pernell whitaker

[tommo100]

how do you rate him alongside mayweather

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I rate him above mayweather. A fight between the two would be extremely close, Whitaker threw a lot more punches but he was susceptible to flash knockdowns that Floyd could potentially cash in on. Speed and defense is a virtual stalemate and they both punch harder than they are credited for. I'd take Pea by close decision, but a Floyd win wouldn't shock me.

As for careers, they were both dominant. The difference being you never had to wonder who Whitaker was going to fight. It was always anyone and everyone that wanted it from very early on in his career. Going up to 54 to face a tough man like Vazquez is the exact opposite of Floyd's it doesn't make cents brand of match making. Pea was the man, right there with Leonard as the best fighter since Duran.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Defensively (& in a few other categories) Mayweather's the best since, but neither quite as good or as accomplished as Whitaker.

[King Carlos]

Whitaker holds key advantages: the southpaw stance, jab, and work rate. Another thing that would make him a comfortable favourite for me would be Floyd's tendency to need time to adapt to his opponent's styles in the early rounds. Whitaker never needed this. For that alone he's likely to sweep the first 3-4 rounds, which would make it very difficult for Floyd to overcome the deficit even if he was able to get the right hand working to good effect later on (which is a distinct possibility, as it's a punch Floyd specialises in and the one punch Whitaker was most susceptible to).

Still, this fight is going to the cards, I can't see Whitaker winning by any less than 2 points.