Quote Originally Posted by THE PHILOSOPHER View Post
He fought an incredible sixteen champions in his short career (only had thirty or so fights) and was often stiffed during his prime years for lack of willing opponents. He just missed out on big fights with Mosley, Oscar, Mayweather for the high risk, low reward factor that he brought up until his final years as an older fighter in one of the top divisions in boxing where he was finally a big money opponent and name.

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Hardly really fair on the three you mentioned. Oscar was on a collision course with Tszyu, when Tszyu blew it by being knocked out by Phillips. One can't blame an ambitious young Oscar for skipping a fighter with no belt and a devastating recent KO defeat.
Mosley jumped two weight divisions to fight his old mate Oscar for a fortune, for a belt. Can't fault that. Pacquiao did the same.
Mayweather only became a champion at 140lbs the same month Tszyu lost his belt to Hatton, so it wasn't like there was an overlap.
If I'm honest, all three are a country mile above anybody Tszyu fought, and I can't help but feel he would have been exposed against those three. I sometimes wonder if Tszyu knew it himself, which is why he cleaned up at 140lbs, when 147lbs was brimming with talent and dollars. Big fish, small pond.