Greatest fighters with the least natural talent

Vargas comes to mind.

 

excellent choice.

 

Bernard Hopkins. What special physical talents did he have that stood out?

 

yes i have. that was my era in boxing. why?

 

margerito 26 years ago he'd have been a nobody in boxing

 

are you kidding?

hopkins was a ring-craftsman.

forget excitement and marketability - he was neither.

as a boxer-figther he was exceptional.

 

another good choice

 

Why specifically 26?

 

Hopkins is a natural born boxer. You aren't born with a chin like that. He is as tough as they come, you can't learn that in a gym. And his longevity is also natural. Many boxers have trained and abstained like Hopkins has, but very very few of them can still compete with the best fighters in the world at age 40+.

 

At 147-154, there were guys like Hearns, Leonard, Benitez, Duran, Curry, etc..

Not that I agree with the statement though.

 

If you're a great fighter without that much natural talent, doesn't that make you a real overachiever?

Dwight Muhammad Qawi has a terrific achievement-to-talent ratio. Here's a guy built like an oompa loompa has went on to become a two-division world champ, and maybe in the top 15 or so light-heavyweight ever.

He wasn't blessed with great speed, or freakish power. He also started the sport late.

 

just a rough estimate specifically between the eras of the 80s and the 90s a guy like margerito would have been gate keeper level

 

glen johnson is a great choice also