Which boxer was consistently the best conditioned?

[Vantage_West]

actauuly can we say whats 'in shape'
i mean we have alot of guys who are overpreparing them selves and we have others who were naturally athletic anyway so they just had to walk in that way. or the constnat wieght which means after inactivety they are still in shape like halger

[JIm Broughton]

The best conditioned fighters were generally of the Marciano,Basilio,Frazier ilk.Guys who had to take three to give one. That way of fighting requires an extra dose of conditioning to stay competitive in any division. How many times did we see Ali mail it in, in poor shape, and still win? How many times did Marciano do that? Or Basilio? Or Frazier? The one time Joe did that he was obliterated by big George! The best conditioned fighters seem to be the type that were'nt born with all the natural physical and athletic ability than say Muhammed Ali or Sugar Ray Robinson or Roy Jones Junior. These fighters had plenty of God given ability honed of course by hours of hard work. But warriors like Rocky et al realized that they needed a little extra something to compete and succeed against thier more gifted brethren, and that was developing thier level of conditiong to a higher plane. In this regard I would say that Marciano comes to mind as the most highly conditioned though that's certainly debateable.

[Duodenum]

Originally Posted by pugilist_boyd

the rock # 1 but i never seen hagler tire in the few bouts i seen him in did he ?

Yes, in his first attempt to win the MW Title, Marv did tire late in a 15 round draw against a good candidate for this distinction, Vito Antuofermo. Vito ran five miles a day, even when not training for a match.

Sometimes, there's no correlation between conditioning and endurance, and the classic example of this is Earnie Shavers. While a contender, Earnie was actually the best conditioned heavyweight in boxing, but the weight of his arms, the force he put into his haymakers, and his complete inability to pace himself always made him notorious for running out of gas quickly. Nothing he did could have improved his performance in that regard, although he tried to cultivate his staying power diligently.

SRL maintained top physical conditioning. Jeffries was a freak in that respect. Sweet Saoul Mamby sustained an incredibly long career with his dedication to skipping rope and disciplined training. Emile Griffith was no slouch in that regard either.

Over the last 30 years, it's hard for me to go against Vito. In back-to-back-to-back 15 rounders, he tired out veterans Hugo Corro (RIP), Hagler and Alan Minter (another noted strong endurance performer). Vito could be stopped on cuts, but good luck wearing him out.

Sal Sanchez wore down and stopped Danny Lopez late twice. Little Red was known for his staying power as well as his punch.


I'm omitting Aaron Pryor and Henry Armstrong on purpose. They were both physiological freaks of nature who possessed extreme endurance as an accident of birth. (At Armstrong's autopsy, it was found that his heart was larger than usual, and he had an abnormally slow heart rate by nature. I suspect the same quirk applies to his friend Pryor.)

[rekcutnevets]

Modern guys come to mind. Mosley, Mayweather Jr., Hatton, Jones Jr., Morales, Barrera, Marquez, Paquiao, T. Norris, and Bernard Hopkins. I don't remember ever thinking these guys lost because of fatigue.

[hdog]

Marciano, Basilio, Sal Sanchez.

[salsanchezfan]

Originally Posted by josak

Based on my limited boxing knowledge (compared to some of you) I'd have to go with Tyson. He was an incredible, physical specimen in his prime. Great stamina, great build.

..............I'm sorry. I wish I could think of something more to say.

[rekcutnevets]

I will help you salsanchezfan.

Mike Tyson's stamina was very much evident in his bought with Douglas. The way he just went on.

His first fight with Holyfield was another example. Didn't you see how he finished on his feet?

I remember watching him lay into the ropes with joy against Danny Williams.

The McBride fights says the rest.

[salsanchezfan]

Originally Posted by rekcutnevets

I will help you salsanchezfan.

Mike Tyson's stamina was very much evident in his bought with Douglas. The way he just went on.

His first fight with Holyfield was another example. Didn't you see how he finished on his feet?

I remember watching him lay into the ropes with joy against Danny Williams.

The McBride fights says the rest.

............I see I've been remiss.


I see what you mean; why, he was every bit as intense and ferocious in the second round of the Tubbs fight as he was in the first!

[rekcutnevets]

The way Tyson was able to continue going after Spinks after the first knock down.

is all I have to say.

[rekcutnevets]

I'm going to stop now. Just kidding around Josak. Keep posting, it's only jokes. You have a little bit of a point. Mike Tyson never showed up grossly overweight. I have always read he normally trained hard. It was really focus, dedication, and a strong will to win that usually missing.

Has anyone seen viciousboxer around after the avatar thing started?

[salsanchezfan]

Beat me to it, Rek; sorry Josak, I'll stop being a dick. Pop a beer and have a seat, man.

[Mohak]

Consistently conditioned has to be Sanchez, Hopkins and Mayweather. Everyone else's conditioning deteriates as time goes by, it's natural. But I'm kind of cheating by saying Sanchez since he died in his prime and Mayweather hasn't really retired yet and seems to be in his prime. I don't even know what to say about Hopkins, the guys a freak! A motherfucking freak!!!!

[fernando4cv3]

Id have to say hagler based on the fighters ive seen. i train at his old gym. Ive heard what his conditioning regime as. it was no k\joke. the man went running for miles and miles

[young griffo]

Jeff Fenech trained with the same intensity with which he fought and as a result was always in great shape,despite problems with asthma and allergies.
Hopkins and Hagler are like peas in a pod when it comes to conditioning,always looking great physically and never gassing out.
Wayne McCullough was always prepared come fight time,as were Alexis Arguello,Mike McCallum and prime Julio Cesar Chavez.

[salsanchezfan]

I never read Danny Lopez's name in stamina threads, and he should be mentioned. You never saw that guy take a deep breath, and he fought in a very taxing fashion.