Prime Erik Morales vs. Vasyl Lomachenko at 130

[bballchump11]

Amateur records are meaningless, except if they can be used to detract from Loma.

They're not completely useless, but a lot of these Cubans and Eastern Europeans are damn near professional fighters competing in multiple Olympics and 300+ fights. Am I supposed to be as impressed with Beterbiev beating Cloud in his 6th fight at the age of 29 as Teofimo Lopez beating Commey in his 14th fight at the age of 21?

[Lomasexual]

They're not completely useless, but a lot of these Cubans and Eastern Europeans are damn near professional fighters competing in multiple Olympics and 300+ fights. Am I supposed to be as impressed with Beterbiev beating Cloud in his 6th fight at the age of 29 as Teofimo Lopez beating Commey in his 14th fight at the age of 21?

The thing is to keep in mind what the amateur career actually means.

Does it help? Of course it does. Compare fighters with the usual kind of amateur career with fighters who have zero amateur career. Going straight into the pro ranks is much harder.
Someone who has a great amateur career is more likely to do well as a pro than someone who was hopeless as an amateur.

Does having a longer than average amateur career mean the same thing as being a pro? Hell no. Even the most gifted amateur, with hundreds of fights behind them, is not the same thing as an experienced pro.

So, to make the question about Loma fair: how many fighters, given the same number of amateur fights as Loma, would have beaten Salido in their second pro fight?

Some people might be able to name a couple of names. Personally, I think it would be a very tall ask, even for the Floyds of this world.

The thing is, even if it was possible to come up with a handful of names - it isn't much of a slight on Loma's skill to say that Floyd might have been able to do better in the same situation. I mean, Floyd is the best I have seen since RJJ and RJJ is the best I have seen ever.

When the biggest criticism that people have is 'there are a handful of fighters in history who might have done better' then it isn't even worth mentioning as a criticism.

[Mister Wolf]

Loma gives him the Raheem treatment all over again.

[BodyBagz]

Prime Erik was a tough SOB.....but if you're slick, you can frustrate him and make him fight your fight. And let's face it, Erik was very reckless on the defensive side.

I got Loma for the UD.

[mick1303]

Loma has a bit of the same "unfair advantage" that prime RJJ had - insane reflexes. As good as Morales was, there is nothing he could do against being hit while not seeing the punch. And the best version of Morales is 126. Loma probably a tad bigger naturally, because coming from 126 to 130 he did not lose any of his attributes. At 135 he is less effective, just like Morales was at 130.

[champion4ever]

Was Pacquiao better than Lomachenko? When Morales beat him?

No! Pac, didn't peak and hit his stride until he turned welterweight. He was still on the come up at 130. It wasn't so much that Pac was that good it was more of Erik Morales had faded. He started developing weight problems and stamina issues around the time he leaped to the Super featherweight division.

[ShoulderRoll]

No! Pac, didn't peak and hit his stride until he turned welterweight. He was still on the come up at 130. It wasn't so much that Pac was that good it was more of Erik Morales had faded. He started developing weight problems and stamina issues around the time he leaped to the Super featherweight division.

So that version of Pacquiao wasn't better than the current version of Lomachenko?

[Boxing Goat]

Great fight but it's hard to bet against an undefeated guy like Loma when Morales lost several times at the weight.

[Boxing Goat]

So that version of Pacquiao wasn't better than the current version of Lomachenko?

Nope, i'm afraid not

[Boxing Goat]

The Morales who beat Pacquiao would stop Lomachenko.

Lmao!

So he stops the best fighter of this generation but didn't stop a badly cut and bleeding Manny who had already been stopped twice by local Filipino fighters?

Got it