Fighters at the cusp of being All-Time Greats

This week, FFF is starting a new series on fighters at the cusp of of being all time greats. These fighters without a doubt were elite, hall of fame fighters. However, they were shy of being all time greats.

This week we take a look at Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, and Joe Calzaghe.



Oscar de la Hoya
Notable wins against hall of fame opponents: Pernell Whitaker, Hector Camacho, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Notable losses against hall of fame opponents: Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao

Notable accomplishments: Champion in five weight divisions.

Analysis: Oscar De La Hoya is an all time great in PPV sales, but fails to be an all time great. He never defeated an elite hall of fame opponent. Do Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga really count? Indeed he defeated legends such as Whitaker, Camacho, and Chavez. However, they were past their prime fighters. Don't get me wrong, those fighters were stepping stones for De La Hoya, he just failed to follow up after those victories. He did face the best but lost to the best, his popularity and box office power covered the fact that he never won the big one and lost to the best fighters of his generation

Verdict: Shy of being an all time great

Felix Trinidad

Notable Wins against hall of fame opponents: Hector Camacho, Pernell Whitaker, Oscar de la Hoya,

Notable Losses against hall of famers: Bernard Hokins, Ronald Wright, Roy Jones Jr.

Notable accomplishments: Champion in three weight divisions

Analysis: Trinidad achieved three championships in three different weight divisions. He defeated fading legends such as Whitaker and Camacho, then followed up by beating an elite, in his prime fighter; De La Hoya. However, his first defeat led him to retirement and he never successfully came back.

Verdict: (Close but not enough) Needed more HOF wins

Joe Calzaghe

Notable Wins against hall of fame opponents: Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr.

Notable losses against HOF: None

Like I mentioned, records can be deceiving. You can argue Calzaghe defeated a lot of bums throughout his career, including Eubanks, who was good but past his prime. He defeated Lacy and Kessler, but are far from being elite fighters. He did manage to beat Hopkins and Roy Jones Junior but they were both past their primes. Unfortunately, he took way too long to establish his name and never defeated an elite in his prime fighter. As a result, Calzaghe was a very good fighter, with incredible speed, with hall of fame credentials. However, unfortunate events such as a lack of competition and late match ups leave him shy of being an all time great.

Verdict: Waited too long to make a name for himself and his record is very deceiving.