Best I've faced

[SkillspayBills]

Froch's was great, especially considering how many top level fighters he has faced.

[Chrismart]

Julian Jackson - Jan 2015

Best Jab ?McCallum ?When I look back I would say Mike McCallum probably had one of the best jabs. He was tall; his height had a lot to do with his jab. I guess his timing and his experience, all of that played with that scenario.

Best Defense ?Gerald McClellan ?In my first fight with Gerald McClellan I didn’t get to hit him like I really wanted to. I was getting to him but somehow my punches weren’t landing clean enough. He was always able to defend and move. His defense was fairly strong and instead of me getting the knockout, which I really believe I would have, I got caught from him and I was the one who got knocked out.

Best Chin ?Thomas Tate ?I can’t say it was Mike McCallum or Gerald McClellan. I fought this guy in Las Vegas, Thomas Tate. As a matter of fact, I remember the referee, Richard Steele, I literally heard him tell the guy to move because it seemed as though he was giving up. I was not able to end the fight and he was able to survive but I did knock him down but he got back up and we went the distance.

There was a guy I fought in a very cold place but I can’t remember his name. I don’t know if the fight was recorded but I remember fighting this white guy and I hit him with the sink and he wouldn’t go down.

Best Puncher ?McClellan ?Definitely Gerald McClellan. He was a natural puncher like myself. I knew it and he knew it. I said the one who gets hit first is gonna go down and I guess I was the one that got hit first (laughs).

Fastest Hands ?Terry Norris ?Terry Norris was naturally quick. Harold Graham was fast but Terry Norris was naturally quick. It was amazing. It seemed as though he was gonna throw one jab and the next thing you know you’re getting hit by two or three jabs. His hand speed to me was the best. My timing was the key to combat his speed. I wasn’t as fast, I was quick, but I wasn’t as fast, my timing was the key, putting on the pressure to combat that speed.

Fastest Feet ?Norris ?I believe hand and foot speed is something that comes as a package. I would say Terry Norris. His hand speed had to match his foot speed and he had good footwork as well.

Smartest ?McCallum ?He knew he was in a fight and I had a puncher’s chance and he was afraid of me ‘cause just the way he was fighting and what he did in the fight to try to stop me from knocking (him) out. He thumbed me. I got about two or three low blows the referee didn’t see. You might say that’s not smart it’s dirty but he was able to throw me off my game plan because of that. I was really upset because of that.

Strongest ?Francisco De Jesus ?I hit this guy with punches, even though I stopped him, it was amazing the strength this kid had. He just had power and I could feel the brute strength of this kid. He was stronger than McClellan or McCallum as far as what I felt in that fight. You can be strong, even though McClellan was a very strong puncher his strength may not have been as strong as this guy. When we clinched I could literally feel his power and I was like “woo.?br />
Best Overall ?McClellan ?I would say Gerald McClellan had tremendous talent, he had speed, power, especially power, he could box and I feel overall Gerald McClellan was the best fighter I faced.

[Chrismart]

Jessi James Leija - Jan 2015

Best Skills ?Francisco Bojado ?You know what, I fought 57 times, so there are so many good guys, with great skills but sometimes it’s the fighter that when you’re near the end that you recognize more because he was the latest one. I think one of the guys who had one of the best skills of all the fighters I fought was probably Francisco Bojado. He had great power, he had great speed, he had combinations, quick hands, had a bit of everything. I think he’s someone that had everything, the whole package.

Of course Oscar De La Hoya had great skills, he was also much taller than I was, he had a lot of things going for him as well. For some reason and I even told people after the fight he (Bojado) is one of the best guys I fought cause he had everything ?skill, speed, power, agility, flexibility ?he had everything and then he knew how to fight. He was a great fighter. I just think he was lacking determination …something was missing ’cause I was able to take all that away from him with bodyshots and headshots. [We] had a great strategy for the fight and it helped.

