How about great fighters who fought in great eras? To me, the late 70's and 80's with the likes of Duran, Leonard, Hearns, Hagler fighting not only great competition but also each other... trumps just about any other era and its fighters. Those 4 would've fared well in any other era, and it was against each other that they stamped their tickets to the list of ATG's. The fact that the fights were competitive and exciting just adds to the argument.

But I have a pet peeve here. Why is it that a fighter must go up in weight to be considered great?? What about the fighter who feels comfortable at a certain weight his entire career... and also dominates the competition at that weight? What if the fighter feels he'd be uncomfortable gaining weight and moving up the divisions? Who made the rule that a fighter HAS to move up in weight to be considered great? Sure... it's an added plus to a fighter's resume... and an admirable task if he can do it without PEDS. But there's something to be said for the fighter, especially those with a lot of longevity, who dominates at one division and repels all challengers.