Re: Ricardo Lopez is the Greatest Fighter of the last 15 Years

On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 15:52:46 GMT, "pablo"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> thus spake:

>While below description of Lopez opposition level is idiotic, I am not sure
>I can rank Lopez as *the* greatest of the last 15 years. Even in his native
>Mexico he wasn't as popular as Chavez or even Barrera. And while popularity
>does not correlate with quality, I think a mix of popularity and quality is
>necessary to be "the greatest of the last 15 years".
>
>One of my favorite fighters to watch, ever. One of the best to strap on
>gloves, ever. Flawless style, a true case study for aspiring boxers: watch
>and learn, *that* is what it's supposed to look like. But *the* greatest?
>His career sadly was a tad too low profile for that, blame it on the weight
>or the management.
>
>...pablo
>


Popularity has nothing to do with greatness in the ring.  A guy can be
a total asshole and be completely unpopular with the fans, yet he can
be a consummate fighter in the ring.

One can certainly make a case for Lopez's being one of the top
fighters of the last 15 years.  He was easily in the top 10 pound for
pound rankings.  The guy was a terrific fighter and had his hands up
before he even came out of the corner.  

It's not his fault that his opposition was lacking in that weight
division.  He beat everyone who stood in front of him, and that cannot
be denied.

Todd