Best lateral movers of all time?

and nel had only one lung !!

 

The lateral movement emphasized by Sarge Johnson for the 1976 US Olympic Boxing Squad tends to be taken for granted by those of us who watched their success as it took place.

SRL, like Larry Holmes, was a little different in that he circled counterclockwise out of the orthodox stance a great deal.

When Morrison beat Foreman, Tommy was forced to improvise, and did so in a different way than Ali in Kinshasa. The Duke discovered George could take his best hooks and shove him backwards effortlessly (which had to be alarming for a steroid using block of granite like Morrison). With Tommy's chin, rope-a-doping could never have been an option, so when he was shoved back, he started circling (even running at times) in a counterclockwise direction which took away Foreman's ring cutting step to the right.

Morrison-Foreman may be the most important bout in George's career on the best way to have planned for fighting him at his peak to minimize punishment. Tommy became the only opponent to ever defeat Foreman by outmaneuvering him to keep it in ring center. Ali didn't do it. Young outboxed opponents by slipping, countering, smothering and beating them to the punch, not with his legs so much.

Denis may have had the physical tools, stamina and punch resistance to pull off what Morrison did, but not the intelligence or temperament, and George got Dino to engage him pretty quickly, a situation where the anemic punching Denis was infinitely outgunned. Put Tommy's mind in Dino's head, that one might have turned out differently. (Denis may actually have been Foreman's best win of the 1970's when factoring in Frazier's deterioration, Norton's poor suitability for dealing with sluggers, and George's ring rust against Lyle. Dino was prime, matched Foreman's height and reach, was not intimidated and looking for a place to lie down, was not ambushed, and geared for sticking and moving over the distance. Big difference between courage and reckless stupidity though. George was always an angry guy. For Denis to tick off BOTH Gerry and Bugner though is an amazing, uh, "talent"? :huh)

 

I think that puts him over the top as far as a eventual IBHOF entry goes. It's an educational and informative pick, he was never stopped, his record over the championship distance is incredible, and we have ample footage of him boxing, slugging, scoring knockdowns and getting off his face to weather crisis to display his guts and determination.

 

Ken Buchanan was a great mover as well and deserves a mention on here

 

...

 

Danny?

 

"Oh Davey Boy,..." Nah, doesn't work as well in the lyrics, but I can't believe I'm the third poster in this thread to mention Danny...

 

Miguel Canto, Ivan Calderon, Miguel Lora

 

Absolutely.:good

 

Jack Bodell

 

Here's SRL in the first round against Hagler:

https://streamable.com/uzi1

 

Leonard - Hearns I:

https://streamable.com/9f58

 

Perhaps not of all time, but in the current boxing climate lomachenko is an exceptional mover.

 

Jimmy Wilde