Who are the most athletically gifted fighters of all time?

Jones, Tyson, Ali - and Jeffries seems to have been quite an athlete as well. In terms of speed and power Hearns of course comes to mind... In terms of stamina and endurance: Armstrong, Chuvalo, Marciano and Frazier. Both SRL and SRR scores well in all aspects I would say. Probably the physically most complete of all whom I've mentioned here.

 

Jones
Tyson
Ali
Mayweather
Judah
Hearns
M.Taylor
Norris
Hamed
Mosley
Pacquiao
Haye
Gamboa
Dawson

 

I'd say it was jame's j jeffrie's the guy was a super athlete.

Before he boxed he had his 100 metre dash measured and he could do it in 10.4 seconds [barefoot!!!!!!!] There are plenty of guy's who are great fighters like joe fraizer, who weren't atlectic; but jeffries had ALL athlectic attributes in abundance.

He taught himself a seriatim of acrobatic flip's, he was incredibly strong [he once lifted a huge steel girder off a man at work, it took four men later to lift]
Was an elite level wrestler, he basically could do in sports what he wanted. In his prime, the boston tar baby put out a challenge "i will fight all men, EXPCEPT jame's j jeffries" that say's it all!

For me it's unassailable jeffires was boxing's best ever athlete. In the words of his biographer Kelly Nicholson " Jeffries was based on anatomy the best of all time"

 

Jones, Leonard, and Ali.

 

I must say I'm a bit sceptical of these stories, even though I don't doubt he was a great athlete. I mean 10.4... Wouldn't that be a world record at that time?

 

I thought it was 100 yards. 100 yards is about 91.5 metres.I don't know how they would have measured the time accurately TBH.

BTW is the guy,Martel,you've been responding to the same as the one ,in the Lounge, who said that bodybuilder Chris Cormier,had a chance of taking Tyson in a fist-fight on the street?

 

I have always read that Jeffries was measured in the 100 YARD dash.
That time is impressive for a really big man, but not top level. I am certain someone like Jim Thorpe was probably much faster.

I agree with you. Jeffries was undoubtedly a great athlete, but except for wrestling, the evidence of his prowess is so vague it might fall into the area of myth.

He is impressive on film, though.

 

Jeffries has his last fight [before his comeback ] in1904 he was 6 foot 2 inches and weighed 220lbs,as late as 1908 Langford at 5 foot 6 and a half inches,only weighed 156 lbs,what a coward he must have been refusing to include Jefries in his challenge?atsch atsch atsch

 

Has Camacho been mentioned yet?

 

Robinson.

 

Also a man of note is lennox lewis, that guy is sure athlectic!


Richie woodhall said in the olympics "he was the best runner in the canadian boxing team"I read his biography mamas boy, and in that it explain's that he realy was a born athlete. His conditioning coach expounded that he was a born natural strongman and he could lift incredible amounts of weights! When he boxed it was obvious by his speed [for such a lump] that he was uniquely gifted physically. So lennox as well but even he has nothing on jeffrie's!

 

Michael Grant. His athletic stamina was probably his greatest asset.

Had a 90mph fastball in baseball, and was offered a tryout with the Kansas City Royals. He turned it down after being urged by Keyshawn Johnson to try a football scholarship, where he played tight end & defensive end and was able to run the 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds. He was also a keen basketball player.

Also spooked the hell out of Glenn McCrory in 2000 by sparring 6 rounds immediately followed by 6 rounds hitting a punchbag, in the sixth and last punchbag round clocking up 267 punches.

 

Robinson, Mayweather Jr., Leonard, Whitaker, Ali. Benitez. By being gifted, stating that the fighter would move around effortlessly & deliver combinations, move out of harm's way with a minimum of ease. These fighters fit the bill.

 

Roberto Duran and Willie Pep are of course right near the top of the list. Both were quick (Pep was very quick actually, Duran had the power) but they had the agility and instinctual reflexes of a great fighter long before they were trained.