I wouldn't say "nobody" Chavez certainly could Elorde's speed and aggressiveness would certainly be a big hurdle Arguello would be a tough assignment (though, admittedly I tend to favor Floyd because Arguello would be driven batty by his speed) Nelson would also have a serious chance, as would Armstrong but, that is some pretty ridiculous company... Floyd is obviously one of the greatest to ever weigh 130 in a boxing ring Outside of those guys, there isn't anyone I would pick... some guys would be more competitive than others, but none I would pick to win out in the end except for the above-mentioned guys, and even there the only one I would pick without hesitation is Chavez
Floyd would beat Chavez. People use the Castillo fight as a barometer, but that was at 135 lbs and Castillo was a LOT bigger than Chavez. Floyd also spent most of the night fighting Castillo's fight, even after hurting his hand.
Much as I agree that Mayweather is a legitimate great at 130, I find this a hugely slippery slope. Between 126-130, there are men who could & would beat Mayweather --- though I probably couldn't name even one he wouldn't be right there in the mix with.
Chavez was A LOT better than Castillo... light years better... Chavez was even better at 130 than he was at 135, so that argument goes both ways... It's Chavez's prime weight every bit as much as it is Mayweather's
I disagree Chavez was light years better than Castillo. Either way I would pick Floyd with little hesitation over JCC. Definitely not an easy fight but I actually think Arguello would have more of a chance.. Arguello was slow but Floyd was much more aggressive at 130, and Arguello had incredible timing. There's a chance Floyd gets caught, and Arguello was one of the biggest hitters ever at that weight.
He was. Pretty clearly This was probably chavez's greatest talent... his accuracy was uncanny, he landed clean all the time
What about Sal Sanchez at 130? I know he never fought there, but there's no reason he could not have. Not that he would've won, but it would've been interesting to see a prime Casamayor take on PBF at 130. I think that would've been an interesting fight, with Casa's counter-punching abilities.
Casamayor wouldve been interesting against Mayweather and Pacquiao both, actually. He called Pacquiao out after stopping Katsidis, in fact. Wouldnt fancy Sanchez's chances with Mayweather at 130, but thats me.
Throw in JMM. I know they actually fought, but that was at 147. At 130? When PBF weighed that much the night of the fight? Would've been a fair fight. I'm betting JMM's offense would've been a whole lot more menacing for PBF there then it was at 147. And JMM surely would've taken more chances is my guess. PBF had some of the best performances of his career at 130, but he also had some of his worst there as well. His wins over C. Hernandez and G. Vargas hardly give the impression of an all-time great. Nor did his win over Jesus Chavez. And though his wins over Manfredy and G. Hernandez were certainly impressive, I view his win over Corrales with a grain of salt.
i consider mayweather jr.'s victory against jesus chavez to be one of the top 5 best performances of his career. julio chavez was far better than castillo, but at lightweight he would have had a rough go of things against a 150lb+ castillo
But he'd only have to land once.. Don't get me wrong, I'd still favor Floyd over Arguello. I'm just saying based on Floyd's aggression at the weight and Arguello's power and timing, there's a CHANCE he gets caught.
I find it hard to straight up pick anybody over Floyd at 130. Arguello and Chavez have the best shot but they'd still be underdogs
Chavez has the best chance, IMO. Camacho Sr. would give Floyd problems but I think once Floyd adapts and starts landing, Camacho would go into a bit of a shell. Sort of like the Judah fight, but more closely contested rounds.
I don't seem to recall anyone at 130 being able to avoid getting repeatedly punched in the face and liver by Julio Cesar Chavez... His comp there matches up favorably with Mayweather (I'd say Chavez's comp was considerably better overall, but Mayweather had the single biggest name overall with Corrales) ... and he was every bit as dominant... I don't see Julio Cesar Chavez in his prime being a straight-up underdog against any 130 pounder, Mayweather or otherwise... they would each be head-and shoulders above any Junior Lightweight each other fought
how so? Mayweather has never shown any particular vulnerability in the chin department... If Alfredo Escalera can have his lip ripped off of his face and still gut it out and last 13 rounds with Arguello landing bombs on him, why can't Mayweather survive the occasional big shot? Chavez is much more suited to dealing with Floyd's speed than Alexis is... Alexis always had difficulty with speedsters, he was generally slow of foot... Chavez was much quicker, much more of a classic pressure fighter
OK I give up, I'll concede I am an Arguello lover and a Chavez hater. Nevertheless, just because Floyd would beat the brakes off of Arguello at 130, doesn't mean Chavez would have any more of a chance. Chavez isn't taking Floyd out with one shot either and I don't think he lands enough to make accumulation count. He wouldn't be able to outwork him to a decision, either.
Bro, I love Arguello too... one of my all-time favorites:cheer: I did love Chavez when he was young (though, I agree he became despicable when he faded and started to taste defeat)
