd give Tszyu more of a chance if the fight was not in England for sure,and if he was younger,but I'd still choose Hatton to win. I didn't see a single sign in the first match for me to say Tszyu would beat Hatton.

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Originally Posted by El Gamo

I'm really surprised,I did this thread about a year and a half ago, and I'm sure the consensus was that he was the best 140 pounder! Wow!You guys all make valid points.

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Originally Posted by zhubin

You can make a case for JCC, Pryor, or Chavez being the best at that weight. All great fighters. But in his prime...i wouldn't bet against Tszyu against anybody at 140. Tremendous power, skill, and intelligence. As The Third Man already mentioned...he wasn't physically right in the Phillips fight. The Hatton fight was a combination of age and horrible refereeing. Not trying to make excuses for Kostya...just don't think he was at his best for those two fights. My dream fight has always been Tszyu vs. Mayweather in their primes. That would have been a tremendous fight!

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I used to think Tszyu would beat Mayweather but I'm not so sure anymore.Not at all. To beat Floyd,you need alot more things than just 1 huge punch. Mayweather has shown,even in the Oscar fight,if your arsenal is primarily based around 1 punch,you're not going to beat him,no matter how good it is(and Oscar's left hook is a thing of beauty).

I do think Tszyu had a way of solving boxers,and he had an awesome sense of timing,but Mayweather is in a different league to Mitchell and Zab. And as for Kostya lasting with Aaaron Pryor,forget about it. Every fighter has a style that they cannot handle,for KT,I think that is in your face pressure fighters,like Hatton and Phillips. They never gave him a chance to get his bombs off,they never gave him time to think. Pryor was more monstrous than those 2 combined,Pryor stops Tszyu every time for me.The Hawk may get dropped but he'll get back up and win for sure imo.

I don't think Tszyu could have beaten Hatton even in his prime.Hatton had too much pressure and walked through his best shots. I'd give Tszyu more of a chance if the fight was not in England for sure,and if he was younger,but I'd still choose Hatton to win. I didn't see a single sign in the first match for me to say Tszyu would beat Hatton.

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Tszyu possessed much more than just a powerful single punch. He is a better fighter and better conditioned athlete than Oscar as well. To beat Floyd you need good speed, timing, accuracy, stamina, and intelligence. All of which KT had in abundance to go along with his great power. Not saying KT would definitely win...but it would have been a great fight and BY FAR Floyd's biggest challenge. I guess one can argue that Hatton's pressure style could have always posed problems for Tszyu. But the fight took place way to late in his career and under far from ideal circumstances for me to simply think Hatton could have beaten Tszyu in his prime. And again...i just feel he wasn't physically right against Phillips. As for Pryor...he was a beast. No question he would be a great challenge for anyone at that weight.

The best 140 pounder of all time might have been a ten year old Joe Louis ?
;D

Ok this post may be unpopular but I believe that historically the 140 lb division is one of the weakest and there are many fighters who could have been the best in this division but they used it just to pass through.

In my opinion guys like De La Hoya, Mayweather, Duran, Whittaker etc were all better than Tyzsu but they just passed through the division.

It's a stepping stone division, like most of these junior divisions. Elite fighters pass through these divisions on the way to the proper divisions like welterwight, middleweight etc but they only remain there if they are too big for the division below but not good enough for the proper division above it.

That's why I ultimately don't care who was the best at this weight as to me its like asking which is the best football team in the League cup, or who is the best Formula 3000 racer ever, ultimately it doesn't matter as the the teams that win the league and the drivers who win formula one are better than them anyhow.

I believe Tszyu would have beaten the guys Bilbo mentioned but not JCC.

I am a HUGE KT fan, but yet i find it hard to call him defintely the greatest 140 fighter of all time. I think the definite top 3 are KT, JCC and Pryor (maybe Hatton coulde join them if he returns to 140 and unifies.)
Kostya's opponents werent the greatest, but they werent all duds either, and in his prime around 1998-2002 Kostya absolutely destroyed some good names. I think Kostya would have beaten all the opponents that JCC and Pryor faced as well.

