Duran is LIKELY the best fighter skill wise, ever.

Emanuel Augustus is a good example of this imo.

 

He's up there, for sure, but with all the greats it's very hard to pick one as the most skilled. But his balance between attack and defence was perhaps the greatest, since he had such a high level in both.

Mayweather, before his first retirement, gets a bit shortchanged, I'd say, though. Just like Hopkins for someone reason is mostly remembered for his spoiler style that started to emerge post Trinidad, Mayweather is mostly remembered for the more negative style he developed when he came back. Those were adjustment both did due to advancing age and declining physical gifts, so why not remembering them as they were at their peak?

Because Floyd could take guys apart in his first career. Not saying he was an offensive machine on prime Duran's level, but along with hardly being touched he could lay a beatdowns on good and even very good fighters.

Whitaker was also more complete than remembered. He actually dominated Chavez in the pocket. And for me, it's too early to rule out Loma from this company. Yes, the Lopez fight was a disappointing performance, which actually managed to look even worse when Lopez lost and struggled to what one has to call fairly mediocre fighters in the bigger picture (i e boxing history), but apart from that night he has looked very, very good. I expect him to lose against Haney, but can he do a Duran and defy expectations when his time at the big stage seem to be nearing an end things will look very different all of a sudden.

So, it was too early to elevate Loma among the very best before Lopez, but also too early tom completely write him off now. Impressive wins against Haney, Tank and Stevenson and the Lopez debacle will become a fast fading memory. I personally think that Loma is in a good enough division to prove his greatness and he never shy away from the big fights, so he might still turn things around.

 

Who is the best inside fighter offensively…and defensively? On your list

 

Say hello to Jimmy Young for me. Cool you have him at your gym.

 

My uncle died years ago, Pat is a fraud!

 

Defensively? Watch Walker-Hudkins II, as Mickey takes Ace apart while retreating in the pocket. Locche was also a nightmare when he went into his clamshell from where his uppercuts sent Paul Fuji's head virtually into orbit. Louis did not like being crowded or forced backwards, but for the rematch with Godoy, he did it well in what I consider his tactical masterpiece

Offensively, it's hard to go against Frazier and Duran. In 1969, Jerry Quarry went inside on Smoke and won only the opening round, but it was a great single round inside clinic by both. You have to look at guys who needed no punching room, as Cooper demonstrated with his final left hook KD on Bodell. Ali avoided Henry like a plague in their rematch, and that's why Muhammad trained down to 201 for that one.

 

Offense:
Chavez
Duran
Frazier

Defense:
Sweet Pea
Toney
Floyd


There may be some others, but I personally go by guys I've seen multiple times, not just clips of.......hence no Homicide Hank, Benton or Pep being on my list etc.......

 

All of the shoulder roll guys can fight inside…even Adrian Broner

 

I'd put Qawi up there aswell he was better defensively than Frazier, and had better punch variety aswell as being a better counter puncher.

But Frazier had the heavier artillery especially with his left hook.

 

Duran is the best I've seen in my lifetime.

 

And Ali demonstrated his shoulder roll going inside on Blue Lewis in a bout I just reviewed for the umpteenth time.

 

Wesley Mouzon and Quenzell McCall were the trainers who developed Qawi, and with Dwight's long reach, they stated during his peak that he was actually an outside fighter who had to learn to fight inside.

By the time this tandem had gotten to the then Dwight Braxton, his habit of breathing through the mouth was already far too ingrained for it to be broken. As he comes out of the corner, you see his mouth closed, then it opens very quickly, looking like a perpetual sneer. But he didn't smile or laugh unless he had good reason to.

Now if you get socked on the jaw with your mouth open, it's likely to get fractured. Nothing close to this ever happened to Qawi despite the monstrous punchers he faced. THAT shows you what an excellent defensive fighter he was. (After Qawi-Saad II, Malcom "Flash" Gordon in his Tonight's Boxing Program described him "like a fabulous Jose Napoles master of defense, never taking a backwards step while making his opponent miss, keeping his lead foot between Saad's feet"). He was very different to Frazier, having the very best counterjab of the age. As soon as you jabbed, he'd jab. He could have given Ali nightmares and headaches, not that Ali would lose, but Ike might take any version of the GOAT the Championship Distance. He'd be my favorite LHW for extending Ali.

Johnny Davis showed in their middle bout that the best way to force Ike backwards was with repeated big hooks, but Johnny couldn't keep it up. Frazier however could, and Smoke would've been a very bad bout for Qawi, much worse than Foreman proved to be during George's comeback.

 

Lol. My man.

 

Right, It's kinda built in as a defense,