I don't see the point of doing a "greater" here, as I don't consider McGuigan nor Mancini to be a great. They were "very goods". Who was a better fighter in a P4P sense - Barry McGuigan or Ray Mancini?
Yeah, it would end pretty ugly for Barry. McGuigan probably doesn't even beat Esparragoza nevermind Arguello.
McGuigan for me. More skilled and his victory over Eusebio Pedroza is better than any of Mancini’s best win.
Mancini fought tougher opposition and had five title defenses. McGuigan had two defense and then lost his belt. McGuigan's opposition just doesn't hold up Mancini's best opponents (and conquerors): Arguello (valiant effort and nobody on McGuigan's resume, including McGuigan, was within lightyears of Arguello), Duk Koo Kim (Rest In Peace), a young Jose Luis Ramirez, Art Frias, Livingstone Bramble (another loss, but caliber of opponent was very good at the time, not great, but very good) Bobby Chacon. McGuigan best opponents (maybe sub in Jim McDonnell or maybe not. McDonnell was, in turn, ruined in his next fight against Azumah Nelson): Juan Laporte Eusebio Pedroza Bernard Taylor Danilo Cabrera Stevie Cruz
That doesn't tell the full story because: 1. Pedroza was better than anyone Mancini beat. 2. Taylor was a good fighter and better than anyone Mancini beat in his title defenses. 3. I rate McGugian's win over Laporte higher than Mancini's win over Ramirez, because Laporte came to fight. Ramirez, to me, always looked like he mailed the Mancini fight in. Not saying a fix or anything (although ya never know) but it clearly looked like Ramirez had an off night.
Huhhhh?? One of the top 5-10 greatest Featherweights of all time. The second or third greatest Panamanian fighter of all time. Or... Bobby Chacon... Yes, Pedroza was levels above Chacon.
Chacon doesn't get enough credit. Also, to be fair, there's a considerable dropoff after the first Panamanian fighter of all-time. LOL.
I mean, I respect Chacon and I do think he deserves his HOF standing. But by any objective measure Pedroza was better and greater.
The man who still holds the record most consecutive Featherweight title defenses or inconsistent Chacon.
If McGuigan were fighting a prime Pedroza, Pedroza was at the end of his frigging career when he fought McGuigan, dude. He had another fight a year later, which he also lost, and then he retired for 5 years! You make it sound like McGuigan beat a Pedroza at the top of his powers, and that's just not accurate. McGuigan beat Pedroza in 1986, but Pedroza had done his best fighting in the 1970s and early 80s. Pedroza was done by the time McGuigan got to him.
