Fighters with better defense than Mayweather - past and present

NoNeck · Jul 9, 2018

FastSmith7 said: ↑

Lomachenko has the best defense in the last 20 years, he is one of the most offensive boxers you can imagine and yet he gets hit less than any currently active boxer, if he stuck to a purely defensive counter punching style like Floyd did I'm sure he'd almost never get hit, thought his reach is not good for this style.
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And yet he got put on his ass a couple months ago.

Jackomano · Jul 9, 2018

Vanboxingfan said: ↑

What about Joe Gans? or Willie Pep, or Jack Johnson. Tell me why Floyd is better defensively than these guys?

Since I know that you know **** all about Gans, here's a little blurb about him.

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Joe Gans, lightweight champion of the world from 1902-1908, whose talent, polished professional style, and punching power earned him the magnificent title of The Old Master, was as dominate a fighter as any who ever donned gloves. Gans was a defensive master as well as a devastating puncher. He attacked vital points with pinpoint accuracy and threw every punch perfectly, in combinations and with bewildering speed. He was a master at counter punching, of the now lost art of feinting, and at the neglected art of body punching. He was a complete fighter who could be champion in any age.
Gans great speed, power, combination punching ability and killer instinct is evident from newspaper accounts. The Sep. 28, 1904 San Francisco Chronicle reported, "Those who have watched Gans go through his work every day are amazed at his wonderful agility, his speed and his clean hitting ability." The Jan. 20, 1906 Chronicle summed up these qualities while describing the end of his fight with the highly regarded welterweight Mike "Twin" Sullivan, "He caught Sullivan partly turned away. A dusky right arm swung over with electric quickness. A sodden glove connected with the back of Sullivan's left ear. The Twin spun almost around from the force of the blow, and when he tried to steady himself he found that a straw colored tiger in the person of Joe Gans was upon him. Rights and lefts went with terrible swiftness to his opponents jaw. In went Gans right to the stomach, over circled his left to the jaw. And then Mike "Twin" Sullivan much the bigger and heavier man...fell backward to the canvas."
Gans excellent footwork was described as "beautiful side-stepping, and legwork" By Nat Fleischer in Black Dynamite. The Oct 1, 1904 San Francisco Chronicle reported that "Gans beautiful footwork became evident. He was in and away or inside as it suited him best, with will-o-the-wisp elusivness." Jack Johnson speaking of Gans footwork said, (Ring 1941, 16), "Joe moved around like he was on wheels."
Gans was a masterful defensive fighter and counter-puncher. Against Kid McPartland, Gans blocked his rivals leads so well it was astounding. Gans presented a beautiful defense. Against Elbows McFadden, "He danced and ducked, countered and jabbed and simply bewildered his opponent. He was cool, calculating, shifty and blocked most of his opponents blows. The great lightweight Jack Blackburn was utterly unable to penetrate the champions defense acording to the July 14, 1906 National Police Gazette. Against welterweight Mike Twin Sullivan, SF Chronicle Mar 18, 1906, Gans superior cleverness at blocking saved him from any punishment and his quick counters invariably landed with great force. Veteran boxing observer Billy Duffy agrees saying, Ring Magazine Oct 1926, that "as a counterer he was second to none."
Gans had a remarkable ability to stop his opponent's punches and he is considered, by many, as perhaps the best fighter ever at blocking and evading blows. Ben Benjamin wrote, Sept 7, 1907 San Fransisco Chronicle, that he "blocked blows in his incomparable style" and commented, "It is as a blocker that Gans is at his best. There never was a fighter who could block with such skill and precision as Gans. He is a perfect marvel at stopping, using either hand with equal facility. He rarely wastes a blow, his judgment on distance being almost perfect." The August 1960 Boxing Illustrated in This was Joe Gans said, Gans was born with a sixth sense. They tell the story of how one of his opponents, after Joe had "carried" him for six rounds, asked The Old Master, "how do you do it?" And Joe just grinned and said, "I really dunno. I tried to figure it out, but I can't put it into words. I guess I just see what you're thinking and when the thought gets down around the elbow I just reach out and stop it.
The Boston Globe Sep. 2, 1906, described Gans as "one of the most wonderful fighters from a scientific view that the world has ever known. There is not a trick or point that he does not know, and he has a terrific punch with either hand. His wallops travel only a short distance and are better than the far reaching ones. Gans has a beautiful left (jab) and can do great execution with it."
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This. I like Floyd and agree that he's the best defensive fighter of his Generation, but in the past there are too many fighters to name that were much better defensively, fought much more often then Floyd, and also proved their defense against better opposition.

Some footage of Joe Gans

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A Joe Gans fight

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Fighters with better defense than Mayweather - past and present

NoNeck Pugilist Specialist

Jackomano Boxing Junkie Full Member

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Fighters with better defense than Mayweather - past and present

NoNeck Pugilist Specialist

Jackomano Boxing Junkie Full Member