Name some fighters with very good straight right hand leads. Some of mine are: Chavez Sr Jones Ali GGG
Most of the top Panamanians had a knack for it. Roberto Duran, Ismael Laguna, Ernesto Marcel, Eusebio Pedroza, etc. The latter 3 used it differently than Duran. He was his own breed while they were all fairly similar to each other in style. All adept at using an inverted 1-2, or a 2-1, where they’d lead in with the right and then follow with a short left. Marcel and Pedroza would usually fall into the opponent once fully extended to stifle any return fire, or else follow through on an angle to the right of them. Laguna would pop in with the right and pop back out with the left. Amazing footwork to do it as quickly and seamlessly as he did.
I came in here just to mention Alfonso Lopez, but Bujia's post summed him up better than I would have.
Hopkins was very accurate with his lead. In his prime I would watch him spend the first 4 or 5 rounds learning his opppnent. By the 5th Hopkins would start finding the range. Most guys didn't stick around that long after. He could hit. Duran's had the combination of speed, power accuracy. His Boxing IQ allowed him to set this shots up more.
Two great leads right there. Hopkins could certainly hit in his earlier days. Once he had you times he had you timed.
I would say Floyd is arguably #1 at right hand leads. Not for the power but the way he landed it with ease multiple times against multiple opponents. His timing and sense of distance were impeccable. James Toney, Roy Jones, Ali, all had superb right hand leads as well. Toney in particular was very sneaky with it and hid his intentions behind his shoulder very well, buzzing guys with sudden explosive right hands straight down the pipe. Ingemar Johanson and Juan Manuel Marquez were masters of the counter right hand.
There’s the usual names like Roy, Hopkins, Floyd....one I want to mention is Sergei Liahkovich. His war with Lamon Brewster is the best HW of this century IMO. Lewis-Vitali and Joshua-Klitschko were bigger fights/events, but Liakhovich-Brewster had the most consistent sustained action. Liakhovich would lead with a right hand to the body. Over and over and over again. It helps that Brewster had horrible defense, but it was interesting to see. Not a punch you see often but Liakhovich used it so well that night. Brewster’s left side was probably sore for weeks.
