Whitaker didn't lack the genetic ability for power, his power in fights lacked because he threw arm punches. In the hanzagod defense highlights of Whitaker you'll see arm punches galore
Joe Louis and Davey Day. Arch Ward, Sportswriter Chicago Tribune, mentioned that Joe & Davey were the only two fighters that can knock you out with a six inch punch. Both were defensive fighters. Day, is, much , so, he never suffered a cut, in over 250 fights amateur/pro. 1931-1941.
Emanuel Steward described him (Eubank) as 'the fighter I didn't want my fighters to fight', citing a 'kind of very rare combination of being hard to really hit, hard hitting himself and able to take a hard hit.'
Lol, Wlad Klitschko? His ultimate priority was defense to hide that china chin and extreme, ATG HW power.
Wladimir Klitschko Archie Moore come to mind No one thinks of Joe Frazier and Rocky Marciano as “defensive” Fighters but they both had very good defense
I think Hopkins and Floyd are 2 that stand out to me. Highly skilled defensive fighters, that while not really known for their pop, they were brilliant counter punchers who hit hard enough to make their opponents wary of throwing punches. I don’t put a lot of stock into most punch stats but over and over again their opponents threw at half of their normal volume and landed at reduced percentages. Sure some of that is due to defensive skill but less appreciated is they hit hard enough to make people tentative to engage with them.
