The 10 Most Skilled Fighters You Have Ever Seen

in my opinion

no order - fighters with a lot of footage

Joe Louis
Robinson
Duran
Sugar Ray Leonard
Luis Rodriguez
Whitaker
Hopkins
Salvador Sanchez
Mike McCallum
Wilfredo Gomez


HM- Eder Jofre, Harada, Kid Gavilan, Ezzard Charles, Hagler, Mayweather Jr, James Toney, Floyd Patterson, Joey Archer, Donald Curry, JJ Walcott....

 

Kid Gavilan and Ali that high surprises me a bit (though I don't necissarily disagree). What's your reasoning for their high places?

 

Carlos Monzon whilst often understated always seemed to have an answer for what an opponent brought. so he would definately be in my list

 

1. Roberto Duran
2. Ray Robinson
3. Ray Leonard
4. Pernell Whitaker
5. Wilfredo Gomez
6. Jose Napoles
7. Ezzard Charles
8. Muhammad Ali
9. Bernard Hopkins
10. Carlos Monzon

 

1. Pernell Whitaker
2. Roberto Duran
3. Ray Robinson
4. Joe Louis
5. Ray Leonard
6. Kid Gavilan
7. Floyd Mayweather
8. James Toney
9. Marvin Hagler
10. Julio Caesar Chavez

 

In no order:

Miguel Canto
Pernell Whitaker
Carlos Monzon
Jose Napoles
Roberto Duran
Wilfredo Gomez
Mike McCallum
Ricardo Lopez
Sugar Ray Robinson
Willie Pep

 

in my time...

Boxers,
Ali
SRL
Camacho
Carbajal
Michael Watson

fighters,
Chuvalo
Benn

Box/fighters
Hagler
Hearns
Tyson
Gatti

 

101 bouts, 3 defeats, undefeated in his last 13 years as a pro..yeah, he was doing something right..

 

Gatti? Benn? Watson?

Ding! Ding! Ding! The winner for the new to the sport **** award goes to......

 

Robinson
Leonard
Hearns
Duran
Pea
Monzon
Hagler
Mayweather Jr
Hopkins
Toney

 

The Ali placement is going to evoke some reaction. I don't quite get how he's that high. I mean, what makes his skills better than Joe Louis? Without that speed and reflexes, I don't see how you could argue so. Arguing skills is incredibly difficult to fully gauge, it really is a slippery slope.

 

in no order


Horacio Accavallo
Alfonso "little tractor" Lopez
Alberto Davila
Pone Kingpetch
Miguel Canto
Walter McGowan
Howard Winstone
lionel Rose
Ayub Kalule
Gilberto Roman


Honourable mention:Alan Rudkin, Nino Benvenuti, Esteban Dejesus Ruben Castillo, Bunny Sterling, Jesse Burnett, JMM


Tried to take a different approach by making it strictly about fighters who got to world level and did well largely because of technical skill and ring-smarts alone.

Anyone i thought had more than typical/average world class traits(relative to their weight) in more than one of the chin,speed,power or overall physical ability areas were out.No guys with freakish reflexes/radar(which may at least be as much raw talent as learned skill) or titanic impregnable physical constitutions.

Not sure i succeeded mind you.A number of these fighters might have been too strong in certain areas.

 

did you read the thread title? "I have ever seen..."
you might also note that I broke them into 3 catagories.

IF we're talking most talented ever, well I have always said - Louis, Charles, J J Walcott, SRR and Lloyd Marshall among others, many others!

but as it refers to the best "I have seen", then in those 3 different fighting styles that's them... are there better(?) sure, but those are my fan's choices
that I've seen!

Ah Thank You!

 

Using lora's criteria, which is good btw, I'd say the following lot in no special order might qualify. Don't think any have been mentioned yet....

Flash Elorde
Chucho Castillo
Marlon Starling
Kevin Finnegan
Chris Finnegan
Barney Ross
Carlos Ortiz
Johnny Famechon
Buddy McGirt
Richie Kates

Honourable mentions to Freddie Welsh and Emile Griffith, but I'd probably like to see more footage of Welsh tbh.

I was going to say either Loughran or Giardello too, but they might have been more toward the intuitive side of things when I think about it. Names like Billy Graham, Jimmy Carruthers, Sammy Mandell, Johnny Caldwell, Tippy Larkin, Freddie Dawson and Willie Joyce were knocking about in the back of my head too, but I haven't seen enough (or any) footage of them in comparison to the the others.