Best Jab ?Oscar De La Hoya ?He had that long, stiff, powerful jab. He was really a lefty but fights righty ?that jab had so much power, and that hook of course, but he had a great jab. Shane Mosley had a great jab but he didn’t have the power behind it like Oscar did. I would have to say Oscar ?he had the power and speed mainly because he’s a lefty, that jab’s gonna come at you hard.

Best Defense ?Azumah Nelson ?I think Azumah Nelson had a great defense. Shane Mosley’s defense was great, mainly because of his speed and his distance but he was so fast. But Azumah Nelson knew how defend and counter from the inside and not just step inside and make me miss. Azumah Nelson knew how to stay in the pocket and make you miss and make you pay while in the pocket. Some of the other guys like Shane Mosley, even Oscar, they used distance by backing away and that didn’t show you defense ?that just showed you couldn’t reach them. Someone fights on the inside and makes you miss and pay that’s good defense. I think Azumah had that.

Best Chin ?Nelson ?Guys that I could hit clean and not even blink, Azumah was one of them until I dropped him. As a matter of fact, I was the second guy ever to drop Azumah Nelson since Salvador Sanchez. That’s saying a lot, he’s fought everybody. I think I just threw everything in that one right hand, caught him off guard, hit him on the chin and dropped him. That was one of my claims to fame. That’s the type of chin he had.

Best Puncher ?De La Hoya ?I think Oscar. In every fight I had I was really well prepared and ready to go and just at the top of my game and Oscar drops me and stops me in the second round. That’s the power he had and I tell people Oscar knocked guys out at 130, 135, 140, 147, 154 and I think he dropped a couple of guys at 160. People always say fighters don’t take the power up with them in weight. Oscar did. If he was knocking guys out at 147, 154 and 160 can you imagine how strong he was when I fought him at 135?

You know what, maybe he was off, but Kostya Tszyu never hurt me, never in the five rounds that I fought, he never hit me and hurt me with anything. He busted my ear drum but that’s just air going into your ear and busting your drum, it’s not really power that causes that. He never hurt me or stunned me at all. I know he had power maybe he didn’t catch me right, maybe my defense was better than what I thought it was or anyone else thought.

Now Micky Ward’s power was incredible. His left hook was amazing. I remember when he would throw punches at me and just miss me, the first thing I would do is catch them with my gloves, the first thing I would think was, ‘Man, that would have hurt if he would have hit me.?I never let him hit me to the body cleanly; he hit me to the head but to the body are the ones that can really hurt you, and he never caught me to the body. He caught me to the elbow several times and I could feel the power that he had and why he stops people with bodyshots.

Gatti had some great power. He was heavy-handed but I think just me not sparring for four weeks before our fight, it takes it’s toll, you’re not adjusted to it, you haven’t been hit for four weeks so even if you get hit by a guy who can punch a little bit it’s going to hurt you, plus he caught me clean with a good hook. But when guy with power hits you and you haven’t been hit in four weeks it’s going to take it’s toll and Gatti did a great job with it.

Best Handspeed ?Shane Mosley ?Shane Mosley by far. Your whole thing in training is for reaction. When you see something coming, you’re supposed to react to it, slip or dodge out the way. I would see his punch but by the time I even thought about slipping or moving out the way it had already hit me and then there was another right behind it so fast. I could imagine what people thought when they fight Sugar Ray Leonard or Floyd Mayweather. You see it coming but it’s too late to move, you’re not fast enough to get away from the punch, and that’s the type of speed Shane Mosley had.
Best Footspeed ?Mosley ?Mosley was great at moving his legs. His hands were fast and if his hands weren’t moving his legs were moving. And when his legs were moving they were so fast you couldn’t get close to him.

Smartest ?Nelson ?He knew when to load up, he knew when to throw bodyshots, he knew when you were exhausted, when to push the fight, when to relax. He was great. As long as he was a world champion, 10 years, something like that, he knew every trick in the book. It was always a constant battle with him, more of the mind than anything else because you were going to try to figure out what he’s going to do next and he would lure you in to think he was hurt or slowing down and all of a sudden he’d throw a four-, five-punch combination ?all of them with power. When you were in a clinch and thought you could take a little break he would hit you with a bodyshot. It was amazing. You never knew what to expect. You had to be on your toes every single second of every single round with Azumah.

