Who is the toughest boxer who ever boxed at the top level?

How do you even begin to quantify toughness?

 

I'll add Bob Fitzsimmons was very tough, how he found a way to beat Corbett was incredible.

Andy Bowen was just ridiculous, fighting 110 rounds, the longest known boxing match ever, and then an 85 round contest the next month.

 

What he said!

 

Guy names Joe Grim (the human punching bag) May take the second place prize though behind Chuvalo

 

Never heard of him, tell me more.

 

Although I agree pretty much what you said..... Journeyman are not there to win. Their job is survival. At the highest level you don't see them in 12 round contests (nowadays, unlike 15 rounds ot more) taking on champions and challengers in their prime putting it on the line.

However I'm agreeing many journeyman are hard as ****.

 

Rumored to have over 300 fights and losing most. (think boxing rec has him at like 33-16-4 or something) was given the name human punching bag for his ability to not get knocked out. Terrible fighter though believe he fought Jack johnson who called him more then flesh and blood lol

 

A lot of ND fights which don't show in his record at the top.

Including them his record is 40-113-25, only being stopped 6 times. He fought a lot of world champions from different weights, he weighed in at 167.5Ibs and Sam McVea took 13 rounds to stop him, and that was near the end of his "career", when his chin wasn't quite what it was. A true freak of nature.

I think Bob Fitzsimmons reinjured his hands trying to KO him before the Gardner fight

Before taking up boxing, back in Italy, he would supposedly run head first into an iron door for money.

 

Haha I remember Johnson referring to someone along those lines, probably him.

Off topic, read in boxing news/monthly recently about an average British fighter who had an exhibition with Johnson. After retirement the fighter went on to be an Oscar winning actor. Forgot his name without googling it.

 

Never gets mentioned in these sort of threads but I'd say Mike McCallum deserves a mention. An all rounder and a real tough guy!

 

Bombardier Billy Wells, didn't read the question there. You thinking about the actor in the Quiet Man, forget his name now

 

Victor Mclaglen. He also makes cameo appearances in Bruce Lee threads as the man who could outfight AND out-act Bruce.

 

Victor Mclaglen

 

I read it originally that he was talking about the Gong bloke

 

How about James Toney. 30 year career and I don't recall ever seeing him hurt. Sure he was great defensively but even when fighters got through and caught him he never wavered.

Lamotta and Zivic come to mind as well.