Screw the resumes, accomplishments, impact, popularity, greatness or whateverthe**** — Who are the 5 boxers you think have the best and biggest skillsets? I’m talking about the ones that, skill-for-skill, just stand out from the thousands of fighters out there, active or retired The kind of fighters that make you think, 'yeah, nobody’s built like that' The kind of fighters you'd pick to beat ANYONE who dared to be in their way, regardless of anything?
1- Ali 2- Sugar Ray Robinson 3- Marcel Cerdan (never forget the influence he had on France Boxing and for the colony of France including Vietnam,Cambodia, Laos, 80% of Africa, and some South America Countries...). 4- Marvin Hagler 5- Sugar Ray Leonard
01 - Sugar Ray Robinson 02 - Roberto Duran 03 - Pernell Whitaker 04 - Floyd Mayweather 05 - Roy Jones I've grave reservations about including Jones, but he looked like he was from another planet against Tate. I'm not sure I've seen anything weirder than that tbh. I honestly think that one of the few people that look comparable to Jones on film is Charley Burley. If it was based on one performance/best single performance I don't think his inclusion can be meaningfully argued against, he's absolutely incredible. But one fight isn't enough for this list.
Great insight on Burley, he boxed like he saw everything going on slow motion, absolutely polarizing fighter and it's a shame he never fought Ray Robinson or had a world title
It is absolutely absurd seeing a light-middleweight boom in lead right-hands to the body against a light-heavyweight that immolated Harold Johnson. Yes, like you say, it was like he saw the fight in slow motion but it's tantamount to this crazy risky style that is also very safe Roy against Tate and Burley against Smith are both Matrix-like.
Guys I’ve seen? (So forgive me I haven’t seen everyone…) Based purely on boxing ability? Jose Napoles Henry Armstrong Willie Pep Benny Leonard Miguel Canto You’ll notice Ezzard Charles isn’t there as we only have film of him as a HW bar a loss… like James Toney he’d slowed down It seemed like a “getting by” effort with him. Ray Robinson ain’t up there because his skills were mighty but he also was very tall for his era at 147lbs and did things only he or other intensely blessed individuals could pull off well the above are all wonders themselves but there pure boxing was absolutely special. I’ll suppose honorary mentions… everyone is so close besides Napoles to me, Napoles was the ceiling of pure boxing his physicality (blessed as he was) was his only limit, you could put Eder in my top 5 or Duran etc and it wouldn’t matter to me the only constant is Napoles he’s just the little bit better then all the best of them. JCC Snr Ruben Olivares Roberto Duran Carlos Monzon Sugar Ray Robinson Eder Jofre Emile Griffith Luis Rodriquez Archie Moore James Toney Barney Ross Gene Tunney
Sorry for quoting all the comment i don't know how to quote an specific part, but we do have footage of Ezzard's prime at Light-Heavyweight and it's against one of his best opponents in Lloyd Marshall, member of the Black Murderer's Row This content is protected It's quite blurry and the both look super duper fast, i don't know if it's because of the upscaling method the guy who posted it used or anything else; I hope that isn't their real speed tho cuz that would make Charles even more ****ing terrifying TLDW: he looks like Sugar Ray Robinson but heavier and more prone to inside fighting[/QUOTE]
Addressing this part - "The kind of fighters you'd pick to beat ANYONE who dared to be in their way, regardless of anything?" 1. SRR @ 147lbs 2. Muhammad Ali @ 1967 3. Roberto Duran @ 135lbs 4. Roy Jones @160lbs 5. Wilfredo Gomez @ 122lbs Notes - this is a quick off the top of my head list. *When talking H2H i never ever ignore fighters that fought prior to a divisions concept. This is why i have listed RJJ at 160 and not 168. Around 1946 i'd back Ezzard Charles to make 168 without any negative implications whatsoever if he needed to. Charles would be an awfully large question mark hanging over the head of Jones. It also brings in guys like Archie Moore and others. Jones otherworldly pole axing of Tate was his fight prior to totally schooling Toney at 168 so it's safe to assume Jones was already about as good as he ever was - a ridiculously fast developer heavily reliant on incredible speed and reflexes as well as a stupendous innate sense of instinct. *To continue the theme imagine throwing in someone at the confines140lbs when Roberto Duran exists. The massive majority of non title fights he had while holding the crown at 135 were between 135-140. Imagine this freak around the time he moved up to 147 whipping himself into top shape to fight at 140. There might not be another fighter in history that would beat him at that weight. A guy like Napoles also looms large at 140. *Wilfredo Gomez would be a surprise to some but at that exact weight how hard is he to beat? That is after including such 118 pounds beast as Jofre, Olivares and co. He already stomped on one of the greatest ever bantams, one who had the frame to rise up in weight effectively you'd think? His alleged illness muddies the water but we only have what actually happened to go on, via clear film. Jeff Fenech would be incredibly dangerous but Gomes has so much power, can fight violently on the inside and loves a foulfest as well. So Gomez has nabbed himself a rare piece of limelight from me. *I was heavily tempted to have Charles at 175lbs and perhaps should have, but i wanted to change it up a bit. A guy like Spinks is a real smoking gun at 175 tho Ezzard did beat a helluva lot of smoking guns there. It would be a strange fight as both loved to do just enough, Spinks until he got hit hard or simply felt like it, Ezzard more out of style.
Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather 130lbs Henry Armstrong 126lbs Roberto Duran 135lbs Sugar Ray Robinson 147lbs Roy Jones 160lbs