Boxing Genius Without A Punch

[The Old LefHook]

It is always a marvel to watch light punching miniatures survive with monster punching killers while giving them a boxing lesson. Man, there have been a lot of these. I will leave some for you to name.

It is almost a prerequisite that they cannot punch. Their only defense is actually defense.

I nominate Chris Byrd. He couldn't punch his way out of a cobweb but he was a great boxer.

[Rusty Tromboni]

Byrd was downright heroic. He's not an old timer, so he doesn't get a lot of credit.

I would say that he definitely exploited clumsiness and lack of athleticism that's symptomatic of excessive size. But his record and performances speak for themselves. It's probably also worth mentioning that his added size probably denied him the opportunity to demonstrate his true speed and flashier skills.

Loughran is probably the greatest pure-boxer for having taken on big men with a punch.

Pep's victory over Saddler is probably the best demonstration of boxer beating puncher. Floyd-Alvarez and Leonard-Hagler are up there too.

Canto was small even for his division, but might be its greatest champion ever. Which is remarkable when you consider some of the monsters that resided there.

Ross beating Canz and McLarnin wasn't him cute, like Pastrano. Although he boxed, he also actually fought it out, which is really impressive.

[aboutfkntime]

It is always a marvel to watch light punching miniatures survive with monster punching killers while giving them a boxing lesson. Man, there have been a lot of these. I will leave some for you to name.

It is almost a prerequisite that they cannot punch. Their only defense is actually defense.

I nominate Chris Byrd. He couldn't punch his way out of a cobweb but he was a great boxer.

yea Byrd was a excellent... you have to admire guys with skill

and smaller guys like Eddie Chambers who could swim with sharks

[aboutfkntime]

Byrd was downright heroic. He's not an old timer, so he doesn't get a lot of credit.

I would say that he definitely exploited clumsiness and lack of athleticism that's symptomatic of excessive size. But his record and performances speak for themselves. It's probably also worth mentioning that his added size probably denied him the opportunity to demonstrate his true speed and flashier skills.

Loughran is probably the greatest pure-boxer for having taken on big men with a punch.

Pep's victory over Saddler is probably the best demonstration of boxer beating puncher. Floyd-Alvarez and Leonard-Hagler are up there too.

Canto was small even for his division, but might be its greatest champion ever. Which is remarkable when you consider some of the monsters that resided there.

Ross beating Canz and McLarnin wasn't him cute, like Pastrano. Although he boxed, he also actually fought it out, which is really impressive.

good post !

Sullivan/Corbett

[Marchegiano]

There is the legend of Melankomas of Caria.


So great was his defense he's one of Olympians historians leans toward myth over history when telling his story. In truth there he is backed by the average level of evidence and if his story was average historians would lean toward history. Making him a real mysterious ****, kinda like Jesus.

If there was ever a legacy worthy of the title Jesus of boxing it is Mel's.

Undefeated, yeah, try un ****ing pointed against. No one ever landed a punch. Not in the olympic trials, not during the tournament games, none of the pan-hellenic rites, not even in training.

It was said Melankomas could hold his guard from sun up twice over. That's two days.

It became a game during his career for folks to catch Mel on a run or some such and try to surprise the champ with a strike. No man ever landed on the champ.

And for his offense? Melankomas was averse to violence and thought of boxing, much like Hewlett Molineaux later, as a the best form of exercise and self defense a man could learn. He never struck an opponent either.

Today, he is impossible, but in the era of fights to the finish...maybe, not likely, but maybe.

It's said rather than punching his opposition Melankomas simply used his guard and movement to tire the opponent until they could no longer fight. He didn't even push them over...he is the king of no mas. Unbeaten, unpointed against, made every man he ever faced quit, and he never threw a punch.


Here's the thing, if Mel is myth I know the point of him is not to portray the perfect boxer. That's heresy to them. The perfect boxer is Apollo. His story is either an affront to Apollo, like rebel religion or simply based on one baaad defensive wizard we can't never know in our time.




I know he's no Chris Byrd, he might not even be real, but anyone interested in defense should know his legend, it's worth that. And, his legend is the one who inspired the man who inspired the man on back to the beginning. Before Corbett there was guys like Fuller and Godfrey, before them you had your Richmond trained, so on, and on back, until Mel. The buck stops here for defense gods. There was men before him who put defense first, like Pythagoras, but Pyth never was Mel ya get me?

[Silas]

Some names come to mind: Vito Antuofermo, Mark Breland, or even Pernell Whittaker