ABILITY is not the best gauge. Ability does not necessarily translate to achievements.DavidPayne wrote:I'm no fuirther forward after that Ollie.
World class is about ability not belts, era or performances.
To me
I know the era argument is open to criticism, but any given boxer can only be judged by the environment in which he operates. For example, would you argue ONLY Wladimir Klitschko is a world class heavyweight?
World class is a contemporary definition, rather than a historical one. Beyond that, we are arguing greatness, not world class-ness.
So, IMO, Mayorga was once world class, by beating a handful of top 10 opponents of the time, riding high in the top 10 himself, and holding a meaningful world championship. Historically, he's not even within sniffing distance of greatness, by judged on the standards of the time in which he spent his prime, he qualified as world class - due to ACHIEVEMENTS/RESULTS, which at the end of the day are a helluva lot more quantifiable than ability.
