It's alright mate, just thought it was strange to point out that you get it when I'm clearly the minority. I guess I don't put as much stock as in articles as others do, and what footage I have seen has not convinced me he was the best there ever was. I have an open mind though.
Believe it or not, Im actually a seeing is believing kinda guy too & what Ive SEEN of SRR is some of the best Ive seen anywhere, throw in his missing on video prime, his 2-3 yr retirement & coming back in his mid 30s to regain the MWT title 3 more times (5 time champ in all), fighting without taking a 10 count until he retired for good at age 45, the men he beat & how he beat them & he could do everything & do it well, infight, mid-range boxing, distance boxing, KO power in BOTH hands, wonderful jab, brilliant combo puncher, very fast, the heart of a lion... he really did have it all.
how is langford in so many pound for pound lists though? he last more than twenty times. Nobody has seen him on video and the fighters back then were extremely technically flawed. It wasnt boxing as we know it! he has to be the most overrated fighter in history
I think his perfomances against LaMotta and Graziano are about as complete and good as they come. And, as has been stated, this was after his absolute peak. Astonishing.
There's some film of him although not enough to accurately rate his abilities. If you rate Langford based on his resume, he should be right there at the top. We are talking about a 5'6 man who challenged lightweight and welterweight champions Joe Gans and Joe Walcott at the beginning of his career and ended up competing against the most avoided heavyweights Harry Wills, Sam McVea and Joe Jeannette. Fought and beat world champions in every division from lightweight up to heavyweight without ever receiving an official title shot himself. Both could be hit for sure but calling them punching bags is a bit excessive. I rate LaMotta higher than most, Graziano a bit lower. I think LaMotta's abilities are underrated by those who haven't seen much of him. Ever seen film of Kid Gavilan?
That's a bit harsh statement. They were both certainly better than the version of Williams Ali beat for example. But just look at Robinson's punching, footwork and ring generalship in those two. The way he dummies Graziano, trapping him on the ropes and knocking him the **** out. There's serious skill right there. Have never seen a better left hook than Robinson's. It's something else.
Regardless of the opponent, who could not be impressed by this triple left hook knockout? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWvBYBiwunY A highlight I made of Robinson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYdJs70pg14 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enQrYzyulo4 Showcase of his handspeed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pazrZZbvi6w
It's alright, u know you have open mind and are a respectable poster so in turn i respect your opinion. I do normally make lengthy posts on why i personally think he is the greatest, but i won't post one as you've probably seen them all before and it would just look like i would be trying to patronise. He is my number one though.
Seriously... The thing with Robinson is that he didn't really have any weaknesses. I can't think of a single thing that he couldn't do well.