The one thing missing in his career is a win or even a close fight against a huge name like Mayweather, Mosely, DLH etc.... But unfortunately none of those guys wanted anything to do with Kostya. Too big a risk for too little reward.

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Originally Posted by zhubin

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Originally Posted by El Gamo

I'm really surprised,I did this thread about a year and a half ago, and I'm sure the consensus was that he was the best 140 pounder! Wow!You guys all make valid points.

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Originally Posted by zhubin

You can make a case for JCC, Pryor, or Chavez being the best at that weight. All great fighters. But in his prime...i wouldn't bet against Tszyu against anybody at 140. Tremendous power, skill, and intelligence. As The Third Man already mentioned...he wasn't physically right in the Phillips fight. The Hatton fight was a combination of age and horrible refereeing. Not trying to make excuses for Kostya...just don't think he was at his best for those two fights. My dream fight has always been Tszyu vs. Mayweather in their primes. That would have been a tremendous fight!

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I used to think Tszyu would beat Mayweather but I'm not so sure anymore.Not at all. To beat Floyd,you need alot more things than just 1 huge punch. Mayweather has shown,even in the Oscar fight,if your arsenal is primarily based around 1 punch,you're not going to beat him,no matter how good it is(and Oscar's left hook is a thing of beauty).

I do think Tszyu had a way of solving boxers,and he had an awesome sense of timing,but Mayweather is in a different league to Mitchell and Zab. And as for Kostya lasting with Aaaron Pryor,forget about it. Every fighter has a style that they cannot handle,for KT,I think that is in your face pressure fighters,like Hatton and Phillips. They never gave him a chance to get his bombs off,they never gave him time to think. Pryor was more monstrous than those 2 combined,Pryor stops Tszyu every time for me.The Hawk may get dropped but he'll get back up and win for sure imo.

I don't think Tszyu could have beaten Hatton even in his prime.Hatton had too much pressure and walked through his best shots. I'd give Tszyu more of a chance if the fight was not in England for sure,and if he was younger,but I'd still choose Hatton to win. I didn't see a single sign in the first match for me to say Tszyu would beat Hatton.

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Tszyu possessed much more than just a powerful single punch. He is a better fighter and better conditioned athlete than Oscar as well. To beat Floyd you need good speed, timing, accuracy, stamina, and intelligence. All of which KT had in abundance to go along with his great power. Not saying KT would definitely win...but it would have been a great fight and BY FAR Floyd's biggest challenge. I guess one can argue that Hatton's pressure style could have always posed problems for Tszyu. But the fight took place way to late in his career and under far from ideal circumstances for me to simply think Hatton could have beaten Tszyu in his prime. And again...i just feel he wasn't physically right against Phillips. As for Pryor...he was a beast. No question he would be a great challenge for anyone at that weight.

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Interesting.


I've watched Tszyu/Hatton about 5 times now. The strange thing is that it was a damn close fight, and IMO the toughest fight of Hatton's life - apart from his two trips to 147. One could also make the argument that Hatton hasn't been as good since the Tszyu fight. Vince Phillips was certainly not the same fighter after facing Tszyu...

The scorecards were close, and should have been closer. Tszyu scored a legitimate knockdown with a body shot that was waved off for some reason, plust Hatton's intentional low blow should have had a point taken off.

I think Tszyu/Hatton would have been a tough fight for both guys no matter when in their careers they met. But how someone could say they saw NO signs that Tszyu could have beaten Hatton at some stage is beyond me. It was Hatton's finest night as a pro, with the crowd and ref firmly behind him - and yet Tszyu still made it a close fight.

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Originally Posted by zhubin

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Originally Posted by El Gamo

I'm really surprised,I did this thread about a year and a half ago, and I'm sure the consensus was that he was the best 140 pounder! Wow!You guys all make valid points.

