Round 1:
Emile Griffith vs Charlie Burley: Eddie Futch had very high praise for Charlie Burley, and at 160 lbs. Burley might have been too much for Griffith, but Burley would have had to dry out and starve himself to get to 147 and that would have been the difference. Griffith survives some early scares to win a UD.
Floyd Mayweather jr vs Sugar Ray Leonard: Sorry to disappoint Floyd's followers, but there is nothing Floyd can do that Ray Leonard didn't do better. If Duran, Hagler, Hearns and Benitez couldn't beat Leonard, Floyd gets schooled, Ray Leonard by UD
Carmine Basilio vs Tommy Hearns: I love Carmine Basilio, he is one of my favorite all time greats, unfortunately the Onion Farmer was a brave and courageous straight ahead slugger, and at 147 lbs. nobody in history could slug with Hearns. Thomas Hearns by KO in 2 much like the Duran fight.
Aaron Pryor vs Henry Armstrong: Not only is this the best fight on a mega all time great list, this match up is quite possibly the greatest match up at any weight. Aaron Pryor had a chin like a fire hydrant, probably p4p right there with the likes of George Chuvalo. But you don't win fights with your chin, and Henry Armstrong was a lot tougher then Alexis Arguello. Henry might have been one of the few guys in history who could have went toe to toe with Pryor and out slugged Aaron. Even with Panama Lewis and the "one he mixed" Armstrong would have been there pounding away to the last bell. In the best fight of your tournament, Armstrong gets a split decision over Pryor in a war.
Miguel Cotto vs Kid Gavilan: Cotto by today's standards is one of his era's best, and if Gavilan would have tried to stand and slug, Cotto would have been even money, but Gavilan was a fast, quick fighter with great footwork, and brings more tools then most of today's fighters could have shown Cotto. Cotto had trouble with Zab Judah, and Gavilan had superior speed and greater power than Zab. End result, Kid Gavilan by UD.
Jimmy Mclarnin vs Barney Ross: Ross, like Henry Armstrong was a three division world champ back when the championship titles were real world championships. He took everything Armstrong could hit him with and went the full 15 never being KOed in 81 fights. He also won 2 of 3 fights with McLarnin all three ending by decision. The only real knock on Ross was he wasn't a KO specialist, but as good as McLarnin was, Ross was better. Barney Ross by SD in a close one.
Felix Trinidad vs Fritzie Zivic: Never a good idea to slug with a slugger, Zivic would have slugged it out with Tito, and eventually Trinadad would have got the better of Zivic. Felix "Tito" Trinadad by KO in 8.
Roberto Duran vs Nicolino Locche: Duran went all the way from 135 lbs to 168 lbs. winning world titles and fought some of history's best. Locche was a boxer not a slugger, and if Duran could beat Ray Leonard at Ray's peak, something neither Hearns nor Hagler could do, Locche, as good as his defense was, is in over his head with "Manos De Pedros" Roberto Duran wins by UD.
Round 2:
Emile Griffith vs Ray Leonard: Emile Griffith was quick, strong and could punch, but Ray Leonard was quicker, stronger and could punch harder. Try as I might, there isn't one single category of comparison that Griffith can equal Ray Leonard. Much like the Wilfred Benitez fight, Ray Leonard would have been just a bit better than Emile. Ray Leonard by UD
Thomas Hearns vs Henry Armstrong: Armstrong fought 181 times and was never KOed, perhaps the greatest chin in welterweight history. But Henry was out boxed 21 times, he had trouble with runners. Hearns was without a doubt the hardest punching welterweight in that illustrious talent ridden division's history, very high praise. What decides this one is the size and boxing ability of the much taller Hearns, as much a slugger as Hearns was, Tommy was also a gifted boxer who didn't have to KO his opponents to win fights, he out boxed Sugar Ray Leonard in their second fight and got robbed of a decision victory he should have won. Henry would have been game, and he would have survived the Hearns power and most likely avoided Duran's fate at the hands of Hearns, but I thing Henry was a small welterweight and Hearns a very big one. A great big man beats a great little man in this one. Thomas Hearns by UD.
Kid Gavilin vs Barney Ross: Two tough, fast counter punchers with great movement, Gavilin has a slight edge in power, but Ross had better hand and foot speed. Barney Ross would have out worked and out toughed Gavilin in a very close, chess match like fight. Ross by SD
Felix Trinadad vs Roberto Duran: Tito was a slugger, tough and game, but against Duran that would have worked against him. Roberto was superior to Trinadad in almost every category, and Tito would have faired no better at 147 against Duran than Davey Moore did at 154. Duran by TKO in 10.
