Aaron Pryor vs Kosta Tszyu

[KOJOE90]

Well...I never actually saw them, but I've heard and read that Pryor gave Leonard a pounding more than once...just hear say, not admissible in court...but that's what I heard...

But even if the sessions were 'pretty even' as you put it, Pryor was 3" shorter and usually somewhat lighter that Ray...so the point could be made that Pryor held his own in sparring with a bigger guy (who happens to be a legend, like him or not...)...

Hey, I wasn't disagreeing with you a such just putting forward what I had heard and read. Like you I never saw those sparring sessions . But I agree with your general point.

I also remember Pryor pubically challenging Leonard at a press conference once...Leonard down played it at the time...I'm certain that Pryor was serious though...a guy got big money to fight Leonard back then, and Pryor liked 'big money' the same as the rest of us, I'm sure...

I remember that to, but not at a press conference but at a post fight interview straight after a fight, I can't recall which one but I have it on tape somewhere. The Hawk called out Leonard and Hearns.

[Jukejar]

I wasn't much of a fan of his at the time, but watching Aaron Pryor in the early 80s was a treat. He was awesome. Beating the legendary Cervantes was very impressive--"Kid Pambele" was a bit long in the tooth by then but still a more than capable champion. And Pryor did have what appeared to be obvious flaws but no one was able to capitalize on them. Arguello, shopworn and out of his weight class or not, tagged Pryor with some terrific shots and as we all know, Pryor kept charging. I think a Pryor-Tszyu fight would be competitive but Pryor would win by late rounds TKO (with or without the "special bottle").

As for the Pryor-Leonard match, I remember Pryor calling Leonard out at the time but I don't remember too many people taking it seriously at the time. Pryor was awesome but he was also a natural lightweight and Leonard was built much bigger. I know now that it is popular to think of Leonard as being over-rated but he was damn good. Can you imagine Arguello, who was my favorite fighter, putting up such a fight against Leonard as he did against Pryor? I think Leonard would have easily tamed the Hawk, not because he was that much better but because he was more skilled, at least as fast, and BIGGER.

[tiredoldngrey]

I believe that Pryor would win this fight, probably @8-10th rounds, probably going down for a flash in the 2nd or 3rd. As in all Pryor vs. ... fights it would not suprise me if, the 3 kd rule being in effect, Pryor were to be tkod, especially early, without ever being hurt. This because he had a tendency to respond to flash kds by literally leaping back to it to prove he wasn't hurt.

[elmersalsa]

....no..i don't necessarily think kosty was over rated...but i do think he was vulnerable to a certain style...and aaron pryor had that style. ofen an inferior fighter can beat the better one if the style is right.

now look...i keep getting sucked into these threads about pryor..and i'll make some of the same points once again...though it doesn't seem to do any good.

"for what it's worth, pryor beat hearns in thr amateurs." well..it's worth nothing. hearns was an entirely different fighter as a pro and matching him against pryor then would get the promoter arressted for manslaughter. hearns by a kayo....a devasting kayo...much like cuevas and duran.

pryor/leonard....the candy ass sugar man used pryor in sparring sessions because that's all pryor could ever be against leonard. nowhere near peers in terms of quality.

i saw pryor's first pro fight from ringside and many many more from the same seat. he was not a great fighter then and he never became one.

I agree in almost in everything you have said jaclem, but PRYOR WAS A HELL OF A FIGHTER!!!

I watched his fights on tape the other day, and he was AWESOME. He threw punches from all angles and had underrated boxing skills. He only boxed when he felt that he needed to or when he was seriously hurt. But he NEVER STOPPED THROWING PUNCHES...He is an all-timer in my view. He's a top 40 all-time fighter. He REALLY loved to fight. TOO BAD THE DRUGS CAUGHT UP WITH HIM.

[Roco]

I think Pryor would win. He had abysmal technique though.

[King Carlos]

Pryor stops Tszyu around the 10th. I think this is a pretty easy call, really.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Pryor would win, but he'd work hard for it against a Tszyu on his game. Probably a late TKO.

Pryor is HUGELY over-rated in some circles. The idea Leonard dodged him is a timeless knee-slapper

[Diamond WEAPON]

Pryor would win, but he'd work hard for it against a Tszyu on his game. Probably a late TKO.

Pryor is HUGELY over-rated in some circles. The idea Leonard dodged him is a timeless knee-slapper

Old White Guy: "Every time they sparred, Aaron gave Leonard a working over!"

D

[BoxBuzz]

The Kostya that fought Hatton was not the best version. Pryor is way way over rated IMHO, and most people who closely followed Aaron's career were keenly aware of his fate kissed parlaying of cherry picking, remarkably good luck, and "proper liquid nutrition". I think Aaron would be vulnerable to getting KO'd by a high powered sharp shooter like Kostya.