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Originally Posted by zhubin

You can make a case for JCC, Pryor, or Chavez being the best at that weight. All great fighters. But in his prime...i wouldn't bet against Tszyu against anybody at 140. Tremendous power, skill, and intelligence. As The Third Man already mentioned...he wasn't physically right in the Phillips fight. The Hatton fight was a combination of age and horrible refereeing. Not trying to make excuses for Kostya...just don't think he was at his best for those two fights. My dream fight has always been Tszyu vs. Mayweather in their primes. That would have been a tremendous fight!

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I used to think Tszyu would beat Mayweather but I'm not so sure anymore.Not at all. To beat Floyd,you need alot more things than just 1 huge punch. Mayweather has shown,even in the Oscar fight,if your arsenal is primarily based around 1 punch,you're not going to beat him,no matter how good it is(and Oscar's left hook is a thing of beauty).

I do think Tszyu had a way of solving boxers,and he had an awesome sense of timing,but Mayweather is in a different league to Mitchell and Zab. And as for Kostya lasting with Aaaron Pryor,forget about it. Every fighter has a style that they cannot handle,for KT,I think that is in your face pressure fighters,like Hatton and Phillips. They never gave him a chance to get his bombs off,they never gave him time to think. Pryor was more monstrous than those 2 combined,Pryor stops Tszyu every time for me.The Hawk may get dropped but he'll get back up and win for sure imo.

I don't think Tszyu could have beaten Hatton even in his prime.Hatton had too much pressure and walked through his best shots. I'd give Tszyu more of a chance if the fight was not in England for sure,and if he was younger,but I'd still choose Hatton to win. I didn't see a single sign in the first match for me to say Tszyu would beat Hatton.

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Tszyu possessed much more than just a powerful single punch. He is a better fighter and better conditioned athlete than Oscar as well. To beat Floyd you need good speed, timing, accuracy, stamina, and intelligence. All of which KT had in abundance to go along with his great power. Not saying KT would definitely win...but it would have been a great fight and BY FAR Floyd's biggest challenge. I guess one can argue that Hatton's pressure style could have always posed problems for Tszyu. But the fight took place way to late in his career and under far from ideal circumstances for me to simply think Hatton could have beaten Tszyu in his prime. And again...i just feel he wasn't physically right against Phillips. As for Pryor...he was a beast. No question he would be a great challenge for anyone at that weight.

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Tszyu is a better technical fighter than Oscar, but Oscar's left hook lands as hard as Tszyu's right hand, he is alot faster than Tszyum, and Oscar has always had good timing, and Floyd Snr has improved his defensive to go along with that height made it hard for Mayweather to land a lot of his shots the way he likes to. Tszyu is definitely a good fighter, but this fight is more like JCC-Whitaker than anything... Mayweather is too slick, too durable, and too hard to hit for Tszyu to stand a real chance against. Mayweather was way faster at 140 than he is now, what him against Gatti, Corley, etc., and you will see a guy too quick, and too smart for Tszyu as great as he was. Because he, Floyd, didn't stay at the weight he would be considered ATG better at the weight, but he would beat Tszyu decidedly, However I still believe JCC was better than Tszyu in many aspects and its a toss up between them for who's the "greatest" 140 pounder.

One thing i never understood is why Kostya Tszyu quit vs Hatton ?? that was very close fight and i had Hatton only leading by 1 point if i remember right going into the 12th.

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Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

One thing i never understood is why Kostya Tszyu quit vs Hatton ?? that was very close fight and i had Hatton only leading by 1 point if i remember right going into the 12th.

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His corner took him out of the fight as far as im aware. Kostya was not happy about it apparently.

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Originally Posted by eagle

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Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

One thing i never understood is why Kostya Tszyu quit vs Hatton ?? that was very close fight and i had Hatton only leading by 1 point if i remember right going into the 12th.

