Deeper look at Manny and Floyd opponents

[Beanflicker]

My position has never been that one guy has fought better competition than the other, it's all subjective.
My thing is that anyone being truly objective should realize that the competition level that both guys fought is pretty similar. One guy might have a bit of a lead, maybe that's Pac, but the difference is relatively minuscule. I have no problem with people thinking Pac fought better opposition, but when people say things like "Pac was the better fighter because his opposition was that much better", I think that's pretty stupid.

Both guys are the absolute biggest stars in boxing, and you don't become a big star in boxing fighting lame fights that nobody gives a shit about.

Both guys had a similar career (although obviously Pac remained in obscurity a lot longer due to a number of factors). Both guys were young, hungry up and comers at one point who were trying in vain to get big fights, both guys took big risks and came out on top when it mattered (for the most part, in Pac's case).

So to say one is head and shoulders above the other in terms of competition is just being disingenuous or ignorant.

[Beanflicker]

When you narrow a 18 or 20 year career down to 5 fights, I think it really misses the big picture too.

Floyd beat Genaro Hernandez, 130lb champ, in October of 1998, and has fought nothing but top 10 guys ever since. When we start disregarding victories and consistency like that because the opponent isn't a HOFer or doesn't have a well known name, I think we really start missing the point (that goes for Pac too, who has beat a lot of quality guys who aren't HOFers or big names)

[mikeeod]

When you narrow a 18 or 20 year career down to 5 fights, I think it really misses the big picture too.

Floyd beat Genaro Hernandez, 130lb champ, in October of 1998, and has fought nothing but top 10 guys ever since. When we start disregarding victories and consistency like that because the opponent isn't a HOFer or doesn't have a well known name, I think we really start missing the point (that goes for Pac too, who has beat a lot of quality guys who aren't HOFers or big names)

No, you're taking that completely out of context. I named most if not all of the big fights each guy fought, I just focused on the 5 biggest because to break it down fight by fight would take forever. Now, I disagree with u wholeheartedly, and I think if u r honest u look at the prime HOF guys Manny fought, think about how many times he fought those guys, and it becomes obvious that Manny faced tougher competition. It isn't to say Floyd isn't an ATG, or ducked anyone, or didn't have some really impressve wins, but Manny fought better competition.

If u want to say that Floyd had greater all around performances or is the better fighter, I would agree with u. Manny is a phenom, like Roy, who just overwhelms guys. Floyd is an athletic phenom, but he knows the sport inside and out. All of that being said, Manny is a fighter who dared to be great and fight the toughest guys possible. I feel he is in the lead with quality of opposition and I think I presented a pretty solid case as to why.

[Beanflicker]

I feel he is in the lead with quality of opposition and I think I presented a pretty solid case as to why.

Well that's your opinion and like I said I have no problem with anyone saying Manny fought better competition. It's not something I agree with necessarily but whatever, to each their own.

But when people say that Manny's competition was so much greater that he will go down as a better fighter than Floyd (I can't remember if you said that but I know a few people did), I think that's where it gets pretty foolish.

Floyd beat Hernandez in '98 and has been fighting nothing but top ranked guys for 16 of his 18 year career without a loss. Same can be said for Manny from 2001 or so onward, but obviously Pac has his stumbles whereas Floyd was never outclassed in the ring (even if JLC did deserve the win in the first fight, it was by a very slim margin).

Put it this way: there's nobody that Pac has on his resume that I wouldn't pick Floyd to have beaten handily. If MAB or Morales were to fight Floyd at 130 (or Floyd could have dropped to 125) they would have gotten dominated.

[Beanflicker]

And to say things like "Manny dared to be great" and "dared to take hard fights" like Floyd didn't is just foolish.

People choose to remember Floyd as he is today, but either don't know, forget, or choose not to remember that at one point Floyd was a boogeyman in the sport that none of the top guys would get in the ring with because he was so good but a virtual unknown (high risk, low reward). Floyd was calling out DLH back when Floyd was at 130 and DLH was 154.