I'm not a huge boxing fan and haven't followed much of it, but I dig into these discussions. Who do you think was the best boxer of all times?
With my minor knowledge, I think candidates might be:
- Muhammad Ali
- Floyd Mayweather Jr.
- Roy Jones Jr.
- Joe Frazier
- George Foreman
- Lennox Lewis
Thoughts? Other candidates?
It's not actually clear what you're asking here.
If you mean who was the best professional boxer of all-time, it would have to be an elite heavyweight because an elite heavyweight will consistently crush the lighter weight classes.
That's why weight-classes were introduced. Then promoters could make some money off these smaller guys too, and smaller guys could compete in the sport too.
The Great Joe Louis would be my pick as the best of all time.
25 Heavyweight title defenses, a record that still stands today.
About 12 years as the Champ.
To me, the Manassa Mauler Jack Dempsey is the man-for-all-seasons, the perfect fighting man...but he was an inactive champion.
At their respective bests, prime to prime, I'd go with Dempsey over Louis...but we all have favorites.
Pound-for-Pound best professional boxer is something else.
Welterweight (147) and Middleweight (160) great Sugar Ray Robinson is the man P4P.
At one point, Robinson boasted the unbelievable pro record of 131 wins against only 2 losses (both losses had been avenged) and 2 draws.
Robinson's amateur record was 85 wins, no losses, 69 KOs.
Then there's also the style thing.
Do you mean "best boxer" regarding boxing styles like a pure classic boxer, a puncher, a brawler, a boxer-puncher, a counter-puncher, a pressure fighter,
Probably 128 lb Will O' the Wisp Willie Pep for pure boxer.
Muhammad Ali didn't have a good classic boxing style per se.
Ali didn't have the fundamentals.
Speed, athleticism, heart, and toughness compensated and made him one of the best of all-time.
I'd say Joe Louis was a boxer-puncher.
Ligh-Heavywweight Billy Conn's beautiful boxing had him up on the cards against Joe Louis until Conn elected to stand and try to KO Louis instead of continung to box him.
In recent years, Chris Byrd was a blown-up 169 pounder successfully competing at Heavyweight all based on slick boxing skills. I both hated and loved watching Byrd at the same time.
105 lb Ivan Calderon nowadays for best pure boxer I guess.
Pernell Whitaker has to be mentioned.
Lennox Lewis or Larry Holmes for best boxing at Heavyweight I guess.
Lennox did have 1 punch KO power in the right hand, but he and Holmes were still basically classic boxers.
Nowhere near as slick as the lighter guys though.
Gene Tunney and Jersey Joe Walcott weren't dominant enough.
Jack Johnson was a dominant fighter. Mostly defensive boxing and counter-punching.
I think Joe Louis vs Muhammad Ali would somewhat resemble Marco Antonio Barrera's dismantling of Prince Naseem Hamed.
Sugar Ray Robinson was versatile. A multi-dimensional fighter.
He could box, punch, counter-punch.
Bernard Hopkins is a multi-dimensional fighter.
In the 90's, he fought a lot tougher and more aggressive.
Too defensive in his old age with the exception of the Pavlik fight.
Hopkins hasn't fought that style in about 10 years.
James Toney was a banger in his early years at 160 lbs, and he was being handily outboxed by boxer Michael Nunn...until Toney finally caught him.
5'9" Toney's style really evolved until he was one of the best boxers in there capable of winning rds and fights aginst Heavyweights.
Buddy McGirt dismantling Simon Brown when Brown was the best welterweight on the planet is a master class in scientific boxing.
That said,
Yep, boxing sucks.
Punching is where it's at!
Long live Dempsey, Joe Louis, Sullivan, Marciano, Liston, Frazier, Shavers, Foreman, Tyson FOREVER!
Throw Julian Jackson, Tommy Hearns, Bob Foster, Bob Satterfield, and Bob Fitzsimmons in there too.