Strongest ?Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti ?[They] were strong, physically strong guys. I think even Bojado was strong. Brute strength is what I’m talking about.

Best Overall ?Bojado ?I still think overall talent of every fighter that I have fought ?I fought so many it’s really hard to say ?but I just think talent, skill, speed, power ?I have to say Francisco Bojado. I don’t know why he’s just the first guy I think of when I think of all those things combined. [I fought] Mosley and Oscar but for me Bojado had everything, but lacking that one thing which was maybe will-power. He had a chin, too. I hit him clean and nothing happened to him. I think whoever gave him all that money on the way up ruined him. It’s not just given to you, it’s earned. I think if he had will-power he could have been the next Oscar De La Hoya or the next great champion.

[Chrismart]

Orlando Canizales - April 2015

Best Skills ?Junior Jones: I would have to say Junior Jones. He was taller, he was strong, he was a good boxer, he had fast hands, he had good speed and he was a very smart fighter. Wilfredo Vazquez was also a smart fighter, a good puncher, a smart fighter, very difficult to fight.

Best Jab ?Jones: Of all the fighters I fought, Junior Jones had the best jab. He was real quick, he had a strong jab.

Best Defense ?Wilfredo Vazquez Sr.: He was a smart fighter and he was a good defensive fighter as well.

Best Chin ?Francisco Alvarez: I hit him with everything. I hit him with good shots and thought he was going down but he never went down. He took a lot of shots. He was the toughest guy I ever fought. (Canizales won a near-shutout decision over Alvarez in 1992.)

Best Puncher ?Vazquez: I would say Wilfredo Vazquez. We fought at 122. Of all the fighters he was the strongest puncher I ever fought. I was down twice [in my career], once in one of my early fights when I fought for the NABF title against Armando Velasco ?he dropped me, I got up and I stopped him. I fought Alonzo Gonzalez in San Jose, California ?he dropped me. It was a quick knockdown, but I got up and won a 10-round decision.

Hand Speed ?Jones: He had good speed. He was a little bit taller, long reach, and it was difficult because of his reach and speed.

Fastest Feet ?That’s a good one, that’s a real tough one. I can’t think of one particular person that comes to mind.

Smartest ?Jones and Vazquez: It’s hard to pinpoint one guy who’s the smartest fighter but I guess two guys who come to mind are Junior Jones and Wilfredo Vazquez Sr.

Strongest ?Vazquez: Well I guess I felt the difference moving up in weight. It felt a little different but of all the guys he was the strongest.

Best Overall ?Vazquez: It’s hard to pinpoint one fighter. I fought several guys who were real tough fighters but two guys come to mind: Junior Jones and Wilfredo Vazquez. If I had to pick one I’d say Wilfredo Vazquez. They were hard punchers and they were difficult styles of fighters. Junior Jones was a little bit taller than me and was fast ?he had fast hands and, as I say, he was a good puncher.

[Chrismart]

Jose Luis Castillo - May 2015

BEST SKILLS - Floyd Mayweather Jr.: The best skills were none other than Floyd Mayweather Jr. He kept me at distance so I really couldn’t get to him.

BEST JAB
Mayweather: Floyd again, his jab was long and it was fast.

BEST DEFENSE
Mayweather: I couldn’t hit Floyd clean?so he had the best defense also.

BEST CHIN
Mayweather: Floyd Mayweather Jr. had the best chin because I couldn’t hit him.

BEST PUNCHER
Juan Lazcano: Juan Lazcano had a very hard punch.

FASTEST HANDS
Mayweather: Floyd Mayweather Jr. had the fastest hands.

FASTEST FEET
Mayweather: Because he moved a lot during his fight with me?and really couldn’t set to punch away.

SMARTEST
Mayweather: Because he changed his style when he needed too.

