So best, as in who did it better than anyone else and Greatest, as in who is the greatest fighter you'd class as a boxer puncher. Also if you wouldn't mind explaining what you'd class as a boxer puncher I'd appreciate it. So name em...
A boxer puncher is... Someone who can combine both boxing and punching / slugging / aggression. No need to complicate it, though it can get naunced. Most boxer punchers veer more towards one end of the spectrum. Hagler would be the definitive example of a Boxer Puncher IMO.
There's waaaaaayyyyy too many great fighters that you can class as boxer punchers and call them the best in this category. Boxer/punchers are usually the most well rounded, technically proficient fighters because not only are they technically superb but they also have power to go along with their skills, not to mention that they can play as either the pure boxer or the aggressor. Sugar Ray Robinson and Ezzard Charles are obvious examples.
For me a boxer puncher is someone who uses all of the methods of a boxer to set up a KO but doesn't exclusively look for it. They have back up plans and can beat people by simply boxing. They are generally very well rounded and tend to make the best styles. So it's a hard question, as litterally hundreds could qualify, so I'll add a few guys who aren't the best or greatest as HMs. Sugar Ray Leonard Micheal Spinks Roy Jones Jr Tommy Hearns Carlos Monzon Marvin Hagler James Toney Freddie Steele Shane Mosley Manny Pacquiao Sonny Liston Also the highest guy I have on pfp 100 who I'd class as a boxer puncher would be Ezzard Charles, at 4.
A boxer-puncher is someone who uses their skills to outbox who they're fighting while setting them up to be taken out. To put it in obvious terms, a boxer-puncher is someone who is mixing the mentality of a Roberto Duran and a Willie Pep. Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Robinson are the premier boxer-punchers. Outboxing the opponent, yet also looking to knock his head into the 10th row and pushing for the knockout whenever it comes up.
So many to name. The classic forum has resurrected some great fighters recently. I like the love Freddie Steele is getting.Terrence Crawford is a perfect example of a boxer puncher. A very slick and patient fighter who collects data in the early rounds then capitalizes on opportunities to hurt his opponents when he figures out their habits or when he notices when they become befuddled when they can't score and are consistently being countered. Marlon Sterling is another favorite. An aggressive boxer puncher.
Was going to start basically the same thread as @George Crowcroft so glad I checked before I did. I remember reading a comment in an editorial piece in The Ring that talked about fighters who were described as 'boxer-punchers' usually because they couldn't do much of either. I like the examples noted although I'd say there's a bit of a sliding scale between 'punchers who can box' (Tommy Hearns? Alexis Arguello?) and 'boxers who can punch' (Michael Spinks? Carlos Monzon?). Was watching some Marvin Hagler fights and he seems to me to perfectly encapsulate the boxer-puncher dynamic at its best - very well balanced between the two. SRR may be the ultimate example, of course. One of the greatest pure punchers and pure boxers - a flawless combo of the two skillsets.
Jimmy Ellis perfectly modeled the term boxer-puncher. The following also fit that category well: Joe Louis Archie Moore Jersey Joe Walcott Ezzard Charles Kid Gavilan Harold Johnson Dick Tiger Zora Folley Eddie Machen Jerry Quarry Ruben Olivares Rodrigo Valdez Victor Galindez Mike McCallum Terry Norris Just to name a few. Not all are perfect fits.
