But that’s basically circular reasoning. If we approach the manga as it is, there is never evidence that Freeza ~ Base Goku to begin with.
Said “Good evidence” consists of Goku and Vegeta mentioning in passing they’ve gotten better. During the ToP, we see Goku about to fight Frost as a SSJ, and Cabba gets the jump Dyspo who bullied SSJ2 Goku.
I remember we discussed this briefly on Neo and you never answered this question: Do you think ToP Freeza is base level in the anime too? Despite U6 Saiyans being ~ U7 Saiyans there and Freeza showing superior raw strength compared to Dyspo.
How is it circular reasoning? If we don't have statements then we should judge what we can, which includes feats.
It would certainly help to have a statement but we should not deny the possibility for growth for lack of one.
Maybe the status quo between Frost and the other U6 characters isn't the same as before. SSJ Goku didn't actually get to fight Frost in the ToP did he? If they didn't fight then we can't judge just from Goku being in SSJ, it could mean anything.
What did Cabba do to Dyspo? Was it a surprise attack?
I haven't logged in to Neo in a while because it's draining to talk to brick walls over there m(not you though).
The anime ToP is pretty all over the place. Characters have different power levels across episodes so it's hard to judge what's real and what's a character holding back. I don't know.