Given the nature of my employment (I work in education) I have six weeks off of work starting tomorrow. I intend to study fighters on video and through written media...give me some boxers you think I should be looking at in this six week time period, tell me why, what I can expect, which fights in particular I should be looking at for each fighter. Give me as much information as you can as you as to why I should study a certain fighter. Thanks for all your help everyone....
A more than interesting question! I have a lot of answers springing to mind, so give me some idea what you are looking for.
Seeing as though there's no fight footage of him I'd read up on Harry Greb, his record speaks for itself.
I'm not a fan of heavyweights though I would make an exception for Ali, Foreman, Tyson, Frazier, Norton. I'm a boxing fan who loves sluggers and slugfests (Ward - Gatti, Castillo - Corrales etc). I'm more knowledgeable about boxing after 1964 (despite being born in 1976). I want to broaden my horizons in any way possible. I'm looking for ATG considered fighters...and those who people missed also, fighters who were overlooked despite being talented.:good
There are so many. I would suggest modern ATG talents so you are not fighting with silient era film. Salvidor Sanchez comes to mind. So slick and also a devastating puncher. Lightweight Roberto Duran for the same reasons but with incredible aggression. Miguel Canto as a modern Willie Pep type super boxer. Joe Louis especially young as he more so displayed AT great boxing skills along with his KO combinations. Ali for obvious reasons.
I will suggest a couple of avenues: For my money the most savage fights in the history of the sport, including the bare knuckle era, were the lightweight fights of the early 1900s. You had guys fighting 45 round fights, sometimes averaging 85 punches per round, and they were ending up as basket cases! Many people here, consider Sam Langford to be the greatest boxer of all time, yet he never fought for the title due to racial prejudice. He beat somebody in the Hall of Fame, in every weight class, from twilight to heavyweight! Another candidate for being the greatest boxer of all time, is Harry Greb. Every single film of him fighting, has been lost, because film of the era was destroyed as a fire hazard! I could go on.
In order to absorb the greatest styles and fighting men. Watch Duran Marciano Ali Willie Pep Alexis Arguello Sugar Ray Robinson Sugar Ray Leonard Tyson And the timeless Archie Moore.....
Roman Gonzalez. He's current, he's the second best fighter in the world by my reckoning, 2-3 years of his prime likely remain, and there is a legitimate superfight on his horizon.
Kind of a broad but interesting question..........my own list of must-sees would be: Salvador Sanchez: Not a huge puncher, but an amazing ring general with stamina that's the stuff of legend. An uncanny judge of pacing in a fight, as well. Shot down two legends in a year (Lopez and Gomez), before ending his career too early against another eventual ATG in Nelson and remains the only fighter to stop him. Wilfredo Gomez: Kevin already mentioned him, and it's a terrific pick. Great combination puncher, and in his youth moved better than almost anybody. Once he moved up and failed in his first attempt at a title at 126 (against Sanchez, no less) he seemed to lose the spring in his legs a bit. From then on, he was more of a stalker. His bouts against Sanchez and Pintor are outstanding. Joe Louis: Just watch his fight against Max Baer. Fill in the superlatives yourself. Note the triple left hook that floors Baer. Oy. Fights to watch: Chacon-Limon IV: Not the most artistic, but you said you liked sluggers.........best fight I ever saw. Chacon had to have the knockdown in the last round. Hollywood would have rejected this for being unrealistic. Matthew Saad Muhammad- Yaqui Lopez II: Any Saad fight is worthy, but this one is particularly exciting, especially round eight, which is just ridiculous. Erik Morales- Marco Antonio Barrera I: Sparked off a great trilogy, a genuine grudge thing, which is always good for boxing.
Would that be the Estrada rematch or Inoue? I think Naoya needs a smidgen more seasoning, personally. Both Roman and Juan Francisco figure very highly in my pound-for-pound. I'm genuinely torn on the result of their first encounter. I'll have to score that one again.
I wouldn't go right into Greb. Too much has been lost in time. If you're passionate about the era, I'd start you off with Mickey Walker. There's also plenty on Dempsey and Tunney. Of those lower in weight, Tony Canzoneri might be of interest to you, which opens up a whole different universe of worms. Read about their lives. Here, at least, you have a wealth of visual aids to get a sense of their fighting styles.
Just watch these men Joe Louis Jose Napoles Salvador Sanchez Roberto Duran Willie Pep Archie Moore Ezzard Charles Carlos Monzon Ike Williams Bob Foster Alexis Arguello Sugar Ray Leonard Marvin Hagler Thomas Hearns Aaron Pryor Roy Jones Jr Sugar Ray Robinson Muhammad Ali Michael Spinks Stay away from fighters pre 1930..they fought with there hands low, stuck there chins out and leaned back to avoid punches, didn't combination punch, didn't double or triple up on the jab, threw a lot of wide arm punches, a recipe for disaster against modern fighters