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His corner took him out of the fight as far as im aware. Kostya was not happy about it apparently.

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Pretty strange isn't it ?? with hindsight Tszyu couldn't of won on judges scorecards. But still his corner should of let him go out for the final round and at least let him go out on his shield thats a terrible way to end your career on the stool.

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Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

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Originally Posted by eagle

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Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

One thing i never understood is why Kostya Tszyu quit vs Hatton ?? that was very close fight and i had Hatton only leading by 1 point if i remember right going into the 12th.

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His corner took him out of the fight as far as im aware. Kostya was not happy about it apparently.

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Pretty strange isn't it ?? with hindsight Tszyu couldn't of won on judges scorecards. But still his corner should of let him go out for the final round and at least let him go out on his shield thats a terrible way to end your career on the stool.

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The reason Kt's trainer Johnny Lewis gave was that from looking at Kostya and talking to him in the corner he thought he was gone and had nothing else left. Lewis said he did it to prevent further damage.
Rumour has it the Tszyu had minor bruising on the brain(if brain bruising can be minor) so maybe it was the right call.

Also i dont think they knew it'd be his last fight at the time.

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Originally Posted by OumaFan

I've thought for a while that his resume was overrated.

He doesn't have a great win, he has some good wins.

Doesn't mean he's not a good fighter, I think he was a great fighter but he never had that elite win. Maybe for a time Judah looked like a great win but does anybody really think that's a great win now? You can say it wasn't his fault that he never had that big fight win but that's not really the point.

And he didn't avenge his losses, although the Hatton one is understandable cause he was getting up there and just decided to retire.

So I would say no.

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50% of all Tszyu's fights were against World Champions, how can his resume be overrated? As for rematches, a Phillips second fight was scheduled but he lost to Millett in 1999 and Tszyu went onto to fight Miguel Angel Gonzalez.

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Originally Posted by eagle

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Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

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Originally Posted by eagle

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Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

One thing i never understood is why Kostya Tszyu quit vs Hatton ?? that was very close fight and i had Hatton only leading by 1 point if i remember right going into the 12th.

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His corner took him out of the fight as far as im aware. Kostya was not happy about it apparently.

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Pretty strange isn't it ?? with hindsight Tszyu couldn't of won on judges scorecards. But still his corner should of let him go out for the final round and at least let him go out on his shield thats a terrible way to end your career on the stool.

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The reason Kt's trainer Johnny Lewis gave was that from looking at Kostya and talking to him in the corner he thought he was gone and had nothing else left. Lewis said he did it to prevent further damage.
Rumour has it the Tszyu had minor bruising on the brain(if brain bruising can be minor) so maybe it was the right call.

Also i dont think they knew it'd be his last fight at the time.

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I didn't know Tszyu had brain bruising, well that has changed my opinion on the matter.

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Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

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Originally Posted by eagle

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Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

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Originally Posted by eagle

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Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

One thing i never understood is why Kostya Tszyu quit vs Hatton ?? that was very close fight and i had Hatton only leading by 1 point if i remember right going into the 12th.

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His corner took him out of the fight as far as im aware. Kostya was not happy about it apparently.

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Pretty strange isn't it ?? with hindsight Tszyu couldn't of won on judges scorecards. But still his corner should of let him go out for the final round and at least let him go out on his shield thats a terrible way to end your career on the stool.

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The reason Kt's trainer Johnny Lewis gave was that from looking at Kostya and talking to him in the corner he thought he was gone and had nothing else left. Lewis said he did it to prevent further damage.
Rumour has it the Tszyu had minor bruising on the brain(if brain bruising can be minor) so maybe it was the right call.

Also i dont think they knew it'd be his last fight at the time.

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I didn't know Tszyu had brain bruising, well that has changed my opinion on the matter.

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Im not 100% certain he did either, it was a bit of a rumour doing the rounds here in Australia. I haven't heard anything official, the fact that he hasnt really tried to fight since may point to the fact that there is some kind of issue tho. He never said the Hatton fight was his last.

