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| Wednesday, March 27 What if the best of 1982 fought 2002? By Max Kellerman Special to ESPN.com |
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When I was a kid, I heard from old timers about how much better the fighters were in the old days. I was always a little suspicious. How much better, I thought to myself could the fighters have been than Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard and Salvador Sanchez. Now as an adult, I hear about how strong the fighters from my childhood were, and how this era simply doesn't stack up. Here's a list of the best in the business in 1982:
Heavyweight - Larry Holmes It should be noted that Ray Leonard would retire (for the first time) in '82 and that Arguello would abandon the lightweight class to move up and challenge Aaron Pryor. Also, 20 years ago, the cruiserweight and super middleweight divisions had not gained widespread recognition. Finally, I did not include the jr. lightweight, jr. bantamweight or flyweight divisions because these divisions did not produce fighters of comparable quality with the divisions I have listed. Now here's a list of the best in the business in 2002:
Heavyweight - Lennox Lewis The first impression a boxing fan will have to the '82 and 2002 list side by side is that the group from 20 years ago was indeed stronger. It turns out that in 1982, boxing was particularly well stocked with Hall of Famers. We should also keep in mind, however, that it is too early to tell where in the all-time rankings many of the fighters on the 2002 list will end up. Comparing Vernon Forrest to Sugar Ray Leonard may seem ridiculous now. Should Forrest go on to beat Mosley again in a rematch, and then win titles at jr. middle and middleweights, a Forrest-Leonard comparison will be taken much more seriously. For the fun of it, let's imagine the match-ups between the 1982 and 2002 fighters. It is impossible to say for certain who would have won these fights. We can however, imagine what our feelings might have been before the opening bells rang. Lennox Lewis vs. Larry Holmes Turns out 1982 was the year of Larry Holmes' greatest triumph. He knocked out Gerry Cooney in 13 rounds. Cooney however, with his size (6-5) and big left hook gave Holmes a good fight and even won some rounds. Lewis is also 6-5 and a much better boxer than Cooney. At 245 pounds Lewis would enjoy a 30-pound weight advantage over Holmes. Whomever you think would have won this fight, Lennox Lewis would likely enter the ring a solid favorite. Roy Jones vs. Michael Spinks Michael Spinks was one of the greatest light heavyweights ever and at 6-2 would enjoy a four-inch height advantage over Roy. By 1982, Spinks was beginning to dominate one of the best light heavyweight eras ever. As dominant as Roy Jones Jr. has been, he is not a natural light heavyweight and might even enter the ring against the rangy power punching Spinks as the underdog. Bernard Hopkins vs. Marvin Hagler In 1982 Hagler was in his prime. He had not yet struggled against an old Roberto Duran. Hagler was a natural counterpuncher and was at his best when confronted with a guy who came right at him. Hopkins has shown himself to pose a sturdy chin (a must against Marvin), the ability to handle southpaws, and fight on the inside or out. He would show Hagler plenty of movement. Hagler would likely enter the solid favorite but Bernard would have to be considered a very live underdog. Thomas Hearns vs. Oscar De La Hoya At 154, Hearns was at his best and would rightly be considered a big favorite to beat Oscar, who, based on his performance against Javier Castillejo is not a natural junior middle. One note - should Fernando Vargas beat Oscar, a Vargas-Hearns showdown would be interesting. Hearns may have crushed him the way he crushed Duran. In 1982 however, Tommy was more Motor City Cobra than Hitman and had not yet rediscovered his power in the wake of the Leonard loss. He would likely outbox Vargas, but if Fernando could have gotten inside, he could have made the fight interesting. Vernon Forrest vs. Sugar Ray Leonard Naturally after his epic win against Hearns, Leonard would enter as the substantial favorite against Forrest. However, based on Forrest's performance against Mosley, his height and reach advantage, body attack and right hand, he, like Hopkins against Hagler, would have to be considered very live. Kostya Tszyu vs. Aaron Pryor I think almost everyone would say the same thing going into this fight -- Pryor would win a war. I concur. In fact, 1982 was the year of Pryor's greatest victory - his incredible knockout of Alexis Arguello. Kostya himself is coming off his best win - a second-round stoppage of Zab Judah. Great fight but the Hawk would be the solid pick. Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Alexis Arguello This assumes Mayweather gets by Jose Luis Castillo. With Mayweather's bad hands, a win over Castillo is far from a sure thing. With his good legs and defense however, Mayweather's chances against the Arguello who dropped a non-title decision to slick Villamar Fernandez would have to be rated very good. The odds would be close and my pick would be Floyd. Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Salvador Sanchez Like Tszyu/ Pryor, I think most would probably feel the same way about this fight - Sanchez would outbox Barrera and win a great fight. I would include myself in that majority but I think the odds going in would have been very close. Paulie Ayala vs. Wilfredo Gomez Gomez, the most dominant 122-pounder of all-time, would be the huge favorite. Ayala's toughness could make the fight brutal - mostly for himself. I think here we get what we expect - a valiant Ayala overmatched by a prime Gomez. Tim Austin vs. Jeff Chandler Austin can box and punch. So could Chandler. Chandler had the height and reach and in 1982 was at his best. I think the odds would have favored Chandler. OK, so 1982 wins. It happens to have been an exceptionally strong year. But we ain't doin' too bad today either.
Max Kellerman is a studio analyst for ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. |
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