Pac and undefeated fights.

[TitoFan]

Thurman was undefeated but I wouldn’t say he was in his prime.

On which side of his peak would you say he's on? Not disagreeing (well... yes, really)..... just curious. Still hasn't gotten there? Or past it?

I think he could be at his peak without his huge layoff but I think everyone saw that he didn’t look great against Lopez. I’m not saying he would or wouldn’t have beaten Pacquiao a few years ago, but I think he was a better fighter 3 years ago when he was more active.

The layoff is definitely a factor. While being worn out by too many wars is bad...... being inactive for such a long time during your peak years is probably nearly as bad. Yes, he looked horrible against Lopez. It's what had a lot of people giving Manny more of a chance to beat him. Logically Manny should not have been able to do that. Then again Manny defied the odds when he went up all those weight classes and took out some great fighters.

So I'm thinking he's at his physical peak..... but that peak has become a bit blunted by the inactivity.

Like I said in another thread, this was a great match up and they knew it. When you are a huge name in boxing, you can pick and choose who you want to fight. You generally pick guys who you know you can beat with the biggest name. There is a reason he didn’t fight Spence or Crawford. He knows that he will lose to both of them. He saw Thurman looking rusty and knew that Thurman had a lot of flaws that could be exploited so he chose that fight. A fight against a named fighter who he matched up well against and could fight him at the right time.

LOL..... you almost made Pac sound like Canelo.

If Pac is a bit Canelo-ish in that regard right now..... the difference is he's earned it over many years of fighting the best at their peaks and taking on all comers. Ginger's been doing that since Day One.

[powerpuncher]

Thurman was undefeated but I wouldn’t say he was in his prime.

On which side of his peak would you say he's on? Not disagreeing (well... yes, really)..... just curious. Still hasn't gotten there? Or past it?

I think he could be at his peak without his huge layoff but I think everyone saw that he didn’t look great against Lopez. I’m not saying he would or wouldn’t have beaten Pacquiao a few years ago, but I think he was a better fighter 3 years ago when he was more active.

The layoff is definitely a factor. While being worn out by too many wars is bad...... being inactive for such a long time during your peak years is probably nearly as bad. Yes, he looked horrible against Lopez. It's what had a lot of people giving Manny more of a chance to beat him. Logically Manny should not have been able to do that. Then again Manny defied the odds when he went up all those weight classes and took out some great fighters.

So I'm thinking he's at his physical peak..... but that peak has become a bit blunted by the inactivity.

Like I said in another thread, this was a great match up and they knew it. When you are a huge name in boxing, you can pick and choose who you want to fight. You generally pick guys who you know you can beat with the biggest name. There is a reason he didn’t fight Spence or Crawford. He knows that he will lose to both of them. He saw Thurman looking rusty and knew that Thurman had a lot of flaws that could be exploited so he chose that fight. A fight against a named fighter who he matched up well against and could fight him at the right time.

LOL..... you almost made Pac sound like Canelo.

If Pac is a bit Canelo-ish in that regard right now..... the difference is he's earned it over many years of fighting the best at their peaks and taking on all comers. Ginger's been doing that since Day One.

He has been like that for years. I’m not blaming him but it’s just how it is with superstar fighters. All I’m saying is that he chose Thurman specifically to fight. Nobody would blame him for not fighting any top welterweight because of his age. He took the Thurman fight because he saw a weakness in Thurman and knew he could win.