Where are all the tough boxers?

Question

Evander Holyfield seems to be the last real tough guy. Before that, Frazier. Back in the old days, all those guys were tough. Why don't we have them anymore except for some of those smaller Mexican guys?

Blogbaba - is David Tua that big Japanese guy? Is he on steroids?

Writersblock should be named mental block. He said Marquez was KO'd twice and came back and won. I may be a girl, but I'm not THAT stupid!

Actually, that was the baseball guy, but Writersblock is dumb too!

Answer 1

I think the toughest boxer currently active today is David Tua, and odds are Tua has more than enough left to take Holyfield or any of the weaker glass jawed European heavyweights out there. Unfortunately it appears a Slavic trait to duck Tua, clearly fear of Tua's punching power makes it almost impossible for David to get a shot at any of the worthless titles currently held by these paper chumpions.

Guys like Mikkel Kessler and Winky Wright are about as tough as any in the history of boxing, and they certainly are not "smaller Mexican guys". There are plenty of "tough" fighters today, they just lack the skill levels of the past. Guys like Joe Calzaghe and Floyd Mayweather are tough as nails and don't sport "Mexican" heritage, hell Floyd don't even know how to put a sombrero on properly, he wore it backwards for the DeLa Hoya fight.

Still, I have to admit, when it comes to toughness, there is nothing like a Latino fighter, and guys like Duran, Chavez and even Cotto define the word toughness.

A lot of current heavyweight pretenders now days are products of European chemical laboratory expertise. It is almost as if they lose toughness because of the artificial chemicals used to bulk them up. I heard the steroids some major league ball players used were Eastern European in origin, they were made in a former Soviet bloc states for use by Olympic athletes, but sold on the Black market after the former Soviet Union went bankrupt. The artificial size increases brought about by those lab experiments makes them bigger and stronger, but they lose that "toughness" Western Hemisphere anthletes have, and when they get in a tough fight, they quit on their stools like Tyson or Klitschko did instead of toughing it out like the fighters of yesteryear.

I think it is a Slavic problem, and somehow it rubbed off on Tyson so they just quit instead of finishing a tough fights. Real champions don't quit, but todays heavyweights do, go figure, they just seem weaker somehow than the heavyweights of old.

Answer 2

They are all in lower weight divisions Winky Wright, and believe it or not Paul Malinaggi is a pretty tough kid he took a beating from Cotto and did not give in. Vitali Klistcko is as tough as nails. But I have to agree with you across the board it seems like fighters are no longer schooled to come forward and out will the other guy. Everyone is either a causious boxer a boxer puncher or just a puncher who waits for one shot to land.

There are no more guys who will wade in and take six shots to land 2 - or use there jab to get inside and work the body. I miss those days seems like the fighters these days are just to civilized. Great question Gypsy!



Rising star toughmen: Timothy Bradley, JC Chavez junior,Michael Katsisdis. Juan Diaz.

Answer 3

I agree. Holyfield fights like the tough guys back in the 40's and 50's. seems like nowadays, the best part of the fight is in the press conference. The lower weights still have some battlers like the above mentioned, but the big guys don't seem to battle that much. Pavlik and Miranda sure did some scrappin' though!

Answer 4

heaviweight fighters have been over rated throughout history, it's now that there is more exposure of the lower weight divisions that finally the difference can be seen.

just last saturday, i witnessed the best fight of the year, yet!

between rafael marquez and israel vasquez, two warriors displaying boxing at its best.

but then, going back to the heaviweights

some of the tough guys in heaviweight boxing today are probably: vladimir klitchko, samuel peter, the giant dude from russia, forgot his name.

Answer 5

Arturo Gatti? Mickey Ward? Diego Corrales? These are fighters who`ve proven their toughness.

Answer 6

I absolutely HATE Manny Pacquiao, he never gave Juan Manuel Marquez a rematch. If he was tough, he would have. Manny knocked out Marquez twice in the first round but Marquez came back, and I think MARQUEZ WON the FIGHT, but the fight was called a draw.

Answer 7

i would like to reply to baseballandrew50's comment about manny pac.

duck marquez? he NEVER ducked anyone. in all his postfight interviews, when asked who he wants to fight, he always says marquez. its marquez who's ducking. instead of fighting pac for a larger payday, he chose to fight an indonesian bum (i.e. chris john) for a lesser payday. he was evantually robbed of the decision. poor guy.

that said. manny "pacman" pacquiao is the toughest fighter today. he's relentless. he's fast. he's aggressive. he has guts. he doesn't mind if you hit him, he'll come at you and hit you 3 more times.

Answer 8

You forgot Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao. He's tough both in the ring and in training. Just ask his Mexican victims...

Answer 9

Tua retired a few years back and I heard he is Returning again.

Answer 10

we have to examine the ring magazine 50 greatest fighters in the history of the heavyweight division in chronological order; john l. sullivan, james j. corbett, bob fitzsimmons, james j. jeffries, tommy burns, jack johnson, sam mcvey, sam langford, joe jeanette, jack dempsey, tommy gibbons, harry wills, gene tunney, max schmeling, jack sharkey, max baer, james j. braddock, joe louis, ezzard charles, jersey joe walcott, rocky marciano, archie moore, floyd patterson, ingemar johansson, sonny liston, muhummad ali, ernie terrell, cleveland williams, zora folley, jimmy ellis, jerry quarry, joe fraizer, bob foster, george foreman, ken norton, ron lyle, jimmy young, earnie shavers, larry holmes, mike weaver, michael dokes, tim witherspoon, pinklon thomas, michael spinks, mike tyson, evander holyfield, riddick bowe, lennox lewis, and michael moorer...how well would todays heavyweight fighters faired against the ring magazine faithful fifty !!!