I don't know if anyone else would agree, but I'd put these two on about the same level and it'd be interesting to see which style prevails if this one actually happened. Medel always looks to me a like an Eddie Futch trained fighter. He had a very subtle defence, he was good at turning with shots, parrying with the back-hand and shelling up in a high-guard while not looking desperate or negative. He had a great knack of baiting people in, that little shift forward then quickly stepping back. Wicked power, and extremely creative counter-punching along with being unbelievable off the ropes makes him almost impossible to swarm in a traditional sense. The only thing that stops him from genuinely being up there with the best bantamweights ever IMO, is that he's got no way of winning the rounds he takes off. He doesn't have a nice, quick, steady jab to stack up points. He's too relient on his short bursts, or that he can comeback and get a KO. Pintor gets extremely underrated in the skills department IMO, he had some very nice defensive manoeuvres, some excellent ring-cutting footwork and was had very advanced when it came to feints and setups. The problem I've tended to notice with Lupe though, is that his output drastically changes based on the respect he has for the opponent. Look at him vs Zarate and Gomez, compared to him vs Sandoval and Owen. Massive difference in workrates IMO, and I think Medel is the exact sort of guy to bring Pintor's workrate down. In the end, I do take Pintor on points like you two. He would out-work Medel, and I don't think he'd get KOd because he had a titanium chin. But I just can't rule Medel out. Harada was better than Pintor at almost everything and Medel managed it with him, although I suppose one of the things Pintor had over Harada was his chin.
I think Pintor was a level above. Medel was a bigger puncher, but Pintor was a different class of fighter. Medel aint moving up in weight and being competitive with Gomez.
Different styles, Pintor isn't beating Harada, running him close while past his best, drawing w Castillo while way past his best and going life and death with Eder Jofre.
Yeah, I actually thought about the Harada point two mins after posting, as it actually slipped my mind that he stopped Harada the first time. It looks impressive that Becerra beat Medel. So would you say Becerra and Pintor were close to the same level?
IIRC, Medel was a teen in their first two fights. I don't think it's as good as it may seem - especially because Medel often let himself get out-worked and paid the price. But to answer your question, no. I don't think they're a million miles away, but I'd put Becerra next to Zamora, not Pintor.
