Do people realize how good Armstrong's defense would have to be for him to have the success he had fighting the style that he had against the caliber and size of opponents that he fought? Although he was an offensive minded fighter, his defense was one of the best of all time.
It was certainly better than Pryor's. Hank did a better job getting low and boring in underneath, digging down with those body shots, and not exposing his chin needlessly. (Armstrong was actually at Pryor's side when the latter weighed in for Arguello at Miami, but I don't know that Hank offered any tutelage or advice to Aaron. Pryor wasn't strictly a come forward swarmer or infighter like he anyway, but much more representative of the Hawk nickname, swooping around the ring and in for the kill.)
Armstrong did exhibit good head movement on the way in, and worked the angles pretty well on the inside in order to avoid getting hit with anything really clean in return. His constant aggression meant that he was going to get tagged from time to time, but on the whole, his defense was indeed an underrated part of his game. Wouldn't say it was the best of all time, but all things considered, pretty sound.
He is sound defensively. It is nothing to rave about, declaring him a 'great' defensive master, but by that it is also nothing to scoff at.
Here's an excellent post I read the other day on Armstrong's technique. I'd add to it that Armstrong, once removed even a few inches from his opponent's chest, used constant upper-body movement on the way in, garnering leverage for his shots in the process.
^ I agree with that fully. Me and my friend were discussing the other day who was physically stronger, Duran or Armstrong, and i think it's very clear that it's Duran. Granted he's a bit bigger naturally, but even in a pfp sense that statement stands imo. Armstrong's successful swarming style was heavily geared with his technique. Duran was very very strong, he had ridiculous skills as well, and that's why people underrate his strength imo.
I've said this in the past, but it really struck me when visiting the IBHOF in Canastota that the largest fist cast on display when I was there was Carnera's (of course), while the very tiniest then seen was that of Armstrong's. I strongly suspect that Hank was always a natural featherweight, making his pound for pound achievements all the more staggering. He swilled gallons of beer in training trying to gain weight for Ross, yet still couldn't top the lightweight limit. If his efforts had been conversely dedicated to weight reduction, I have little doubt that he could have come in under 126 in defense of the featherweight title for as long as he remained in competition. (If the premise that he was always truly a natural featherweight is accepted, then the argument that he was superior to Greb and Robinson on a pound for pound basis becomes much stronger.)
Well, Greb drank ale in training for Walker. Alcohol kills germs, so maybe it makes some sense. Kate Hepburn went with Bogart, Bacall and Huston to make "The African Queen" on the Dark Continent, and she gave them grief for their boozing ways while confining herself to drinking bottled water. Then, mystified, she started getting sicker and sicker, while they all remained hale, hearty and healthy. Turns out that her bottled water was tainted, while no pathogenic bug was able to survive in their disinfected systems. She switched to drinking champagne, and had no more distress.
My granddad says something similar. In the 60s he was working in Turkey, apparently a sh*thole back then, and he said my grandmother and him drank one bottle of wodka everyday to avoid getting ill due to lack of hygiene. They never got ill while his collagues who didn´t do so all got diarrhoea one time or another.