Round 3:
Ray Leonard vs Thomas Hearns: For all the talk of Thomas Hearns's great power at welterweight, when Leonard and Hearns met for the fist time, Ray KOed Hearns. The gift of a draw Leonard got in their second fight doesn't change the fact that at their peaks, Ray responded to Angelo Dundee's "Your blowing it kid, your blowing it" with a champions finish by KOing the greatest KO artist the welterweight division ever had. In their third and rubber match after a KO victory and a UD loss against Hearns, Ray would box his way to a close SD win over Hearns to reach the Final of this tournament.
Barney Ross vs Roberto Duran: Ross had heart, and a chin, but Barney didn't have the power to keep Duran off him. Duran would have physically dominated and pounded Ross in much the same way Henry Armstrong did with much the same result. Ross's heart and chin would keep him in it till the final bell, but Duran would win a UD in dominating fashion against Barney.
Final: Sugar Ray Leonard vs Roberto Duran:
If Leonard would have elected to fight Duran, like he did in their first fight in Montreal, Duran would have mauled Ray (like he did in Montreal) and won the fight. If Ray elected to avoid exchanges and run, like he did in their second fight, Duran might have quit out of disgust at Ray's refusal to fight, and we would have had a another case of history repeating itself. The last of the three, Ray jabbing and running to an easy decision over Duran is the third outcome of their real life encounters. In our imaginary all time great tournament, odds are Leonard would have elected survival and a points victory to great valor in losing a slug fest. Ray Leonard wins a UD over Roberto Duran in a track meet that sees Duran chasing Ray the whole night and never really catching him to take the tournament.
Artificial sweetener vs Real Sugar is not even a contest. There is nothing Ray Leonard could do that Sugar Ray Robinson wasn't totally superior to Leonard in, power, speed, foot work, ring savvy, quickness, chin and heart, Leonard loses badly in every respect to Ray Robinson. Sugar Ray Robinson was a better welterweight than he was a middleweight, and would have KOed Ray Leonard if Leonard would have engaged in any meaningful exchanges or easily out boxed a running Leonard in any track meet Leonard may have ran in order to survive. In any event Leonard had no hope of ever coming close to even being competitive at welterweight with Robinson. Robinson KO's Leonard in 10.
Two Sugars in the finals. Robinson edges out Leonard via decision.
Robinson over Duran by SD
Round of 16:
Emile Griffith vs Charlie Burley----------------------------Burley by close UD
Floyd Mayweather jr vs Sugar Ray Leonard----------Leonard by UD or TKO
Catmine Bassilio vs Tommy Hearns---------------------Hearns by TKO
Aaron Pryor vs Henry Armstrong-------------------------Armstr... by SD/MD
Miguel Cotto vs Kid Gavilan--------------------------------G... by UD
Jimmy Mclarnin vs Barney Ross-------------------------Ross by UD as actually happened
Felix Trinidad vs Fritzie Zivic-------------------------------Trin... by KO
Roberto Duran vs Nicolino Locche---------------------- Duran by KO
Round of 8:
Leonard over Burley by MD
Hearns over Armstrong by KO/TKO
Trinidad over Duran by SD or MD
Gavilan over Ross by UD
Round of 4:
Leonard over Hearns by SD or MD
Gavilan over Trinidad by UD
Pre-Finals:
Leonard over Gavilan by close UD
Finals:
Robinson over Leonard barely by MD or SD
15 rounds, winner fights sugar ray Robinson for the title of GOAT welterweight
Emile Griffith vs Charlie Burley
Floyd Mayweather jr vs Sugar Ray Leonard
Catmine Bassilio vs Tommy Hearns
Aaron Pryor vs Henry Armstrong
Miguel Cotto vs Kid Gavilan
Jimmy Mclarnin vs Barney Ross
Felix Trinidad vs Fritzie Zivic
Roberto Duran vs Nicolino Locche
Round 2
Winner vs winner
Winner vs winner
Winner vs winner
Winner vs winner
Round 3
Winner vs winner
Winner vs winner
Round 4
Winner vs winner
Round 5
Winner vs Sugar Ray Robinson
