Could you build a career path for a modern fighter to become the GOAT?

It is a simple enough question but I think harder to answer. With no chance to have a modern fighter fight more than 80 times which is probably pushing it as is, could you schedule enough resume building fights to have him knock off SRR from the top of the rankings? You can go the old Floyd hypothetical route or name real fighters.

I don't know if people would say he surpassed SRR but I imagine a fighter starting off at featherweight. He is young and has a frame to grow into. I have him fight about 20 fights in about 2.5 years. He would then be close to the top of the division. He would then grab a strap and probably be ready for the lineal title fight. After the lineal title fight, he would defend against 1 or 2 top 5 guys depending on what the division looks like. This gives him a lineal title and a defense in one of the original divisions at approximately 23 years old, 30 fights in, and 3 years into his career. He is able to move up and fight for a strap right away after he wrecked the FW division. At 130, he must face several different styles winning a trinket or two in search of another lineal title. That is my formula for him moving up to about MW with him spending more time in the original divisions or a loaded division. I would say approximately 5 fights per division and probably more at JLW or LW to get accustomed to moving up. I think that path is possible in the present but do not know of any fighter able to move from feather to middle. He would also likely need to go undefeated for a vast majority of his career, not because a loss ruins his greatness but because it would take too much time to recover his marketability.

Hypothetical Modern GOAT stats:
7 lineal titles across 4 original divisions (feather to middle)
At least 1 or 2 defenses of lineal title at each weight making for 20 or so total.
Over 55 career wins over all styles
Ducks no one in these divisions.
Fighting about 3 times a year after he becomes a name = probably 15 years or longer career

Anyways, I was thinking about this and wondered how you guys would build careers. Obviously no fighter has come along with this combination of skill, heart, and health(injuries would slow down the career as well) but I feel like this career could rival SRR as long as there are enough worthy fighters for him to fight. He would need great fighters and HOFs at most divisions even with this resume.

simply put no

Ray fought champions (real champions) what 30+ times

fought 14+ All time greats

Ray was at one point 121-1-2

no one with 55 wins will touch that

It's a difficult task given today's obsession with money and strict network execs.

Fight four times a year

Divisions depend on the size of the fighter so If they can't move up alot of division then cleaning out one would help. Sugar Ray after all fought in three divisions I think, only winning two lineal titles but came close to winning the Light Heavyweight crown.

At least 40-60 professional victories.

Unifies all the trinkets,wins the lineal title and defends it more than three times before moving up if he chooses to.

Challenges himself on a regular basis and isn't afraid to venture out of his comfort zone.

I think you have to judge every era accordingly. Nobody will ever fight 110 fights again, let alone record 110 KO's aka Sugar Ray Robinson. However, I think that Pac has an opportunity to be great. I don't like the AM fight, but if he can follow that up with dominant performances against Tim Bradley and Berto, he should be on his way to the HOF with honors.

HOF and Greatest of All TIme is two completely different things though

UBeeg9cats wrote:

It is a simple enough question but I think harder to answer. With no chance to have a modern fighter fight more than 80 times which is probably pushing it as is, could you schedule enough resume building fights to have him knock off SRR from the top of the rankings? You can go the old Floyd hypothetical route or name real fighters.

I don't know if people would say he surpassed SRR but I imagine a fighter starting off at featherweight. He is young and has a frame to grow into. I have him fight about 20 fights in about 2.5 years. He would then be close to the top of the division. He would then grab a strap and probably be ready for the lineal title fight. After the lineal title fight, he would defend against 1 or 2 top 5 guys depending on what the division looks like. This gives him a lineal title and a defense in one of the original divisions at approximately 23 years old, 30 fights in, and 3 years into his career. He is able to move up and fight for a strap right away after he wrecked the FW division. At 130, he must face several different styles winning a trinket or two in search of another lineal title. That is my formula for him moving up to about MW with him spending more time in the original divisions or a loaded division. I would say approximately 5 fights per division and probably more at JLW or LW to get accustomed to moving up. I think that path is possible in the present but do not know of any fighter able to move from feather to middle. He would also likely need to go undefeated for a vast majority of his career, not because a loss ruins his greatness but because it would take too much time to recover his marketability.

Hypothetical Modern GOAT stats:
7 lineal titles across 4 original divisions (feather to middle)
At least 1 or 2 defenses of lineal title at each weight making for 20 or so total.
Over 55 career wins over all styles
Ducks no one in these divisions.
Fighting about 3 times a year after he becomes a name = probably 15 years or longer career

Anyways, I was thinking about this and wondered how you guys would build careers. Obviously no fighter has come along with this combination of skill, heart, and health(injuries would slow down the career as well) but I feel like this career could rival SRR as long as there are enough worthy fighters for him to fight. He would need great fighters and HOFs at most divisions even with this resume.

Nice post. I think a guy today would have to do the following:

1. Fight a dramatically busier schedule in his first three years as a pro than guys do now. At least 30 fights in that time to gain experience.
2. Begin fighting world class competition, or close to it, in the third year.
3. Be of a size where he is fortunate enough to have 6-8 guys around him who are very good fighters in there own right and another 3-4 who are almost as good as he is.
4. He would have to value the right things. Glory, TRUE titles and a place in history.
5. He would have to have a relentless desire to test and better himself.
6. He woul.d have to believe managing his career was part of the job and not cede that job to a promoter.

I think the guy has to beat every one of the 10 or so guys above and defeat at least half of them more than once.
He has to wreck divisions over multiple generations. Call it 25 ranked guys beaten
He has to wreck 3 or so of the existing divisions or two of the originals

This probably means at least 75 fights, ten years on top, and excellence well into his thirties.

There are three guys I can think of in my lifetime who had at least some chance to make a run at this based on my six points above. Ray Leonard, Sal Sanchez and Floyd Mayweather. The first wasn't durable enough, the second died and the last didn't understand the notion.

Great post marble.

As for Floyd, I was a huge fan back when I thought he had a shot at being one of the top 5 or so guys of all-time. But he wasted the better part of a decade talking about being great. All talk. Such an utter waste.

Birdofthad wrote:

HOF and Greatest of All TIme is two completely different things though

That's correct. Bird, this is the way I see it. There's a certain level of greatness that allows a fighter to have a respectable argument in relation to being the GOAT. Louis, Robinson, Ali, Marciano, Pep, etc. People will argue for decades as to who the best was. Pac has a chance to join that group but he has to be a bit of a daredevil. Beating Floyd would help but Floyd's not interested. A ko over Bradley or Berto would help. Also, without MW, he may have to pull of a minor miracle and invade the MW division. No catch weight either. That's what it may take for people of this generation to admit that Pac belongs to the most elite of fighters. Immortals. As far as I'm concerned, I'm already convinced, though I can understand others that are not.

I also think a transcendent fighter could do it. If you get a guy who weighs in at 175 and is a dominant LHW CW, and HW champ for years as an extreme example. It's very unlikely anyone will ever supplant Ray Robinson.