Best head movement in boxing history?

Benitez hands down. I remember when Hearns would have him on the ropes throw like 8/9 punches and miss them all.

 

Just for fun watch this 1901 clip of Jim Jeffries sparring for the cameras against an unnamed partner. Lots of upper body movement and ability to anticipate and avoid his partner's punches. Starts at 2:58 of the clip.
Added comment: Be sure to click the settings button and reduce the film speed to .75 when watching the clip.

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(I didn't repeat the media link in the quote.) IMHO, James J. Jeffries, in his prime, is sorely underrated by a lot of modern boxing people.

 

I would like to say Benitez because making elite guys with quick hands like Hearns and Leonard miss that much is an amazing feat but sadly he lost both fights

 

If we're talking head movement alone then probably Locche. The dude would make the other guy miss like 8 punches, land one, make him miss another 8 land another, then off to the corner after the bell to have a smoke.

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Modern day, I'd say Canelo is looking really good too.

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Just FYI if you’re interested - the sparring partner is Jeffries brother Charles, more commonly referred to as “Jack”. The guy that Jeffries throws the medicine ball at is Bob Armstrong. Haha, not. I wished Bob had picked it up and hurled it right back at Jeffries block head.

 

Very little of what Ali did was technically correct....

 

Cannot win fights on defence alone, sadly.

 

Evander's was none too shabby,

It was also none too legal but he got away with it so he was subtle enough. Just.

 

You understand the sport!!!!!

 

I agree, my mind went to Locche at first just thinking just pure head movement.

Seriously though, something just mentally crippling just seeing a guy just pull out this "I'm dropping my hands down" number mid fight. It's hilarious to me. I love it. And its more mentally messed up than anything because Locche didn't have many wins by knockout. So to me that is just more showing how great at his craft was because of the fact we will drop his hands and you will miss, for the the whole fight. lol. I mean knockouts are fun and spectacular, I would be lying if I said otherwise, but like the great Sweet Pea said "It's a beautiful thing to hit somebody and they can't be able hit you back."

You can always have doubt with a knockout (a fluke, out of prime matchmaking, I wasn't prepared for this fight) as dumb as it sounds, I've seen way more people attempt to rationalize a lose after a knockout than decisions imo, I feel that it is more of an ego thing, but that's just me. But when you lose via a bout based on just not being able to land or do anything significant, oof, you are rethinking everything you trained for prior or even "damn, you don't play boxing."

 

I always loved watching Shibata's movement. Timestamped:

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Yeah it's Benitez, though he made a lot of people miss he didn't seem to counter off those misses as much as he should have I think.

 

Leonard got hit because of his aggression, if he fought
with Mayweather Jr's "safety first" mentality, we
maybe arguing if he was the greatest defensive fighter
in history.
Two great examples are his fights with Kalule and
Bonds.
Kalule repeatedly caught Leonard with shots
because Leonard was flat footed ,throwing
power shots at every opportunity going for
the spectacular ko.

 

Exactly! All grappling sports teach that "where the head goes, the body will follow." Everything effective in boxing starts from the feet (floor up). People who thought they were fighting like Ali, Tyson, and FMJ were usually not! They were just moving a lot, or holding their hands in front of their face and moving their head, or they crossed their arms. They didn't bother to learn the fundamentals that Ali, Tyson, and FMJ mastered first.