You have guys like Marion Wilson and Johnny war who have been in numerous fights and never been knocked out or stopped. Do you think these guys were durable or did they just fight to survive ?
That's a very good question. With some defensive guys, you wonder how good their chin is because they rarely get hit. Then you have monsters like Toney who have taken very good shots and moved up multiple divisions without slowing down and can still dazzle crowds with their defense. In my opinion, true durability is to be able to take a good shot that you DON'T see coming and not get floored. This means you didn't give your body enough time to brace itself and your reflexes failed you, which means it's just natural toughness. Even a monstrous power punch can be neutralized if you roll with it or brace yourself.
Mike Tyson comes to mind on this subject. He was an offensive, active, dynamic fighter, creating openings and taking chances. Until he started getting hit or peppered then he totally changed. Punch output fell off a cliff, stepped back stiffened up started leaning and when he did throw it was 1 punch at a time. So we have some people who overrated his chin because a fighter taking no chances is harder to stop.
Mercer was very tough .Tommy Morrison who could really hit him very hard but it just bounced of him . He seemed as cool as a cucumber which was remarkable . Remaining calm under fire really breaks your opponents heart but is said than done.
A (perhaps) deeper riddle to ponder: where’s the line between ‘durable’ and ‘has a great chin’? Can a fighter be durable with an average to good chin? I’d probably fall on the side that durability is proven over a period of years and involves taking some serious pastings (including possibly being stopped) and still being able to bring something to the table. As noted above, not adjusting style to just fighting to survive. Like I think Mike Weaver is a durable guy. Good chin but not ATG. But you look at him through most of his pre-decline career and you get the same fighter. He’s in there to win it. He’s not an enormous punch output guy but he never was — he’s a one-gear fighter but he kept that gear throughout and never looked the least bit punch-shy and was in it to win it.
I'd say a true sign of durability is fighters who were durable at the same time they were trying to win.
