Best jab per division

A lot of times you taste an opponent's best punch and you sell out to avoid it only to get caught with every other punch in his arsenal.

 

AwardedSteak listed him, as his P4P no less, and scar also gave him mention.

 

Yep, sorry. Clearly a case of me being lazy, getting part of the way down a thread and just skipping to the end.

 

Ali could throw the jab from multiple directions.

 

Absolutely. Hid debut title performance was indeed incredible. Liston wasn't in his best shape but Ali was mesmerizing.

 

We all do it, rest assured hahaha

 

What I always look liked about his jab is the timing. When he's dancing, it's very predictable which step he's going to throw it but it still lands.

Then he stands more traditionally, pivotting off the front foot, jabbing, double jab, tripling up, head feints, foot feints, changing head slots - all the while ever threatening the right hand either via 1 - 2, pull counter or right hand lead.

What's often missed by how much he stuck to throwing the 1 - 2, when Ali moved around his jab and opened up, his combination punching was decisive. Flurries of punches from angles that overwhelmed - when he put Liston into a shell off that right hand, game over. That's where the dominance was imprinted - these things have an effect on the opponent's confidence and belief.

 

Liston wasn't at his best but it's overblown for me.

Look at his headmovement - he's having good success slipping a very fast jab. What he cannot do is slip the second and third follow up - you have to be in decent nick to slip that jab and he had good success to the body.

Liston could've been better trained but given Cooper and Jones and how he walked through Patterson, it's understandable. Typical when a young great dethrones an aging great, Young lion Vs old lion, which is what makes the Foreman fight so great - somewhat similar to Lennox Vs Kilt, despite how he looked.

 

Agree with everything old mate. Ali was on fire. Liston's defense was quite impressive, truth be told. He's an excellent defensive fighter.

 

I think Louis, Holyfield and Liston are likely the most 'completely' skilled of all the HW ATGs. Capable of fighting at every range, good combination fighters and Evan aside, KO power on each hand.

 

Again, i agree - surprise! They were all excellent technicians. If we stick to guys that weighed 200 or more (vs Moore, Charles, Tunney types) the cupboard is very bare. If Buster Douglas trained like a spartan and dedicated to boxing he'd be in the mix. Apart from right uppercuts from the outside, the man was a very very good technician.

 

Right uppercut from the outside is a weird one.

Ali threw it, AJ, Holmes, Fury, Lennox - all at times guilty of throwing the long, counterable uppercut without closing the distance. Bowe's not too shabby with it. Louis is a beast with it, when Lennox shortened it, off with their head!

Buster had all the tools and opponents available to become a top 5 ATG. Imagine wins over Tyson, Holyfield, Bowe and possibly splitting wins with Lennox - his H2H credentials would be insane and then well, you could make the argument for résumé matching Ali's on name wins. He would of course have to clean out the top 10 contenders and remain at a level of brilliance for 5 or so years after Tokyo. Even if he had managed to stay in great shape and make it past Evan, the dynamics of the time and what we know about Buster, it's a massive leap of faith.

 

Liston
Usyk
Maske
Eubank
Hearns
Hearns
Hearns
Cervantes
Buchanan
Arguello
Pep