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Originally Posted by Taeth

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Originally Posted by zhubin

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Originally Posted by El Gamo

I'm really surprised,I did this thread about a year and a half ago, and I'm sure the consensus was that he was the best 140 pounder! Wow!You guys all make valid points.

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Originally Posted by zhubin

You can make a case for JCC, Pryor, or Chavez being the best at that weight. All great fighters. But in his prime...i wouldn't bet against Tszyu against anybody at 140. Tremendous power, skill, and intelligence. As The Third Man already mentioned...he wasn't physically right in the Phillips fight. The Hatton fight was a combination of age and horrible refereeing. Not trying to make excuses for Kostya...just don't think he was at his best for those two fights. My dream fight has always been Tszyu vs. Mayweather in their primes. That would have been a tremendous fight!

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I used to think Tszyu would beat Mayweather but I'm not so sure anymore.Not at all. To beat Floyd,you need alot more things than just 1 huge punch. Mayweather has shown,even in the Oscar fight,if your arsenal is primarily based around 1 punch,you're not going to beat him,no matter how good it is(and Oscar's left hook is a thing of beauty).

I do think Tszyu had a way of solving boxers,and he had an awesome sense of timing,but Mayweather is in a different league to Mitchell and Zab. And as for Kostya lasting with Aaaron Pryor,forget about it. Every fighter has a style that they cannot handle,for KT,I think that is in your face pressure fighters,like Hatton and Phillips. They never gave him a chance to get his bombs off,they never gave him time to think. Pryor was more monstrous than those 2 combined,Pryor stops Tszyu every time for me.The Hawk may get dropped but he'll get back up and win for sure imo.

I don't think Tszyu could have beaten Hatton even in his prime.Hatton had too much pressure and walked through his best shots. I'd give Tszyu more of a chance if the fight was not in England for sure,and if he was younger,but I'd still choose Hatton to win. I didn't see a single sign in the first match for me to say Tszyu would beat Hatton.

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Tszyu possessed much more than just a powerful single punch. He is a better fighter and better conditioned athlete than Oscar as well. To beat Floyd you need good speed, timing, accuracy, stamina, and intelligence. All of which KT had in abundance to go along with his great power. Not saying KT would definitely win...but it would have been a great fight and BY FAR Floyd's biggest challenge. I guess one can argue that Hatton's pressure style could have always posed problems for Tszyu. But the fight took place way to late in his career and under far from ideal circumstances for me to simply think Hatton could have beaten Tszyu in his prime. And again...i just feel he wasn't physically right against Phillips. As for Pryor...he was a beast. No question he would be a great challenge for anyone at that weight.

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Tszyu is a better technical fighter than Oscar, but Oscar's left hook lands as hard as Tszyu's right hand, he is alot faster than Tszyum, and Oscar has always had good timing, and Floyd Snr has improved his defensive to go along with that height made it hard for Mayweather to land a lot of his shots the way he likes to. Tszyu is definitely a good fighter, but this fight is more like JCC-Whitaker than anything... Mayweather is too slick, too durable, and too hard to hit for Tszyu to stand a real chance against. Mayweather was way faster at 140 than he is now, what him against Gatti, Corley, etc., and you will see a guy too quick, and too smart for Tszyu as great as he was. Because he, Floyd, didn't stay at the weight he would be considered ATG better at the weight, but he would beat Tszyu decidedly, However I still believe JCC was better than Tszyu in many aspects and its a toss up between them for who's the "greatest" 140 pounder.

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Oscar is a lot faster than KT?! That's news to me. Oscar is not as skilled, smart, and well conditioned as Tszyu was. I also find it ridiculous that you would think a Mayweather vs. Tszyu fight would be like JCC-Whitaker. KT fought nothing like Chavez and he thrived against fast/technical fighters. If anything...it would be a fighter with a pressure style that would give KT more trouble...and Floyd certainly is not a pressure fighter. Tszyu great power makes some people sometimes forget what a great technical and cerebral fighter he was. AGAIN...i am not saying KT would definitely win against Floyd...but you are dreaming if you think it would have been a one sided fight in Floyd's favor. And please don't use Gatti and Corley as an example of how Floyd would fare against Tszyu...those fighter are no where near the same caliber.

