2015 v 1995

Always a very topical subject on how/if boxing is moving with the times and fighters are progressing. (Sorry to those who dislike hyothetical matches) Looking at Ring Magazine ratings I've picked out some matches of the top rated guy in their respective weight division ranked against the top ranked guy today, how would you see them going.

HEAVYWEIGHT
Riddick Bowe vs Wlad Klitschko

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Henry Maske vs Adonis Stevenson

SUPER MIDDLE
Roy Jones Jnr vs Andre Ward (officially not ranked by Ring at the moment but undeniably top dog)

MIDDLE
Bernard Hopkins vs Miguel Cotto

JNR MIDDLE
Terry Norris vs Canelo Alvarez (Mayweather is official champ but we'll use him at 147)

WELTER
Pernell Whitaker vs Floyd Mayweather

JNR WELTER
Danny Garcia vs Kostya Tszyu

FEATHER
Naseem Hamed vs Nicholas Walters

SUPER BANTAMWEIGHT
M.A.Barrera vs Guillermo Rigondeaux

Some really cracking matchups in there.

Cheers, Rodders

Id have to give it to 1995

I'll play:

Bowe by mid rounds KO.
Stevenson points
Jones points
Hopkins lanslide points
Norris landslide points
Whittaker close UD
Tszyu points
Hamed early KO (no idea really)
Barrera close points

Norris vs Alvarez ......I'd love to see that !!!

Stevo, Mayweather and Rigondeaux for me out of 2015

1995 6 - 3 2015...........

Think Mayweather is more suited to welter than Pernell.......pickem fight...

Bowe KO mid rounds

Don't know enough about the heavies.

Roy Jones decision (most skilled fighter I've seen.).

Hopkins late KO, probably same template as the Oscar fight.

Hamed Walters and Rigo MAB the picks of the bunch. Can't call either.

Take out light heavy and middle and there's some cracking fights there. Lots of Pickems. I think it could be closer than others seem to.

2015 Stevenson, Alvarez, mayweather, rigondeaux

1995 bowe, jones, Hopkins, tszyu, hamed

I think the 1995 lot have an edge overall, assuming we're taking everyone at their peak and in the best form they showed at their weights listed here.

* Wladimir can't keep Bowe tied up and subdued on the inside as that was an area where Bowe was excellent for such a big man. Bowe was tougher than Wlad, too, and just as blessed in the jab department when he got it ticking. Think he's a bad match up for little bro and I can see him wearing Wladimir out to a late rounds stoppage.

* Think Michaelczewski would be better placed to beat Stevenson than Maske, who never really shed his amateur style and who couldn't crack an egg. Don't see how he keeps a fast-handed knockout puncher like Stevenson quiet, even if Adonis goes on the back foot himself. Adonis by shutout with a couple of knockdowns in there, too.

* Jones decisions Ward without looking quite as spectacular as normal, ala the first Hopkins or McCallum fight.

* Hopkins shuts out Cotto before stopping him late. The Johnson, Trinidad and De la Hoya fights could all be a potential blueprint on that one, in my opinion. Genuinely great and comfortable Middle against a very good fighter who has had to convert himself in to a very small Middle - not much to think about there, for me.

* Alvarez has a puncher's chance against Norris but that's it, for me. The difference in footwork, hand speed and output / stamina is huge and I'd expect Norris to run out a big points winner.

* At 147, I've got to favour Floyd over Pernell. As Truss said, Mayweather has tended to look a bit more comfortable and strong at Welter whereas Whitaker looked undersized and undernourished at the weight, as well as trimming down his attacking arsenal a bit, too. It'd be close but I'd back Mayweather to edge it.

* Initially I thought Tszyu-Garcia was a pretty straightforward win for Kostya, but then I started thinking that Garcia does have a very good win over a guy with similarities to Tszyu in the shape of Matthysse. That said, Tszyu was the more polished of the pair despite his aggressive inclinations and only lost to guys who brawled with him and who he couldn't get on the back foot. Garcia gets worn down and stopped in the championship rounds.

* Walters hasn't been on the scene for that long so it's tricky to tell how he gets on against Hamed. His reach, height and sheer size is going to be a problem for Naz, but Donaire might have been another ten seconds away from stopping him last year, and Donaire is no 126 pounder. I'll take Naz to win a exciting shootout by knockout in four or five rounds, possbly after rising from a knockdown himself.

* I'd take Rigondeaux by decision over Barrera. Appreciate there are question marks over Rigondeaux's chin but Barrera didn't always force the pace enough to pressure the stylists (ala the Junior Jones rematch) and I can see him struggling with the range here. Wouldn't want to bet your house on it, though.

Pity we can't consider GGG at MW rather than that Cotto joke.