Here we see Arguello truly at the peak of his abilities. Not the older, more methodical Arguello you see against Mancini and Pryor. Here Arguello was quick on his feet, and deadly quick on the counter. Finishes Koba off with one the sickest body punch KOs of all time:
Thanks. Haven't watched this one in a while. But I'd maybe push back at the idea that he was ever "quick on his feet."
It's all relative. No one is saying Arguello had the footspeed of Leonard or Floyd. But the narrative often paints Arguello to be a sloth on his feet like Rocky Juarez or something. He wasn't a sloth on his feet.
Arguello really had the most beautifully thrown right hand in history. I know that technique is mostly a skill, but in the case of Arguello, being able to throw it the way he did was a God-given talent imo.
Such a good performance from a great fighter. He looked really loose and placed his punches so smoothly, kinda reminding me of Napoles at times. That body shot KO was the icing on the cake. Crazy to think that Kobayashi faced guys like Alexis Arguello, Wilfredo Gomez, Eusebio Pedroza.
Gomez wrecked Kobayashi even quicker than Arguello did. Alexis' performance was smoother though. Pedroza took longer to wear him down, which is no surprise. Obviously Pedroza didn't have the power that Arguello and Gomez had.
It would have been interesting to see Arguello, Pedroza, and Gomez facing each other, although they were all in a different weight class at the time they were all champions. Arguello vs Pedroza or Gomez vs Pedroza might have been possible to be made but never did sadly.
You'd have to favor both over Gomez. They were just more effective than him at 126. Difference is, Gomez would have a chance against Pedroza. Gomez has basically no chance against Alexis. The only outcome would be a brutal stoppage in favor of Arguello. As for Arguello vs Pedroza? That's one HELLUVA fight. However, I tend to think that Arguello's firepower would be too much for Pedroza down the stretch.
Arguello is probable the goat when it came to changing the tempo on his punches. In some stretch, he seems really slow and ponderous, and a few moments later. Hed throw some lightning fast punches. A bit like a baseball pitcher who follows a 100 mph fastball with a 60mph sinker
One thing that always amazed me was how these guys know when to punch and when to hold their hands. For ages it looks like he's doing nothing, then blam.
''Kambosos'' means brave and courageous in Greek. Unfortunately for George, he won't have the chance to show that against Arguello, since he would be sparked out immediately.
