Better defence Frazier/Tyson & Whitaker/Mayweather. Lets keep in mind that Joe Frazier did not have the power of Mike Tyson and got the job done by accumulation for the most part, now the reason i bring this up is because Frazier had to stay on your ass chipping away to get you outta there, where as Mike Tyson could pick his spots to fight because of his devastating power, so the people who auto assume Tyson had the better defence because Joe got hit a bit need to realize that his style and punching power, whilst very good made him more hittable, but i dont think that = a bad defence or worst than Mike Tyson's, or does it? then you have to look at resume, who were they showcasing there defence against? I mean Malignaggi has a relatively leaky defence for so called defensive fighter but does he get hit as much as JCC? maybe? Whitaker/Mayweather also comes down to style for me, Whitaker had a lot more heart than Mayweather and would not only stay in the pocket some times but also stay inside (Roger Mayweather) and bang it out, also the best Mayweather has been in with is Castilo,Corrales, Whitaker has been in there with the likes of JCC,Azumah Nelson. Auto answers are probably Mayweather/Tyson but what do you think?
Whitaker If Sweet Pea didn't try to fight it out at times it would be more apparent, but like you said he had the heart to fight it out so it isn't.
The fighters you named are completley different but the same in like it was (and in the case of Mayweather) still is like an art. Tyson and Frazier with there quick darting head movement, looking to close distances and Mayweather & SweetPea using there sharp reflexes as well as staying in the pocket and taking no punishment.
i think they're equally as good, mayweather doesnt need to move around as much as his shoulder roll does the job, at times against oscar he was laughing at his flurries because he was just taking them on his arms
Unlike Sweet Pea, who was making Oscar hit thin air, to all except jim lampley of course, who was orgasming at the thought of 4-5 punch ODLH flurries landing lol he's a nut hugger of the highest order
I would probably give Pea a slight edge over Mayweather. Prime Tyson was beautiful to watch as well before he abandoned it and became a one punch at a time fighter.
Tyson's defence is overrated because he, unlike Frazier, didn't combine it with offence. If you look for his defensive moves, it is impressive but he rarely combined that with the ability to get his own punches off. It was either one or the other. Thats good for looking like he had good defence but it was not as effective as Frazier's, who would often bob and weave on his way in, then rip his opponents body apart with a left hook. His defence set up his attack whereas Tyson's was solely defensive. I think most fighters could look great defensively fighting with the same mindset as Tyson. Cotto did it against Mosley, Margarito and Pacquiao but when he tried to mount an attack off his defence, it didn't work and he got tagged. So Frazier, quite comfortably. I think Whitaker's defence was better than Mayweather's because he didn't leave the same openings Mayweather does now. When Mayweather was more offensive, you could argue he had a better defence because he didn't leave himself open to attack for such long periods. As a specialized defensive boxer, it's not as strong as a guy like Bentez's or Whitaker's because he's hittable. Sadly, body punching is not a big feature of modern boxing but if it was, I don't see Mayweather looking so good. He'd need to rely on footwork more than body movement. Whitaker has a better defence.
I agree. I think Tyson did to an extent but it was usually one singe punch, a counter designed to KO the opponent (Carl Williams) but im with you and agree in what your saying there. Again i agree, Frazier would move his head as he closed the distance in an effort to cut ring down on your and trap you on the ropes where he could bang you, Tyson would move his head and look for one single shot imo, i think thats why he eat Jabs against Holmes and uppercuts and right cross against Tucker, sometimes he was only concerned with landing the bomb and that point became more evident as his career went on, only his opposition got a little better. Again i agree. At times Mayweather has gotten aggressive he has gotten hit back solidly, Corley to name one. The fact that Mayweather rarely gets aggressive obviously puts him a notch below Whitaker in what you said, which was Whitaker being more adept at not leaving openings when he got aggressive.
The defence depends on the type of fighter who employs it right? I mean Tysons and Fraziers bob and weave style was great for them as they could come in against taller fighters without getting hit meanwhile landed serious uppercuts and hooks and being close to the body. Mayweather and Whitaker don't have that arsenal but they're own techniques favor them to land accurate punches while keeping the opponent's efforts to a bare minumum.
I think Tyson had in his prime the best defense in the history of the heavyweight devison and it was the key to his secuess. I think Frazier had a great bob &weave style but he was also a take 2 to give one fighter. Tyson > Frazier. I rank Whitaker's Defense over Mayweather's but it is very close. Whitaker has better reflexes than Mayweather. There is nothing like watching Whitaker "traped" in a coorner and sliping and ducking a barage of punches. I don't think anyone could do this better. Mayweather on the other hand in my opion is a better in terms of keeping space. I also think the Philly-Shell defense that he uses is very underartd and under used in boxing.
