The time has come - Roberto Duran's fighting style in his prime is what i believe to be as close to the perfect style as has ever been. Hitting without being hit, he could walk straight forward, standing upright, blocking punches, slipping punches, and landing his own not just counters, but powerful hooks and uppercuts all the while. He could stand right in front of a guy, both would throw a combination of natsily intented blows, one guy would miss every shot, ROBERTO would land every shot. Im not talking about a guy who would simply use angles to perfection in an effort to counter (which is great also), Roberto could end the fight whilst doing this. His right hand was a thing of absolute perfection, it was so accurate from distance, it was never telegraphed, when both guys would be standing off one another, Duran's always cocked right-hand would slip forward rapidly and his body would turn and follow it in, where body shots that came from under, and from the sides would follow. He could cut off the ring, but its astonishing that his main tactic used to trap an opponent was simply to either smash their body in when they got close, or to fire a pin-point right over the top. He COULD box, had a fast jab aswell, but when he got into a fighting rythm he was simply immense. There IS a difference between an aggressive and a vicious fighter, Duran was maybe the most vicious ever, my fave ko is the Cuevas one, but the Bizzaro one may be the best exponent of vicious boxing that has ever been witnessed. Roberto Duran is, was, and always will be unique, as a man, and most definitely as a pugilist.
Joltin' Jeff Chandler...Perhaps the best Bantam weight Champ in US history...And one of the best Philly boxers ever!!! This content is protected Jeff was not your stereotypical Philly brawler...He certainly didn't go toe to toe and pound you into submission with left hooks. He was a sound technical boxer...He had very good heigh for a Bantam weight and used it to his advantage. He made great use of his reach and movement for getting out of the way. His money punch was that steady right jab, in your face all night. When he was not concerned with your power he moved in and attacked the body. A tireless counter puncher, and fearless champion. He only wanted to fight the best, was upset when his managers trie to schedule a fight w/ Jose resendea...who is he, can't you get me somebody better..I want the best! This content is protected Only 2 amatuer fights and would lsoe one of them (although he would get revenge as a pro!). Only an 8 year carear, but 4 of that was speant as the dominant fixture of the BW division. Beat Baby Kid Chocolate, Solis X's 2, Lujan, Murata X's 3 (no way was 1 a draw!!!!), Johnny Carter, Gaby Canizales, Oscar muniz (I don't believe he lost the first to SD either) He was finally stopped by sandoval and ended his carear as he needed cataract surgery (the only time he was ever droped as well). Great chin, expert use of his physical size and tools, great defencs and counter puncher, brilliant jab, intelligent use of discerning when to engage in up close battle...Willing to fight any one!!! This content is protected This content is protected
Whenever Erik Morales fought, he always 'left it all in the ring', great phrase and so true of Morales, one of history's greatest warriors of the highest order
This is great, Phillyphan, you keep posting Phillfighters, i'll do what i can with my Latin fighters, and we got a mini-HOF goin on here!!! Haha
Felix Trinidad was one of history's finest finishers, maybe secnd to Joe Louis in that respect. He seemingly never wasted a shot, as he seemed to be so accurate with every one. His chin is very underrated, he may have been 'chinny' , but he was never hurt until fighting up at 160 against one of that division's finest ever- the great Bernard Hopkins. Larry Merchant once said (something to the effect of) 'it never ceases to amaze me how fighters think they are able to trade with Trinidad', for a guy who talks a lot of disrespect, he was never more on the money imo. Trinidad had one of the hardest left-hooks in welterweight (and maybe p4p) history, and when he was floored, he would get up and exact revenge fairly quickly usually. People think he was easy to outbox, but you had to be a tremendous, world-class mover to achieve this, a simply good or average footwork would be ultimately gotten to. I personally dont think (in essence) that patriotism has any place in this sport, not when it is taken to extreme one sided lengths anyhow, but the relationship Trinidad had with his fans was beautiiful. He had the whole of Puerto Rico on his back whenever he fought, and he always was a warrior.
Then lets keep this rollin'... Miracle Matthew (Franklin) Saad Muhammad....From the toughest of hardluck stories, Matt would rise from the streets of Philadelphia and become "King of the World". Here was one of the toughest guys ever to get into a ring..no matter how badly he had been hurt (Marvin Johnson) no matter how many times he had been hit (Yaqui Lopez) Knockdown..no problem...matt always seemed to rise from the canvas, or find a way to turn defeat into victory. He would not allow himself to lose and would find a way to snatch victory when it seemed impossible for a man to do so. Never say die!!! This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected
:happy Bravo fellas!!!What a thread!!Never thought a thread like this would be so popular.Great work homies.. Here's mine: Thomas Hearns was and will always be my most favourite puglist of all-time.Bar none.Gifted with uncanny upper body strength....spindly legs that let him down him down a few times in his unbelievable career...incredible leverage on his hands...particularly the right hand....but most of all,the heart of an African lion to go with all that...Opponents did'nt know whether they were going out or not with Tommy.He was that special breed of fighter...who puts it on the line...no quarter asked or given.You either take him out or he takes you out.Graceful in that ring...like in giving Leonard(another HOF) a boxing lesson for 13 rnds...A killa in the ring when he wanted to be....like when he blew Roberto Duran(a legendary HOFer) in two rounds.. Tommy Hearns was the fighter who got me hooked on boxing.Too bad they don't make them like Tommy anymore. All Hail The Hitman!!!
This content is protected My absolute favorite NON-PHILLY BOXER EVER!!! The warrior..the professor..Azumah Nelson...My wife hates him!!! All of my children from the time they could talk would run around the house chanting "Zuma, Zuma, Zuma"...next to E-A-G-L-E-S it is among the first things that I taught them!!! "Good Dad, huh?" Many remember him as the professor and rightly so, this amazing boxer was able to box the sockx of nearly every one. He was always looking for the next student to get in the ring with him, so he could teach them all about his craft. Rebounding from a loss to Salvador Sanchez early in his carear qualified him to teach the painful lessons his subjects needed. Watching him stalk, counter, attack, block was a thing of art...some of his students also fell asleep and missed the lesson...For this was no ordinary professor...rather a warrior and the ring was his classroom...Pat Cowdell would be treated to one of the greatest first round KO's ever. When looking for a devastating KO look no further...But if you do, you might just see Wilfredo Gomez who had destroyed so many, needing his own lesson. Zuma was only happy to oblige..his KO of Gomez (whom I also like) remains one my favorites ever...While I believe he lost the first fight to Fenech, it clearly shows us a man who could take a barage of punishment and still stand tall, making Sanchez's KO of Nelson even that much more impressive. This content is protected This content is protected In the words of my kids...ZUMA...ZUMA...ZUMA!!!
Ricardo Lopez is technical brilliance, a textbook of boxing could aptly be renamed 'The Ricardo Lopez book', now that he has retired. One of the very finest boxers of all-time, immaculate balance, guard always up, he used his great jab to dominating effect and would not waste his big right when he stepped in with it. He could lay a man out with one shot, he could mix it up on the inside, his ring-generalship was so great that he could move in, mix it up with hooks to body and head, and then be out of range when his opponent found theirs, using simple subtle movements. Above all of that, he dominated his era with the air of a king, retired undefeated and is very likely the greatest straw-weight of all-time.