What if Arguello had beaten Pryor? what if Hagler had gotten the decision he deserved over Leonard? what if Gomez had beaten Sanchez? what if Hamed had beaten Barrera? what if Hector Camacho wasn't affected by the Rosario fight?
In the Arguello case before the fight I was telling all my buddies that even though Arguello was the heavy favorite and I was a fan, not only he will lose to Pryor, but was going to lose via KO. My buddies wanted to have a bet which I refused not because I didn't trust my guts but because I never bet as a matter of principles. I should had won a lot of money on that one. I always though Arguello should had faced the other 140 lbs champ, Saoul Mamby, which was an easy victim for a elite guy like Arguello and then after that consider facing the more dangerous Pryor. Too bad I wasn't Arguello's manager: he would had become the first fourth division champion. Had Hagler gotten the decision against Leonard, Sugar Ray would most likely would had retired and Hagler would had continued adding defenses to his middleweight record and probably him not Hopkins would had broken Carlos Monzon record. The fight against Benitez would had materialized for sure (Hagler via stoppage) and maybe a rematch with Tommy Hearns.
interesing topic If Naz would have won by flukish ko or injury vs Barrera, I don't think his career would have went on a lot longer anyway. His drive seemed questionnable at that point, so it's either he takes on the no hoper route again or face another great fighter (JMM, Morales or Pac) and gets dominated as he did vs MAB (though I think he could be live vs Morales). Though he would be looked at with far more respect than he is now.
Derailment? Would that include retiring for good from the sport? If Hatton loses to Tszyu, Tszyu doesn't gain a lot of credit {at least relative to the hit his reputation took upon losing} and Hatton, relative to his current standing, doesn't lose a lot of credit. Nobody takes the guy seriously anyways, his win over Tszyu is usually put down to "cheating" If Hamed had beaten Barrera....wouldn't matter too much to Hamed, he'd have carried on with his wayward methods and probably lost his next fight, might even have made the mistake of running into a keyed-up Morales or Pacquaio believing that he had their measure. It could have been brutal for Hamed, he may have taken worse hidings.
I often wonder what would have happened if Mike had stayed on the rails. Bowe, Mercer, Big George, younger Holy, Lewis, Moorer, McCall. Allot of great fights to be made. The 90s was arguably more talent rich than the 70s.
Multiple titles and TV-fostered beefs and grudges and chicanery means its now easier and easier to piss great fights down the grid. In the 70, Lewis vs Tyson {1994} Bowe vs Lewis {1992} and Bowe vs Tyson {1995/1996} would have all been made, one way or the other. Kind of hard to put a belt in a bin if its the only one you have and its the only one there is. Kind of hard to offer a guy £4m step-aside cash if its the only £4m you got.
In the case of Gomez even if he would had beaten Sanchez it would had not changed much the path of his career since the guy was already doing drugs and was doomed anyway. He would had needed to clean his act completely: stay away from drugs, stop cheating on his wife, stop working as his own promoter/manager and focusing only in training, stop supporting the leeches he had around as an entoure that ultimately turned their backs on him when the money and fame faded (did you heard that, Floyd?).
