I'm taking Arguello right now. I still don't see Loma as this untouchable God many hype him to be. I've said for years now that Jorge Linares is a bum. Arguello has become HIGHLY underrated over the years. Some old time greats have become overrated, but the opposite has happened to Arguello. I think he would break Loma down, and I have a lot of doubts about Loma's chin handling Arguello's firepower all night.
50:50 fight for me, Loma still is somewhat unproven. Arguello's defense was leaky which would allow Loma to take the lead, but Arguello's hammers might be the deciding factor just as well
See, this is exactly what I mean. Arguello is talked about like he was on the same level as Corrales. His defense was not what I'd consider leaky. He certainly wasnt as defensively slick as Duran and Chavez, but Arguello was very competent at blocking-parrying shots. The fact that Loma is considered even money against arguably the greatest junior lightweight at all time is overrating Loma. Arguello has an impeccable resume... Loma has beaten nobody, unless you count old, inactive, undersized Rigo.
There are two levels here. Loma MIGHT be good enough to beat Arguello but not nearly proven enough. The same way, had you picked Tyson over prime Larry Holmes after the Berbick bout, it would have been without basis. However looking back, that version of Tyson might well have beaten Larry. Tyson didn't become better, he just proved himself more. Loma LOOKS like he could beat Arguello, but there is zero proof of that as of yet. Still, picking him is not automatically wrong either. Arguello was hardly ever in an easy fight, every credible opponent landed on him and kept it close. He had a magnificent ability to turn those bouts in his favor
Arguello was in plenty of easy fights against easy opposition... he fought a ton of good fighters which has a lot to do with his wins being "difficult"
Rooney says the next day he awoke and started getting ready for the fight and his wife or girlfriend had to remind him it had already happened
