Top 5, Middle Weight Chins?

Duran couldn`t take Hearns power at 154.

 

Billy Papke is another worthy of consideration.

 

Just adding to the list Bennie Briscoe, Vito Antuofermo and those 2 Argentine clones Rocky Rivero and Jorge Castro.

 

Not including un-filmed folks.

(Top tier)
James Toney #1
It's an undeniable fact, he was mixing it up with fully fledged HWs and not budging a little. Freak. He was however a very large MW and I am not certain he'd have made 160lbs in the same day weigh in era. But in terms of the most durable "160lbs" fighters he is number one.

Archie Moore and Ezzard Charles #2-#3
They had a legitimate careers at MW and mixed it up with some very, very tough comp and went to swallow shots from fully fledged HWs. they made MW during the same day era too, they get on this list for the same reasons guys like Toney do. They proved there durability at a higher weight.


Chris Eubank Snr #4
That Carl Thompson fight... Just, wow. Why he isn't higher and I may be iffy to add him this high is at 160lbs he was massive, I don't think anyone came close to his size at MW. He was a very, very big guy and would've been a LHW-HW in the old days. He like Toney I doubt would make 160lbs in the same day weigh in era.

Jake LaMotta #5
In terms of "true" 160lbers who hardly blinked at shots, I think it was Jake. Hagler, Monzon could be here, I am just going with my gut here because of the way our raging bull fought compared to those two and the guys he fought. I mean his series with Ray alone is a greater feat of durability then either showed he also did it moving like a Sherman tank into oncoming fire.

Something I want to add. A lot of the most durable guys on my list are all VERY big MWs. I think that it's no coincidence. I think what you'd need is a "True" Middleweight list of guys who stayed at 160lbs before 1982 and made weight with few issues or just the average amount of problems. Jake came down from HW let's not forget. Snr just about murdered himself trying to stay down, Archie was a known guru because of his weight issues, Toney wasn't playing football at 160lbs. Not sure about Ezzard though...

@cross_trainer What do you think of rating the durability of post same day weigh in fighters against old guys? Let's be real, Chris Eubank Snr was fighting LHWs in his career by old standards, he himself was never 160lbs so is it fairer to rate him against classic LHWs? Interesting, maybe we should rate todays modern MWs case by case on P4P lists, obviously guys coming up from WW are closer to old MWs then say Canelo. It's very muddy water.

 

I think there is a fair-ish case to disqualify Toney. He was never a real 160lbs MW neither was Eubank.

 

Hagler
Lamotta
Hamsho
Greb
Tiger

 

Toney has to be on the list

 

Ray Robinson on any list.

of course Hagler, LaMotta, Greb, Tiger, Monzon , GGG… a very deep division on tough guys …

 

Well if you aren’t disqualifying post same day weigh in fighters then I don’t see a case for Tiger over guys like Eubank and Toney.

 

Why Tiger but not Toney?

 

Gorilla Jones should not be in this list. He wasn't the most durable, he simply clever. Freddie Steele said he was the cleverest boxer he's ever met. That's like saying Holman Williams and Sanderline Williams has one of the best chin of the sport. With that being said, my list is:

1. Jake LaMotta
2. Marvin Hagler
3. James Toney
4. Carlos Monzon
5. Gene Fullmer

It's really becuz there's so many rock solid chins in this division such as Jorge Castro, Chris Eubank, Henry Hank, GGG, Mike McCallum and Bennie Briscoe. I think Gabriel Rosado should have been credited more for his chin considering he never got light's out by anybody including the likes of GGG, Lemieux, Quillin, Charlo and most recently Jaime Munguia.

The problem I have with GGG and Ray Robinson is that none of the fighters they were big punchers.

 

I heard he was only down once in 172 fights or something crazy like that, which is why I thought he deserved a mention. That's a crazy record to have.

 

I'd have no drama with Gorilla Jones in the five. He was dropped once in his life by an ATG puncher in Steele and was back up in the blink of an eye.

16 years and 156 fights against all comers up to the level of winning the world title and including multiple fights against Freddie Steele. He fought pro from 18yo to his mid 30's. I think it's pretty obvious his chin would have been tested on plenty of occasions. Sanderline Williams had what, 40 fights over 11 years.

Toney's going to make a lot of lists but he's going to get a lot of credit for fights above middleweight on a list which is strictly talking at middleweight where he was actually legitimately dropped. He's too is also "clever" which is the basis for which you are discounting Gorilla. I don't think Steele was talking simply about it being hard to catch him clean. Toney would be difficult to keep off a top #5 list but if someone really zoned in on 160 pound fights only they might turn the odd head.

Fullmers one punch KO loss to Robinson makes it awful hard to have him in the five and indeed over a guy like Gorilla. He was also dropped on other occasions. I couldn't have him in a five personally.

 

Talking about Toney it's often overlooked he was dropped heavily by Reggie Johnson with one punch, and Reggie Johnson was not noted as a puncher. Didn't he have a KO ratio of below 50 ?

 

I also agree with your analysis on James Toney, off the top of my head. I don't really remember Toney taking that many "flush" shots bang on the chin. Because he's so good at rolling with the shots and his defence, in the same way Floyd Mayweather Jr has moved up alot of weightclasses. And has never truly had an official knockdown apart from a bogus one against Hernandez, because he's so good at rolling with the shots and his defence in same regards as Toney.