We've seen plenty of guys throughout the years fall off a cliff pretty rapidly, but I dont know if any elite level ever had a decline as abrupt and final as Taylor's. The guy reached the pinnacle of his career in beating Ramirez, was on everybody's top 10 P4P list, was right on the verge of landing a superfight with Crawford... And he quite literally never won a fight again. Lost to Catt (he all know he got a gift the first time), lost to Teo, lost to Catt by a wider margin in the rematch, lost to that journeyman whose name I dont remember, then retired. Arguably the fastest decline of any P4P level guy in history.
More of a case than him not being as good as tought more than a decline imo. RJ decline is still the most spectacular imo
How great he was is obviously debated but in terms of penthouse to outhouse i can't think of a greater quicker downfall. It would be like if Tyson got knocked out by Henry Tillman. (yes clearly Glen Johnson was way better than Tillman)
After losing to a peak Tommy Hearns, two fights later Benitez moves up one weight class only to get completely out-boxed by Mustafa Hamsho and became completely shot at the age of 24 He wins the Hamsho fight and he would gotten pasted by peak Hagler but then instead of the Four Kings he would have been the Fifth King
Was it really?? His bets wins were against Prograis, who turned out to be also incredibly overrated, ans ramirez whos ho hum at best. Not sure that even in his so called prime he beats catterall, who had has a great stylistic advantage over him. Or are tou referring to rj....?
Josh Taylor absolutely had one of the sharpest, most sudden declines we’ve seen from a modern elite champion — but “the most abrupt ever”? Not necessarily. But he’s definitely on the shortlist. Here’s the breakdown: --- Why Josh Taylor’s decline feels so abrupt 2019–2021: Pound-for-pound level He beat: Ivan Baranchyk Regis Prograis (his peak win) José Ramirez (undisputed 140 champ) During this stretch he looked: Sharp Tough High ring IQ Great timing Strong inside fighter He legitimately had a case as a top 5 P4P fighter. 2022–Present: The drop Suddenly it flipped: vs Jack Catterall He looked flat, slow, and got outboxed. Many felt he lost clearly. vs Teofimo Lopez Got beaten thoroughly — timing gone, reactions slower, legs not there. vs Catterall 2 Worse than the first fight. Looked aged, one-dimensional, and couldn’t deal with movement. His drop wasn’t gradual — it was a cliff. Most fighters fade over years. Taylor went from undisputed elite → struggling with B-level opposition almost instantly. --- So did he have the most abrupt decline? He’s up there, but here are the only guys comparable: 1. Roy Jones Jr. Went from superhuman to getting knocked out multiple times after losing muscle from heavyweight. But his decline had a clear physical explanation. 2. Anthony Joshua (2019) Went from dominant HW champ → stopped by Andy Ruiz. But he stabilized after. 3. Andrew Cancio Champ → immediate collapse. Not as elite though. 4. Jeff Lacy Went from “Mini Tyson” to totally dismantled by Calzaghe overnight. 5. Tavoris Cloud Undefeated champ → one-sided loss streak once he faced real skill. 6. Teófimo López (post-Kambosos) His own decline was abrupt — but then he bounced back vs Taylor. --- Where Taylor ranks If we’re talking elite-level champions, Taylor’s collapse is easily top 3–5 most abrupt declines of the modern era. He’s unique because: No major injuries publicly known No weight move that ruined him He wasn’t old He went from P4P to “looks average” in one fight It’s not “the most ever,” but it’s one of the strangest and fastest falls from elite status in the last 20 years.
Nah, I liked Miranda but it was more a case of a dude being exposed/showed his limitations than anything else. Jarrett Hurd however would be an excellent example
Yeah him and Hurd are much better examples than Taylor. Couldnt even beat scrubs after their respective loss to Hearns and Williams
Josh was just heavily overrated. He beats Ivan Baranchyk, Regis Prograis and José Ramirez. All very limited guys really. Struggled with Prograis, his best win, who we know is mid and a bit chinny. Prograis was overhyped bigtime for a plodder who can't deal with a boxer whatsoever and he still had good success. Turns out Catterall was all wrong for Taylor but Catterall himself is one of the most negative guys in the sport. The other guy who beat Taylor also probably always beats him imo. I just think Taylor was basically a hypejob and came around at a very fortunate time for himself to become the man at 140 fighting a guy like Prograis.
