Matchups that would have a different result if the loser was prime

Much as I disliked him, and much as I know many are gonna disagree... 95-97 Hamed beats Barrera.

 

Ha ha

 

But Haned lost in his prime!!!

 

Word.

Barrera was better than him. Period.

 

Barrera fell in love with boxing around the time he fought Hamed. Prior to that fight, he was more of a brawler. Also, Hamed’s speed and reflexes were not what they were, due in large part to him not really loving to train and hone his craft.

Had they fought in the mid 90s, I can very much imagine Barrera getting off to a nice start, flooring Hamed, and hurting him. But in having success in doing so, he probably walks into one too many Hamed bombs and that would be that.

Hamed KO 6 while down on the cards.

 

Calzaghe-Jones for sure.

I think prime Roy floors him a couple of times too.

 

Barerra was the first solid opponent Hamed faced, that is, if we discount Kelley who stupidly left his Rd1 gameplan aside and tried to KO Hamed.
Barerra was just smarter and better allround.
The only reason the hideous Hameds decided to fight him (and not Erik Morales) is because they a) thought he'd be damaged goods after that war and b) because, to quote, "we felt Barerra was the true winner of that fight"

Couldnt have happened to a nastier bunch.

 

Not really sure why everyone is so sure that Calzaghe gets blown out by Jones and Hopkins purely because he had some early issues against old (and in RJJ's case, utterly shot) versions of them. Calzaghe, an afletic, volume fighter, was himself in his late thirties when he fought both. He was not far from as removed from his prime as they were, or at least as Hopkins was.

Prime RJJ beats him but Calz was a good few levels above the likes of Hall and Woods. Hopkins wanted fuck all to do with Joe in their respective primes.

MTF

 

I never said prime Roy "blows out" Calzaghe. But do I think Joe would be competitive? Not really. Maybe SLIGHTLY more competitive than Reggie Johnson, but it'd be more-less similar to what Roy did to Reggie Johnson.

Hopkins is a different story. Joe isn't an easy fight for any version of Hopkins. HOWEVER, I do think a prime Hopkins wins in competitive, yet clear fashion.

 

Calzaghe is perhaps Roy’s toughest fight at 168lb (honorable mention to “second to” Nunn.)

Roy would win because Jones was just frightfully talented but Calzaghe would make him work for it every step of the way. Close decision and Roy’s power being the difference methinks (he’s likely floor Calzaghe at least once).

 

If Calzaghe earnestly tried to fight his usual fight against Jones, he gets fucking shredded

 

Calz gets wrecked by prime version of bhop and jones.

 

*rolleyes*

 

Of course adonis wouls also wreck him. Fighting with your hands by on your waist is a sure fire recipe to get laid out against a fast bomber like stevenson

 

The cokehead would have outboxed the pimp.

 

Theres a very outside chance that he does so, but a guy who got floored hard by 2 non punchers in his only relevant fights at 175, is definitively a underdog agaisnt a flamethrower like Stevenson

 

Condolences to Joe for loss of his old man, btw.

Never been a fan of Calz, but sad to hear. He seemed very close to Enzo. They were one of the first father-son training duos to be successful.

 

Hamed looked just as shit in the preceding and proceeding fight vs dunksies

 

Craziest thing about that is Enzo had absolutely zero prior experience as a boxer or trainer. Everything he taught Joe was from a boxing how-to textbook. Pretty incredible they had the success they did.

 

that explains a lot of things