"All time Great" - Why that phrase won't apply nowadays.

[BADINTENTIONS2]

To be a great fighter you have to beat great fighters. we can all agree on that.

but in the present day that is less likely to happen. big money means bigger risks and as much as we'd like to judge the fighters of present day for balking at these big fights the truth is that the same thing would have happened yesteryear.

we'd all like floyd to fight cotto but reality says that floyd isn't going to lose a 25 mill+ rematch with oscar in the same way oscar isn't going to fight anyone but floyd regardles of his chances of winning.

oscar has fought the biggest names in boxing (more or less) because that is where he made the most money - and that's the truth.

why did he fight hopkins?

because both mosley and tito didn't want to take a lesser slice of the pie for someone they had already beat.

so where does that leave floyd?

"i'll fight anyone, anywhere, anytime" has long been drowned out by the promoters who 'need' to weigh up their options - long and short term.

baldomir was a selective fight, so was judah (even if we all wanted to see the judah fight just to know why judah always fell short - because the guy had some awesome skills...).

floyd was labelled a 'runner' but doused that with the hatton win.

but floyd still hasn't beaten a world class welter (cotto) n his prime.

i think this fight will happen IF cotto gets past margarito - but what do you all think about this legacy and all-time great circus because it does need to spoken of in context to the present day?

[klion22]

Cotto-PBF in early 2009. Too much money to pass up for PBF. By that time, it will be considered a mega, mega fight. And it won't need Ms. Greedy (DLH) to make it one.

[Asterion]

To be a great fighter you have to beat great fighters. we can all agree on that.

but in the present day that is less likely to happen.

we'd all like floyd to fight cotto but reality says that floyd isn't going to lose a 25 mill+ rematch with oscar in the same way oscar isn't going to fight anyone but floyd regardles of his chances of winning.

oscar has fought the biggest names in boxing (more or less) because that is where he made the most money - and that's the truth.

why did he fight hopkins?

because both mosley and tito didn't want to take a lesser slice of the pie for someone they had already beat.

so where does that leave floyd?

"i'll fight anyone, anywhere, anytime" has long been drowned out by the promoters who 'need' to weigh up their options - long and short term.

baldomir was a selective fight, so was judah (even if we all wanted to see the judah fight just to know why judah always fell short - because the guy had some awesome skills...).

floyd was labelled a 'runner' but doused that with the hatton win.

but floyd still hasn't beaten a world class welter (cotto) n his prime.

i think this fight will happen IF cotto gets past margarito - but what do you all think about this legacy and all-time great circus because it does need to spoken of in context to the present day?


1. You can be great in this era. Times have changed and the achievements that have to be done to be an ATG have changed because boxing is different nowadays. You can't measure fighters with the same ruler that you used a century ago, you must consider the current context (40-50 fights, fighting other top contenders is not so common as before, there is more relevance on being undefeated, etc).

2. There was huge pressure for Mayweather-Judah.

3. Mayweather has not beaten a world class Welterweight, but this is also his 4th division. He has already beaten world class fighters in other divisions. Mayweather doesn't have to beat a world class Welterweight to be an ATG Super Featherweight, of course, and doesn't have to beat a world class Welterweight to be considered one of the best fighters of recent times.

4. Cotto-Mayweather will happen.