Top Defensive Fighters Ever?

Question

1.Willie Pep- hard to argue with that kind of longevity.

2.Young Griffo- I did a lot of research on this guy and he was unreal. Even defensive master Jim Corbett called him "a marvel". He made hall of fame champions George Dixon, Joe Gans, Jack McAuliffe and George Kid Lavigne all look like they were swinging at nothing.

3.Nicolino Locche- Severely overlooked. He was like Pep and Griffo in that he stood right in your face and STILL made you miss. If champs like Carlos Ortiz, Antonio Cervantes, Joe Brown, Ismael Laguna and Eddie Perkins have trouble hitting you, you're doing something right.

4.Jack Johnson
5.Pernell Whitaker- though he was less effective defensively after he left the 135 lb class.
6.Wilfred Benitez- Fought like a mongoose taunting a cobra.
7.Jim Corbett- Father of modern "hit and not be hit" boxing
8.Winky Wright
9.Marlon Starling- Prototype for Wright's turtle shell defense.
10.Jimmy Young

What do y'all think? Should Tunney or Moore replace anyone?

Answer 1

In no particular order, here are my picks for the best defensive fighters:

Willie Pep
Wilfred Benitez
Jack Johnson
Muhammad Ali
Marlon Starling
Winky Wright
Pernell Whitaker
James J Corbett
Gene Tunney
Jimmy Young

Thanks for the excellent question sir.

Answer 2

Great question.
In no particular order, here are eight:
Willie Pep
Pernell Whitaker
Jake La Motta
Floyd Mayweather jr.
Sugar Ray Leonard
Virgil Hill
Sugarboy Malinga
Chris Byrd

Answer 3

Pernell Whitaker
Willie Pep

Answer 4

Jack Johnson he was crazy, didnt stop, and was almost impossible to knock down (he didn't need defense)

And Wilfred Benitez (VIVA PUERTO RICANS!!) beat the best of the best like Roberto Duran, Maurice Hope, and Antonio Cevantes(Antonio couldnt hit him so something was wrong like you said bout Nicolonio Locche) . He also still has the record as the youngest champion at age 17 and youngest three time champ at 22 Wilfred is definetly one of the greatest(With a great Defense he was quick!)

Answer 5

1. Sugar Ray Robinson 2. Sam Langford 3. Henry Armstrong 4. Harry Greb 5. Muhammad Ali 6. Roberto Duran 7. Willie Pep 8. Ezzard Charles 9. Joe Louis 10. Archie Moore @Joshua, where is Langford?????

Answer 6

Ali before he was stripped of the world titles. The way he could slip punches while dancing and flipping his jab can never be duplicated.

Sure, Cooper showed the path to Frazier with the left hook, but there hasn't been a fighter in the ring who didn't have a weakness in the defense.

But what Ali could do defensively back in the day is sometimes overlooked by the focus on his dancing.

Answer 7

Willie Pep I saw alot of old footage and he looked really tough to hit. The footage was way past his prime so I wonder what he looked like in his prime.

I have to add Pernell Whitaker in my top 3

Answer 8

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Answer 9

From the people I have actually seen it has to be Pep. Looking at old films is really difficult to judge their ability, so I can't make a fair statement on the older ones.

Answer 10

they were asking this same question on liverpuncher.com....of the recent crop of fighters i would have to go with floyd mayweather and winky wright.

its interesting that one uses a coverup style, while the other makes every shot a glancing blow...Great video side by side comparison:

http://www.liverpuncher.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=207&Itemid=25