Freak athletes of Boxing history

Ali, obviously.

 

Tyson isn't a bad guess.

We don't know how much of most fighters' abilities come from practice and training. Was Roy Jones a "natural" athletic freak with weird genetics? We dunno.

But with Tyson, though, we have some hints. We know D'Amato was looking for kids who fit the athletic profile he wanted. And the statements from Tyson's opponents confirm that he had unusual physical talents in several areas -- strength, speed, power, durability -- over and over.

 

You're not wrong but for how long do you expect athletes to maintain their freak athletic abilities? Ali di so for about a decade. I think that's pretty darn good.

 

That aside, guys like Valuev, Carnera, and Willard displayed (for their times) abnormal physical qualities. Those are the ones you can tell for sure.

I guess you could add multi sport athletes like Norton, and guys who did well in gym tests like Conteh.

 

Anyway, here you go:

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/elite-boxers-who-also-excelled-at-other-sports.677844/

 

So yeah, your "freaks" would be:

- Guys who have obvious physical advantages (Valuev, Carnera, Willard, etc.)

- Guys who show objectively high physical abilities (Conteh winning the "Superstars" competition repeatedly, IIRC.)

- Guys who are selected at a young age for abnormal physical talent by coaches who know what to look for (Tyson, probably Patterson)

- Successful multi-sport athletes (Mundine, Ken Norton, Charlie Powell)

Those would be the slots I could think of. By contrast, I don't think viewing guys' performances in the ring will always tell you who had the raw physical gifts you're looking for. Skill and intangibles play too much of a role.

 

Hi Guys.
Not sure what the term " freak " actually means relative to boxing, it's not easy to decipher, as Cross pointed out the overly tall fighters could be labelled freaks, not sure that a boxer that excels in another sport could in the real sense of the word be called a " freak " for me a better word would be multi talented, I see the word being more approbeate when applied to fighters like, Nelson, Armstrong, and most definitely Greb, fighters with endurance, and almost inhuman stamina, able to fight dozens of times a year, that says " freak " to me, but looks like we all translate the meaning differently .
stay safe guys.

 

Late 1970's Ali relied on his chin a lot. Which is a gift imo. Besides I feel like "freak athletes" should be on when they were at their peak anyway.

 

Terry Norris comes to mind. Aside from his insane hand and foot speed he was known for his incredible strength. The guy could bench 300 pounds which is pretty damn impressive for his weight class.

 

Roy Jones Jr.

Obviously there was more to him than just his athletic gifts but those gifts were still insane.

Barbados Joe Walcott.

I understand that some may not want to put here due to lack of film but welterweights just simply don't do what he did. It's just not supposed to happen.

Sandy Saddler

Not only incredibly smart but also very gifted. Insane punching power and height for a featherweight.

Panama Al Brown

Imagine fighting a 118 champion whose taller than some heavyweight champions. Mostly mentioning him because he's underrated here imo. He deserves this shoutout and much more.

Fighting Harada

lot of special things about Harada but the one I'll mention here is his unreal stamina. Oh speaking of stamina Henry Armstrong is an obvious pick. Not sure why I didn't think of him sooner.

 

Ali was slow of foot in regards to running for what it is worth.

 

Larry Holmes. Not only that jab, but what normal human can bound over car rooftops like a Marvel comics hero and then pull off a dropkick Ricky Steamboat would have been envious of?

 

Wilfred Benetiz…he apparently never trained