Re: PACQUIAO CAN BE ANOTHER SUGAR RAY ROBINSON

Originally Posted by
The Rookie Fan
Regardless of whether or not PAC is better than Robbinson. I think it is about time we started opening our minds to the possibility that there may be better fighters our there than Robbinson. He shouls not be a lock for the greatest of all time. He should constantly be reevaluated and compared to todays and future greats.
I don't think a fighter needs to have 100+ fights to be considered better. In our time that just doesn't happen anymore, with only very few exceptions. You have to have good quality opposition but not only that, you also have to be recognizable. All time greatness has always been somewhat of a popularity contest. I suspect that there have been other ATGs, maybe better than Robbinson or Ali, that just were not well known. To give you an example, how many people outside the hard core fans know Finito Lopez.
There have been fighters who came close or couls still do it. Imagine if DLH had won all his fights, with his list of opponents it would've been hard to deny his greatness. But in the end he lossed many of his big fights because he was just not that great. But the point is if he had won all of his fights, he should have been considered top 3 all time and he wouldn't have needed 100+ fights to do it.
If Mayweather would step up his opposition he might make it to that top 10 ATG list. But if he does not he will fall short and all his inmens skills just won't matter because he didn't make the big fights or become popular enough.
Very well said. At last I've found a poster who talks sense, where are the others? Very true about the number of fights. It reminds me of Carlos Zarate in the 80's, who once had something like 50 fights, 50 wins and 50 KO's!!! Everyone then was saying how good a fighter he was, and thought he was invincible. But when he fought real competition, he started to lose and all his former opponents became instant 'cab drivers.' and his legend status immediately started to fade. I wonder what would've happen if he stopped at his 50th or so fight, just before he started to lose. He'd probably be next to Robinson and Ali!
And you got it right about Mayweather too. This is what I've always wanted to tell his fans: Instead of wasting their time defending everything he does and calling everyone criticizing him 'haters,' they should storm the net instead with requests asking him to fight the best out there so he can be one of the all time greats. You know, Mayweather fans, boxing people of the future are never kind. Remember RJJ. During his time, he was treated just like Mayweather now, praised as being the best, the most skilled. But look what's happening now, his name's starting to fade little by little, and that might happen to Mayweather cuz the same issue hounds him as it hounded RJJ. So why not start sending mass request asking him to fight the top fighters out there. C'mon guys, start storming all the sites, forums with your requests, he might just listen to you guys. You know what, I'm pretty sure he can beat 'em all! Otherwise, he'll be just another Pryors, Whitakers who're always just in the shadows behind Leonard, Duran, Hearns and Hagler, precisely because of the issues about competition. And harping something like 'those guys were ducking him' won't help either, just as it didn't help Prior or Whitaker.
Almost forgot, CC for you, The rookie fan.
Once in awhile, get outside in fresh air, take a deep breath & with a deep sigh, let out all the things that's bottled up inside you & be free, & you'll get a glimpse of nirvana.
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