Make an assessment/profile these 5 fighters

...........I haven't seen a lot of Calzaghe, but at first blush he kind of reminds me of a lesser Monzon. He knows how to use his size, and gradually exerts control, squeezing the fight plan away from his opponent. I don;t like that he slaps so much, but part of that I think may be a tool to simply keep his opponent on the defensive trying to defend against those quick flurries, sort of to make a point and hit the reset button if you will, to even things up off an exchange.

Floyd is the greatest fighter of this generation. No longer a runner, yet still finds ways to bore millions. Innovation of any kind is to be applauded.

Frazier may be slightly overrated here. Aside from the Ali fights, his opposition wasn't exactly spectacular, though not horrible. I just can't see him ranked in the top ten. Superb upper body and head movement when younger and lighter than post '71.

McClellan was actually considered by Manny Steward to be the best pure boxer he ever had at Kronk, and that says a lot. But like so many punchers, he often never got much of a chance to show it. His best punch may have been the left hook to the body.

I actually don;t think having back-to-back-to-back first round KO's the way he did in title defense helped him much when he moved up to fight Benn. Too much early success, and he seemed ill-prepared as to how to stymie Benn's rushes once he got his feet under him.

JCC........here's a neat little tidbit; his cranium was supposedly measured and found to be thicker than a normal person's............(insert joke here). Not sure what to make of that, but he did take a hellacious punch.

 

1. Joe Calzaghe- One of the best fighters of recent years. At first glance looks a bit awkward, but upon further viewings(as with a guy like Monzon) you start to see what makes him so effective. With Joe, it's his ability to disrupt an opponent's gameplan and rhythm, similar to a guy like Monzon but in a different way. Monzon used his reach and timing, and ability to keep the fight at a distance to keep pressure fighters from getting anything going, while Joe uses his in and out speed, timing, workrate, and relentlessness. Very crafty on the inside as well.

2. Floyd Mayweather-Probably the best fighter in recent years, given how old Roy has gotten. A bit overrated by fanboys, especially in head to head terms. I'd choose Cotto right now to beat him on the basis of style matchups. But as far as a prime Floyd goes, the Floyd that fought at 130 is one of the more impressive fighters I've seen. I'd favor him head to head over almost anyone there, and would make noone higher than 50/50 with him.

As far as analysis of his style. Originally used his speed, reflexes, and timing to fight in and out, using combinations, and stopping opponents on accumulation. Nowadays relies less on movement and more on staying the pocket or off the ropes and using his counter-punching abilities out of the Philly Shell defense to hit and not get hit. Has gotten increasingly more boring as his career has progressed, but aside from Cotto, I'd pick none over him.

3. Joe Frazier-Frazier at his best was a bit like a Heavyweight version of Henry Armstrong. I was more impressed by the late 60's, leaner Frazier than the 70's version that more people are familiar with. Head to head, as a Heavyweight his size hinders him in a lot of matchups, but against those his size, he'd be hell for most anyone. Frazier vs Holyfield would be a war.

4. Gerald McClellan-Great puncher, not the most versatile fighter though. I'd choose some of the better boxers of his era to beat him. Watson, Jones Jr., Hopkins, etc.

My thoughts on the Benn/McClellan fight are probably a bit unorthodox, because I've heard quite a few times from different sources that McClellan was indeed having troubles prior to the fight, and probably shouldn't have been fighting in the first place. Supposedly he had been having these issues since the Jackson fight. Makes sense given the punishment the guy had taken.

5. Julio Ceasar Chavez- At his peak (not the mid 90's version) he was pretty much the quintessential pressure fighter. I'd watch the Edwin Rosario fight for footage of Chavez at his very best. Very, very impressive performance. Underrated defensively with his head movement, which also allowed him to get inside very well and work his game. One of the best, most precise body punchers of all time. Extremely hard to deter from his gameplan.