Five Most Deceptively Great Fighters

If you were limited to only one prime fight on film of a fighter, which fighters would seem the most underwhelming of atg status? Off the top of my head, Marciano, Monzon, and Ward come to mind.

 

Roberto Duran. As he got older and moved up in weight, he made subtle adjustments from a swarming pressure fighter to a clever boxer-puncher with a lot of subtle veteran cutesy moves. His change was instinctual and he got the most out of his physical abilities and smaller stature as he got older. Granted, he could be moody and inconsistent, and sometimes not in the best of shape, which drove his true fans nuts because they knew how good he could be when 'on'.

 

He always was a clever boxer puncher. Just go back and watch some of his lightweight title defenses.

 

Escopeta. Never looked esthetic in the ring but always got the job done.

 

In his latter days at 135 absolutely. At any rate he wasn't deceptively great at 135 because it was obvious what a great and brutal fighter he was.

 

Monzon is definitely the poster boy for it. Marciano is a decent shout. McCallum maybe on a lesser level. Some might not think Eusebio Pedroza overly flashy. It's a short list imo.

 

Some of Duran’s fights in his 30s are such a joy to watch for all his tricks and experience.

 

I’d say Carlos Ortiz was a no frills kind of fighter. Not a knockout puncher, speedy boxer or all that slick but a complete fighter with supreme IQ. Nothing spectacular about him in any area but no weaknesses either.

 

There is nothing deceptive about Monzon's abilities if you have a set of eyeballs and least bit understanding of this sport. He was painfully obvious in his mastery.

 

Was going to say Pedroza

 

But a no frills exterior by the same token. He can look awkward at times too. Many a good observer has needed time to warm to his true talent.

He's not overly fast, not a huge hitter and there's not much "flash" to him. This will fool your casual fan most every time. He's not overly pretty but he is certainly effective.

 

Good, it's not just me.

 

Emile Griffith

 

Think Saddler needs a mention here. Not easy on the eye at all, and if you weren't aware of his record and watched him looking pretty trashy against guys such as Riley and Flanagan you'd have a hard time believing you were looking at an all-time great.

 

Marciano has to be there. Many people here say that he couldn't fight, yet he beat 2 of the greatest fighters ever without size advantage.