10 Best Defensive fighters since 1990

A good chin, not a very good chin. However, I'd say his recovery powers were very good.

 

Only over the last two or three years has he became hittable enough for his defense to be worrying enough for it be be regarded as "the worst aspect of his game"

Marquez at his best was defensively tuned well. The slick movement at his peak has been on the downside over the last 2-3 years.

Maybe the last two or three years hurts his standing in the top 10 since 1990.

 

If we're talking good purely defensive fighters of the 90's I'd consider Hector Acero Sanchez.
He wasn't a great fighter in the slightest and couldn't break an egg with his punches but he did have a frustratingly good defense that allowed him to survive against dangerous punchers like Morales,Konadu,Pickney,Mckinney and Tracy Patterson.

 

What about Starling?

 

I'd go with Eubank over Byrd or Calderon from the good lists already shown.


Eubank could get hit a fair amount against acertain styles and was not a defence first guy by any means, but he probably had one of the best Napoles-esque defences of the past 20 or so years.

He slipped punches beatifully against fighters that allowed him to control the pace.

 

Got outboxed and tagged allot for a great defense. Excellent radar, but foundamentally weak

 

Hopkins is NOT as good defensively as Floyd, and never was. Roy in his prime was more elusive than Hopkins as well.

And take that bum Spadafora off the list!

 

i would put Herrol Graham in there.

 

Graham was brilliant defensively.

 

Is this thread about best technique, or just plain who gets hit the least? Hopkins may have had better defensive technque than Roy, and Floyd, but Floyd & Roy because of thier athletic gifts got hit less.

And Spadafora simply was not a very good fighter. See the Dorin fight to see how TRULY hittable he was. He defense was a myth.

Anyway, ok heres my list:

1. Sweet Pea
2. Floyd
3. Roy
4. Hopkins
5. Toney
6. Ricardo Lopez
7. Winky
8. John David Jackson
9. Chris Byrd
10. Prime Reggie Johnson

 

More so in the early-mid eighties than post 90 for Graham.

Other eighties stylist like Kalambay, zapata, Starling and Happy Lora all did their best work pre-90 as well or would all make a top ten IMO.

 

Yeah that's right.

 

Herol Graham...
James Toney...