But with Jaclem (another neigbor of Aaron's) having his doubts (at leas backt around the turn of the century...lol) I suppose I should be less confident......and yet I"m not.

I think Kostya under performed based on his skill set, I think Aaron over performed.

Some would call these bias's I suppose.

[Jaclem]

...buzz......you got me thinking about this fight again and thought still think kosta was vulnerable to swarming punchers, i don't think aaron was one who would beat him. call it maturity on my part, but now i think kosta would win.

[King Carlos]

I think Aaron would be vulnerable to getting KO'd by a high powered sharp shooter like Kostya.

If his chin wasn't carved out of stone I might agree with you. Then again, still probably not. Tszyu's flat-footed offensive approach could see him easily frazzled by somebody like Pryor.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Carved out of stone!?

He was up and down more than Madonna's pants.

[King Carlos]

Carved out of stone!?

He was up and down more than Madonna's pants.

In how many of those knockdowns was he actually hurt? He was knocked off balance a lot because his footwork was technically some of the worst I've ever seen from a world class fighter. The shots he often took and shook off like a fly were ridiculous. The man had an iron chin.

[Cutman Scabbers]

Come on, ringsider. I bought tapes of lots of Pryor fights some years ago and was shocked the amount of times he was bowled over in the early rounds.

In what fight(s) was he "bowled over in the early rounds"?...through the Alexis Arguello fights, Pryor was outstanding...after that, he went downhill from drugs...

Cervantes, Johnson, some Japanese guy who didn't look much better than a novice... typical WBA mis-match (cf. Harris - Maussa).

EDIT: Obviously Harris - Maussa didn't turn out to be a mis-match. But many people were calling it so pre-fight.

Kameda was no novice. He won the Japanese Welterweight title in his seventh pro fight in 1978 by beating Shoji Tsujimoto (who had a record of 27 W (14 KO) 3L 2D at the time), an amateur phenomenon who had become a pro champion in his own right and challenged a young Pipino Cuevas for the WBA Welterweight title (loss KO 6). Kameda defended this title eight times before facing Pryor. After the loss to Pryor, he won the Japanese super lightweight title and defended if four times. He got one more shot at the world title in 1987 against Terry Marsh, but lost in 7 rounds. He was a talented fighter and hard puncher.

Incidentally, I would pick Pryor over Tszyu.

[Cutman Scabbers]

Pryor vs. Kameda (1:04 for the knockdown)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpup2k_t_m0


Kameda vs. Marsh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuzxk-CIvTI

[King Carlos]

Carved out of stone!?

He was up and down more than Madonna's pants.

In how many of those knockdowns was he actually hurt? He was knocked off balance a lot because his footwork was technically some of the worst I've ever seen from a world class fighter. The shots he often took and shook off like a fly were ridiculous. The man had an iron chin.

i agree he had an iron chin. i think people forget that bad defense can lead to flash knockdowns (especially not tucking your chin) but for pryor to get up like he did time and time again and then get right back at it showed he had an iron chin and it was his erratic style that could some times lead to keeping his head/chin exposed.

however i disagree he had bad footwork, good footwork to me is being able to slide and pivot quickly/smoothly and pryors was a little more explosive but he definitely needed smooth footwork to get himself into the positions he did or the way he ripped combinations.

It was effective, certainly, but from a technical standpoint he made some consistently bad mistakes.

[Ezzard]

KT would win a highly entertaining bout. Pryor would win more rounds but suffer KDs and either get stopped late or outpointed.

[BoxBuzz]

Pryor vs. Kameda (1:04 for the knockdown)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpup2k_t_m0


Kameda vs. Marsh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuzxk-CIvTI

Curious, if Aaron would have popped back up and KO'd Kameda before the ref officially "brought him back into the fight" after he was "down" would it have been a foul? and Kameda wins on a DQ? lol

[elmersalsa]

Aaron Pryor wins very, very easily.

Of course he'll suffer a flash knockdown but then he will get back up and knock Kosta Tzsyu out.

2x

[Jaclem]

...when i look back on my earlier post i can't believe i actually picked pryor in this one.
i'll make this statement now and then i shall retire again from any posts on pryor:
..aaron wouldn't beat any really good fighter who was fighting in his natural weight class and who wasn't past his prime.
i'll leave it up to boxbuzz to reply to other replies if he cares to do so.

[Vladimir5555]

Pryor TKO 9

[BoxBuzz]

Pryor TKO 9

Possibly.....if the words "bring me that bottle that I prepared for Aaron" are spoken by his corner man.