As for a vs. fight between Pryor & Tszyu I'd favor Tszyu....

Tszyu the greatest 14O lbers... Uuhhhhh! Well that depends....

What about Locche, JCC, Perkins & Cervantes? All-Time greats.
(I don't rate Loi as I've not seen much of him lot's of Highlights but still not enough)

I don't think anyone of them dominated the division as well as Tszyu did but they all have the advantage of quality of opposition over Tszyu. While Locche, Cervantes, Loi & Perkins all had eachother but neither dominated the division. Tszyu had some excellent opposition but IMO none of them would be considered All-Time greats however he was able to become the Undisputed Unified Champion and regined supreme. It's pretty tricky here and I think it would all be up to each person to determine if you favor dominance of the division over quality of opponents.

No he's not.

also Pryor would outwork Kostya IMO. good fight either way.

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Originally Posted by 'The Boxer'

No he's not.

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Thats a pretty blunt answer. Whats your theory behind it?

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Originally Posted by 'The Boxer'

also Pryor would outwork Kostya IMO. good fight either way.

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Its all good outworking Tszyu til u eat a monster righthand.

Floyd and Tszyu,

I always liked Kostyas timing more than anything else he had,

Impeccable timing beats overall speed in my book; not in a three rounder or early on but over ten or twelve no worries cause the timer hits harder becuase of it and makes the speed man pay and he gets pulled up over time.

Kt has a good chin, mayweather hard to catch clean.

Then you got Floyds feet and masterful purposeful distancing which sets him apart from being just fast handed.

Floyd has natural hand eye skills and flows freely , Kostya's is learned skill, through experience of timing others.

Be a great match up in styles. Even but different.

Fuck it we missed out there!

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Originally Posted by Andre

Floyd and Tszyu,

I always liked Kostyas timing more than anything else he had,

Impeccable timing beats overall speed in my book; not in a three rounder or early on but over ten or twelve no worries cause the timer hits harder becuase of it and makes the speed man pay and he gets pulled up over time.

Kt has a good chin, mayweather hard to catch clean.

Then you got Floyds feet and masterful purposeful distancing which sets him apart from being just fast handed.

Floyd has natural hand eye skills and flows freely , Kostya's is learned skill, through experience of timing others.

Be a great match up in styles. Even but different.

Fuck it we missed out there!

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Yep - Floyd versus Kostya would have been a barn burner when Kostya was at his peak. (I rate Tszyu's peak as the night he beat Gonzalez)

I pick Floyd by unanimous decision - Kostya was special but Floyd has too many gifts IMO.

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Originally Posted by CutMeMick

As for a vs. fight between Pryor & Tszyu I'd favor Tszyu....

Tszyu the greatest 14O lbers... Uuhhhhh! Well that depends....

What about Locche, JCC, Perkins & Cervantes? All-Time greats.
(I don't rate Loi as I've not seen much of him lot's of Highlights but still not enough)

I don't think anyone of them dominated the division as well as Tszyu did but they all have the advantage of quality of opposition over Tszyu. While Locche, Cervantes, Loi & Perkins all had eachother but neither dominated the division. Tszyu had some excellent opposition but IMO none of them would be considered All-Time greats however he was able to become the Undisputed Unified Champion and regined supreme. It's pretty tricky here and I think it would all be up to each person to determine if you favor dominance of the division over quality of opponents.

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Trust you,mr.encyclopedia to mention fighters no-one else has mentioned. I have 4 fights of Locche,he was excellent,Cervantes was an excellent fighter too but who are Loi and Perkins?