Top 5 P4P Of All-Time Based On Talent/Ability - Completely Disregarding Resume?

this is a great list i would only put Willie Pep and make it a six fighter list.

 

His ring generalship was never a problem, he was one of the best at that, at least against fellow boxers.

As formidable as Hearns was, a strong, skilled pressure fighter/puncher with great durability would always be an issue for him. One that could push his lanky frame back and put him on the ropes, taking him out of his comfort zone, testing his durability. Hearn's lack of physical strength and shaky chin would be his downfall against the best of those types.

 

out of the fighters ive seen a LOT of footage of id say:

roy @ 168
floyd @ 130/135
leonard @ 147
pea @ 135
shane @ 135
maybe meldrick taylor

all these people seemed essentially unbeatable at those weights in a physical ability/talent sense... well except for maybe leonard who was taken to the limit by hearns at 147... leonard won that fight on heart
i havent seen enough of fighters from before that to say for sure

 

Haven't you said on several occasions that you consider Jones to be the best fighter ever head to head?

I think Jones was one of the most impressive and effective fighters of all time, one of the most difficult to beat, although he was not unbeatable. Noone was. I put Ali in the same boat as Jones in terms of all around ability, both held certain edges over the other.

 

Joe Gans
Sam Langford
Benny Leonard
Willie Pep
Charley Burley
Sugar Ray Robinson
Ezzard Charles
Emile Griffith
Muhammad Ali
Sugar Ray Leonard
Pernell Whitaker
Roy Jones Junior

these should all be contenders for the first five.

 

You mean like a Hagler? Which he foolishly traded bombs because he hurt him and got excited. You can argue that Hagler would have gotten to him eventually but, I didnt see Hearns use his lenght in that fight

 

Who the hell mentioned anything about any of that? Skills were part of the criteria, the main part.

 

Considering he was only knocked down by Reggie Johnson, pushed down by RJJ, and off balance jabbed down by Sam Peter in over 80 fights, I'd say Toney's footwork wasn't too shabby.

His talent is undeniable. Top 5 p4p is tough to say, but who else could fight at 157lbs. and 237lbs., and never get beat up? That takes talent.

 

Well considering he talked funny, I'd say he definitely voted for Obama.

Sorry, I just felt like using a completely useless and inept comparison to keep the theme going.

We've all heard this one before. His frame and skill-set were better suited to higher weights than most natural MW's, that doesn't mean he was more skilled than a guy like McCallum, who was able to run him very close when past his prime at MW, and was overall more effective at the lower weights. Certain fighters are weight-jumpers, others aren't.

 

1. Calzaghe
2. Lewis
3. Frank Bruno
4. Nazeem Hamed
5. Amir Khan

Naz

 

Roy Jones Jr
Sugar Ray Robinson
Aaron Pryor (before the drugs)
Pernell Whitaker
Sugar Ray Leaonard

 

Hmmm...I wonder if your Britsh. atsch

 

It's not that as much as it is being able to hang in with the top fighters of the time at every weight from middle to heavyweight.

That's a rarity. In fact, you can't name another fighter who did that at Toney's size (5'9).

Toney never got knocked out or beat up, and he has a style of standing right in front of you and daring you to hit him. I don't care what anyone says, that's skill. He has a talent that has carried him with his horrible eating and training habits.

It's not just what Toney accomplished in wins, titles, etc. It's the fact that he's hung in for 20 years, gaining 80 lbs, never being knocked out or really badly hurt, never being beat up or utterly dominated (other than the RJJ fight), fighting 80 times and standing in front of men much bigger than him.

That shows an immense talent. Doesn't it???