Underrated Jabs

Harold Johnson

 

Ray Mercer had a good jab when he used it he actually out jabbed Lennox Lewis how many people can say they've done that ?

Mike Tyson's jab isn't often talked about but he had a very good jab.

 

John Conteh
Yaqui Lopez
Luis Rodriguez
Duane Thomas

 

I don’t know that Michael Spinks gets proper credit for his jab at 175, much less heavyweight. (Maybe he does but seems like most think of him more for his Spinks Jinx right-hand power.)

Mike Weaver had a fine jab — out-jabbed Larry Holmes to some degree in the first fight (if you didn’t know, they met again as old men) — that rarely gets mentioned. I’ll agree, however, with anyone saying he wasn’t consistent with it.

Mark Johnson had a really quick southpaw jab that set up most of his offense as I recall. He isn’t talked about much so I’d say that means his jab is underrated.

 

Even the more elite and consistently applied jabbers can be notably put off by a decent jab in return - and the reciprocating jab doesn’t have to be as good - just good enough to upset the rhythm of the fighter with the more celebrated left hand.

Zora Folley threw some good, no nonsense, by the book jabs at Ali that caught Muhammad pretty good. Of course not as good as Ali’s, but Norton’s jab gave Ali quite a bit of grief also.

 

Jack Johnson perhaps - by perhaps I mean if people don’t rate his jab as highly as I do.

Johnson had a fast, piston like jab - very good form. You can also see him sit down on the jab for more hurtful effect.

Overall, why people might accept that Johnson had fast hands, his hands might’ve been that much faster than he is generally given credit for.

During the Flynn fight, Johnson launched an exceptionally fast two handed barrage that had Flynn’s head bobbing this way and that.

 

So many. A group of guys around the same weight and era, Howard Davis Jr, Hector Camacho, Roger Mayweather, all these guys had really good jabs as did Edwin Rosario when he wanted to box a bit.

No mention of Ali yet

 

Winky Wright's jab vs Felix Trinidad is as effective as i recall seeing.

 

Mike Tyson
Marco Antonio Barrera
Miguel Cotto
Donald Curry
Yuri Arbachakov

 

Bob Foster.

 

Julio Cesar Chavez was a guy not known for his jab, but he was very adept at using it.

 

Almost by default i keep thinking of guys that are below ATG level and therefore not talked about as much. When people ask for "best jab" or best of this and that it's invariably top shelf guys getting the limelight, for obvious reasons. Lower level guys feature a lot more (comparatively) in durability threads because they are often the poor suckers getting hit by renowned big bangers and having to prove their durability. When lesser guys go the distance with top shelf killer punchers we obviously take great note and if they do it multiple times, wellllllllllllll....guys like Cobb, Laporte, McCall, Chuvalo, Mercer etc.

We've got the in between too. A guy like Ken Buchanan is a bit below ATG but not a lot......has a super left jab.......but a lot in here know that and he gets the odd mention for jab and if anyone talks about him the jab invariably pops up.

It's harder to find top level guys underrated in much of anything because they are in the limelight copping superlatives from all angles on a regular basis.

Go back and ways and the list is endless. Guys like Curtis Cokes, Billy Graham and so many others.

 

Tippy Larkin. He handily outboxed one of the great welterweight jabbers in history in Billy Graham and only lost three official decisions in his 146-fight career. Two of those he rectified in rematches and one was partly to due to an injury against "Kid" Berg.