Do you not consider Robinson and Langford boxer punchers? Or do you rate one or the other below Charles?
A boxer-puncher can box and punch (hard) in almost equal measure. Usually a jabber or mover who can also sit down on punches or take you out. Tommy Hearns is the ultimate. Lennox Lewis and Gerald McClellan come to mind.
Hearns is always one of the more difficult fighters to compare and classify. Probably because he was one of a kind. There’s nobody comparable at any weight class outside of maybe the Heavyweights, where most have legit KO power. I don’t think anyone from Welter to Middle (and higher) could out-box him in a strict sense. He’s a nightmare for any pure boxing type without legitimate KO power. Despite that, he was legitimately a seek and destroy fighter who often underutilized his supreme boxing abilities and allowed his chin to be tested much more than need be. He could’ve been even better. Probably not as exciting, though.
Benny Leonard Carlos Palomino Lew Tendler Charley Burley Sal Sanchez Livingston Bramble Maurice Hope John Conteh Really SRR is the one and only.
Joe Louis Sonny Liston Efren Torres Michael Spinks Juan Manuel Marquez Marvin Hagler Evander Holyfield Carlos Monzon Jersey Joe Walcott Max Schmeling Thomas Hearns Ruben Olivares Wilfredo Gomez Larry Holmes Floyd Patterson Generally, all of these guys could win by setting their opponent up for a knockout in the process of outboxing him. They weren't all in the same league power wise, but they all knew how to break a guy down. That's what I would loosely define as a boxer-puncher.
I do Robinson. But I Charles at four, Robi at five. Langford's style looks hard to define, especially since he changed it a lot.
Bull****. He was a terrific boxer puncher. The epitome of the word. Wrong this time (kid? I don't believe yr a kid. Have to have spent every waking hr reading and watching boxing at 17. No yr WAY like 40s older.)
I tend to think of boxer-punchers as the most versatile 'style'. Guys who use the skills/range/fundamentals etc; of a boxer to get off their best shots, but they also have the confidence of a puncher. I know boxing isn't black and white, and there's no one-size-fits-all rule in boxing, but I'd say boxer-punchers are good against swarmers, sluggers and pure-boxers. That being said, some of the best ever IMO are: Ezzard Charles Sugar Ray Robinson Bob Fitzsimmons Benny Leonard Archie Moore Tony Canzoneri Barney Ross Sugar Ray Leonard Joe Louis And many more.
I think Liston was a bit more on the puncher side, but he was also an excellent boxer. I would say guys like him and Louis are great examples of boxer-punchers in the heavies. I'm wondering if the Foreman who fought Briggs might be a good example of one as well.
Carlos Zarate to me epitomizes the term. His style was very good at the basics, minimal movements, little wasted, very smart fighter. Tactical and technical, nothing rushed but throwing bombs delivered with great technique.
