Best 10 Puerto Rican Boxers in History!

[DMaxPR]

Hey Guys, Here's who I think are the 10 best boxers from Puerto Rico. Check out the video and tell me if you agree or not. Show me your top Boxers.

http://tinyurl.com/zey8ew6

 

[ironfist05]

good choices, Carlos Ortiz is the clear #1 IMO, the man has a deeeeeeep resume

 

[Seano]

I think I agree that Ortiz probably deserves the number 1 spot. Cotto is up there though.

 

[BennyST]

good choices, Carlos Ortiz is the clear #1 IMO, the man has a deeeeeeep resume

Yep, not sure I'd say he's a clear number 1 but I'm always amazed that he's rarely in the conversation for top 3. It seems like he's half forgotten and yet he's certainly a top five ATG at 135, one of the deepest divisions if not the deepest ever, and has a resume nearly unequaled at lightweight.

Amazing fighter and yes, I'd probably have him my No 1.

 

[mozfonky]

If Macho fulfilled his potential, no one else could touch him.

 

[BennyST]

If Macho fulfilled his potential, no one else could touch him.

Yeah, potential is a funny thing, except mental fortitude is as much a trait of potential greatness as is the technical skill you possess or the power, or the speed. If you don't have the mental fortitude to get through adversity, or tough things out and get ahead then you were never going to be great and that is the full potential you were able to get to.

I think everyone does reach their potential. If you didn't become a champion despite people thinking you should have, because you got into drugs or got sidetracked by the gangsta life or whatever, then you never had the championship mindset in the first place and never would have reached higher. If someone has amazing physical abilities, but lacks the mental toughness to back up those physical skills and take it to the next level (Zab Judah anyone?), then their potential was never going to be what their physical ability might have suggested.

That's my opinion anyway. I think too many people only look at the physical talent of someone and thus assume their potential to be much greater than someone who lacks the physical stuff, but has greater mental strength. For example, did Judah have more potential than Margarito?

 

[burningspear]

^Nice post! Well, up to the last bit - Margacheato was a bad example.

 

[Uptown Swinger]

I see your point Benny yet for me...When speaking about potential in sports it's physical potential that's being spoken about.
Mental fortitude is a different conversation. For example I would never say "considering Mike Tyson was a bit of a nut case & drug addict, he surpassed his potential and managed to have a nice career." I would say "Mike never reached his full potential because of drugs and being a bit of a nut case. Imagine how good he could have been if his head was right."

 

[mozfonky]

that's the strange thing though, it's hard to pinpoint if that was the problem. take a look at tyson, a guy many people say didn't have it upstairs, but is that fair? Mike took some awful brutal beatings for a guy they say had no mental toughnenss.

 

[BennyST]

I see your point Benny yet for me...When speaking about potential in sports it's physical potential that's being spoken about.
Mental fortitude is a different conversation. For example I would never say "considering Mike Tyson was a bit of a nut case & drug addict, he surpassed his potential and managed to have a nice career." I would say "Mike never reached his full potential because of drugs and being a bit of a nut case. Imagine how good he could have been if his head was right."

Yeah, I think the mental aspect all correlates and is too big a part of the physical side of things to overlook as two separate things. You're right, they are nearly always separated. But you could argue 'what if someone's head was right' as much as you could say 'what if this guy had the speed of Jones Jr?' just as much I think.

Without that mental determination and will to achieve, they were never going to make it anyway, so it's sort of wishful thinking to imagine something they don't have. Just like you can imagine Paul Williams with the speed of Jones Jr or something weird. He doesn't have it as much as someone like Judah lacks the necessary grit and determination to succeed no matter what.

To me, it's just as much a part of their fighting make up as their speed, power, etc. I don't see any of it as separate.

It's a little harder to pinpoint though as we can't see it straight up, so I certainly get your point. It's too hard to quantify with any certainty.

 

[BennyST]

^Nice post! Well, up to the last bit - Margacheato was a bad example.

Yeah, just off the top of my head. What about Golota and Frazier then?