Pea, I referenced Langford in terms of one punch power. Take one punch power out of the equation, and yeah, I think Whitaker is in the discussion as a best ever candidate. I am very impressed with the footage of Langford but recognize the evolution of the sport from Langford's era to Whitaker's. I find it difficult to compare guys from eras seperated by so many years. I think Whitaker was awesome just like everybody else does. I guess my point is, he was so good in his era that he didn't need one punch power. But in a mythical matchup against the very best, it may have been exploited. Maybe I misunderstood. Is Whitaker the "best" I've viewed on film? I'd still say no, but I'd say he's damn close. I think it could come down to personal taste. I admire Leonard's left hook to the body, Robinson throwing a 4 punch combination with KO power in every punch. Whitaker in a corner making a highly skilled fighter look silly is certainly admirable too.
I am trying to get hold of some of his fights you have got me trying to watch him so he better be good or ill go to scouse land and make you eat them DVDs i get. Id like to think of myself as the Willie Pep of posters
Nar i know i said that about Pep solely to **** you off, don't think that at all. We always hi-jack threads GP.
Whitaker as a lightweight was one of the most complete fighters I've ever seen. Obviously he had great defensive skills, but what made him great was actually his ability to be offensive while being hard to hit. He also could punch at this weight, a fact that people tend to forget. He scored a brutal knockdown of Roger Mayweather, beat the **** out of Haugen (and dropped him), completely shut down Ramirez with his right hook in their second fight, blasted out Juan Nazario in 1 round, and stood toe-to-toe with Jorge Paez and broke him with body punches. Against Nelson he didn't simply "run" as a lot of people put it, he also threw a lot of punches and showed he could keep up a fast pace while under pressure throughout a fight. I often thought of Whitaker as the second coming of Benny Leonard, just an all-around wizard who could do everything and win as he wanted. When he moved up in weight, it seems he lost his punch and became increasingly more of a "stinker" type fighter, who grappled, wrestled, etc., and I gradually lost interest in watching him fight (although he was still always helluva fighter). But in his LW heyday, he was great to watch.
Even my mum would like watching him because of his artistry. He took the smile off of Haugen with two jabs but made you smile at the same time.
In terms of not getting hit I think Willie Pep and Nicolino Locche may have been better. However when it comes to hitting and not being hit Whitaker is a head of them as well as pretty much any one else.
He`s certainly up there, no doubt but I think your actual pick is spot on, Robinson is above everybody IMO, regardless of achievements, just as pure fighters, Robinson is ahead of Whitaker, no doubt in my mind, maybe others will have doubt but I personally dont. I class Pep as a better fighter than Whitaker also regardless of achievements. :good
Okay thanks for the post BB, yeah so hard to top Robinson here, it is very difficult to narrow it down to one man though i think. Robinson's offense is likely the best i've ever seen, and his footwork most likely as well.
Even if Hearns was gifted with La Motta-like punch resistance? We can give many all-time greats one attribute and they'd also be in contention. Would just like to reiterate what everybody else has pretty much already said. I've never been more impressed with a fighters defensive capabilities than that displayed by a prime Whitaker. He was a fabulous combination puncher when he went on the offensive, and always working behind that great jab of his. Probably the greatest southpaw of all time.