Who was the better defensive fighter between these 5 fighters ?

and why ?


-James Toney
-Mike McCallum
-Floyd Mayweather Jr
-Marlon Starling
-Winky Wright

discuss....

 

It's close between James and Floyd, but I'll go with Floyd because James could be tagged, he'd just roll with the punch insanely well.

 

Mayweather and Toney seem like the logical choice but both get hit. Where they shine is in avoiding multiple punches. They specialize in keeping a fighter from putting his punches together. Im going with Wright on this one. Think about that awkard wall-like defense he put up and how rarely he got hit either to the head or body outside of his bouts with Vasquez and Williams.

 

James Toney is 4th at best on that list.

Wright, Mayweather and Starling are pretty much on the same level defensively I'd say, though Mayweather might edge them if you don't hold his "ring-minimalism" against him (opting to flee rather than fight in many bouts).

 

It's all in how you pose the question. Is "having the better defense" an attribute when it shackles your offense? Defense is only so good until if inhibits your ability to score offensively.

 

Floyd only did that after Castillo I and above 135 before he took more risks. Although before he moved up he used his footwork far more for defence. I say Mayweather at 130 had the best defence of them. Wright is close. Toney´s looks the most aesthetically pleasing. Starling would be fourth for me.

 

1) If James constantly fought off the back foot, exclusively counterpunched, was hardely ever willing to engage or take risks like Floyd he wouldn't have been 'tagged' as much as he did. That isn't James though he'll stand right in front of you, make you miss and **** you up. Mayweather has no heart, James has loads of it. The fact that James got hit a bit more often is due to their styles and general demeanor along with Toney being somewhat flatfooted.

2) James can use his shoulder roll succesfully vs Southpaws, elite ones at that. Floyd uses a high guard vs southpaws because...he isn't as skilled with it.

 

Toney can´t fight like that because he lacks the footwork. He has to stand in front of you.

Which only highlights that Mayweather has more defensive tools in his arsenal. Shoulder roll, high guard, footwork ... Toney just has one.

 

Seen too little of Wright and Starling to comment really, but of the rest I'd have PBF, McCallum and then Toney. As has been pointed out Toney was probably the best of them in the pocket, but his lack of movement lets him down in this company.

From a purely technical standpoint, it's McCallum, though. He has better lateral movement than both PBF and Toney, and is smoother in his head movement than Floyd. He doesn't have his speed and reflexes, though.

 

As much as id dislike the guy its Mayweather.

 

You should've wrote "Mayweather jr." on the poll, not FMJ.

 

A toughie , I don't want to even start thinking about it right now , bad times .
But what I know is that if I ranked them then Mayweather would have been the lesser of these 5.
Unlike the other 4 , the guy is a serial ducker , and I am really not a ******* .
Actually I don't blame him for his demands to fight Pac.
I do blame him for ducking Cotto , Williams , and I believe a few more.
I also blame him for turning his fights vs Mosley to almost irrelevant due to age & fouls and the Hatton fight for fouls.
Cortez' refereeing hurt Hatton while Floyd was the dirtier fighter , go figure !

 

:deal
good post

 

Whats up with you lately Kally, you seem to like shiting on peoples threads.

 

I'm in a bad mood with all the nonsense being said on ESB, so maybe i take it out in the wrong places sometimes.