Your personal top 5 Jabbers of all time.?

I did forget Joey Archer a fine jabber from some of the best era's of middleweight

 

Holmes fighting more effectively in his 40s didn't really have much to do with him having the better jab. Ali went through many wars and was a sick man by his late 30s. Remember Ali won the heavyweight title at age 22 while Holmes didn't get there until his late 20s.

Glad you mentioned Quarry 2. Ali`s jab was masterful that night. Your right that Holmes depended on his jab more than Ali did but that may have more to do with Ali`s superior natural talent. He was naturally faster than Holmes all the way around.

Holmes was impressive against Mercer but that was due his his greater experience, his quick right hand leads and counters not to mention his slippery defense. His jab was part of it as well but he didn't win that fight on the strength of his leftjab.

Holmes had said that Ali taught him how to jab.

 

I'd still give the edge to Holmes in the jab department.

It was in the same league speed wise, harder, more versatile attack with it (throw it to head/chest/body equally effective), and he could do more with a jab (use it to hurt people, simply rack up points, cut people up, back people up, etc) than Ali could with a jab.

Ali's jab kept people off balance and cut them up. Holmes's actually hurt people and kept them honest.

 

Holmes definitely depended on it more. I agree with you there. He didn't quite have the gifts Ali did.

I do think the "Pop" in Ali`s jab was underated.

 

This.

When the concensus is that your jab is in the top 20 ever, and your left hook is amongst the greatest ever, your left hand might be the greatest overall.

That sounds like a great thread.

Does ODLH have the best left hand ever?

 

I consign this sentiment 100%. As a 12 yr old boxing fanatic I couldn't understand how they could give it to Tito. When I went back and watched it a few years later I still couldn't get it.

I watched it for about the 8th time in my life recently and still don't get it.

 

Sheeeeeit, I can't believe nobody has mentioned Golota either. Bowe was renowned for his jab and Golota handily outjabbed him.

 

To be fair it's not like he had much reason to like Ali either. Someone on here posted a quote by Norton talking about Ali's and Holmes' jab and IIRC he said that Holmes had a stronger jab and was very deceptive in that he could nail you with it when you thought you were out of range, but Ali's was better. Forgot the words he used for Ali but he certainly praised Holmes' jab, and I think he also talked highly of his right hand too.

 

Bob Foster had one of the greatest jabs Ive seen. He had some smoke on it too! He is the only fighter I can think of who busted Ali open with his jab.

 

Pep
Louis

those 2 stand out the most.

 

Muhammad passed forward a lot of what he originally learned from Fred Stoner to others. Leo Randolph was considerably shorter than veteran Ricardo Cardona, who became a champion on the strength of his jab [turning Soo-Hwan Hong's face into a ghastly mess in the process of methodically pecking down like a stork]. But Randolph obtained some jabbing tutelage from the GOAT, and was not only able to out jab the tall Columbian in mid ring [as if a 14 foot ring could even have a "center"], but he actually staggered and nearly dropped Cardona with one of those jabs. Entering round 15, Leo enjoyed insurmountable five and six point leads on all three cards despite sustaining an early knockdown, and what Ali taught him about the jab was a key to that.

 

Just Jerry Quarry.

 

Big Bad Bob was THE MAN at 175.