STRONGEST
Lazcano: Juan Lazcano was the toughest fighter I ever faced. He was just a strong fighter.

BEST OVERALL
Mayweather: Floyd is best overall. For all the attributes I just mentioned.

[Chrismart]

Wilfredo Vazquez Sr. - June 2015

BEST SKILLS- Naseem Hamed: Eloy Rojas and Raul “Jibaro?Perez but Hamed was very difficult in every aspect. Rojas had a great jab, was big and tall. Also Jibaro was very big.

BEST JAB
Eloy Rojas :Rojas was a good boxer, tall and a long stiff jab.

BEST DEFENSE
Orlando Canizales: My most difficult win. He was coming up from bantamweight with 16 title defences.

BEST CHIN
Takuya Muguruma: He took everything I hit him with.

BEST PUNCHER
Hamed: Overall the best, Hamed could punch but was also too quick to see the punches coming.

FASTEST HANDS
Hamed: He was just a very quick fighter.

FASTEST FEET
Hamed: He could move in the ring like nobody else. He got in different angles.

SMARTEST
Hamed: He had the whole package, smart, quick, defense and was a good puncher.

STRONGEST
Roque Cassiani: Very game and a lot of heart.


BEST OVERALL
Hamed: Overall he was difficult, quick, elusive.

[Chrismart]

Kevin Kelley - June 2015

BEST SKILLS - Derrick Gainer He's tall, rangy, 6 feet [tall], a lefty, boxing skills are extraordinary. He knew how to utilize his attributes well. I would say he's the best boxer I ever boxed.

BEST JAB - Gainer Cause of the way he's built, he's 6 feet, a lefty. He had a good stiff jab, he neutralized my southpaw size. When a lefty fights a lefty he's on the right-hand side. Hamed was number two, but Gainer would be number one because he was taller, longer and a long reach, 74 inches.

BEST DEFENSE - Gainer I hit them all but I would say the hardest to hit had to of been 'Smoke' again. The Prince I found very easy to hit; he was a lot more hittable than a lot of opponents because he had his hands down, which makes it more accessible to land punches on. Most of the fighters I didn't have a hard time hitting, I'd find my way in. I'd say Gainer was hard , cause he kept holding. He kept sticking and moving and it's hard to catch up with him.

BEST CHIN - Troy Dorsey All day, best chin of all time. You could hit him with anything, kick 'em, punch 'em, shoot 'em, [He won't] go down. I think Troy Dorsey had one of the best chins in boxing. He fought many, many men and they'll tell you that. Oscar De La Hoya will tell you that.

BEST PUNCHER - Goyo Vargas He hit me so hard, he landed on my arm sometimes I could feel it in my bones. I told Floyd Mayweather when he was fighting him, I said, 'I believe he's the hardest puncher you'll be in the ring with' and at that point in his career he said, 'Yeah, I agree, this guy can really crack.' Where he got the power from you couldn't figure out. When he hits you couldn't figure it out. He didn't have muscle definition, he had this crazy punching power. They all could punch but you said which one really caught my attention. Hamed could punch, Barrera could hit really hard, I thought Morales was OK [but] I didn't think it was that great compared to Barrera. I fought some punchers and I think Goyo Vargas, when he hit you it was a little different. Punching power is a perception. I thought Hamed didn't hit as hard as Goyo Vargas.

FASTEST HANDS - Naseem Hamed Prince and Smoke Gainer, I would give Prince the lead on that one. I had to stay in motion, stay moving, be real cautious because like I say he's got that snap power like I have, so there's a lot of similarities and I thought, 'How would I beat myself?'. Gainer had very fast hands. I didn't fight many fast fighters, I fought guys with my hand speed but I'd say Gainer and Prince, definitely.

FASTEST FEET - Gainer Smoke, Gainer and Prince both were on the same level. Gainer was a mover, a mobile boxer who wasn't going to try to let me on the inside but the Prince, he didn't mind if I got on the inside. I think it was the height. Prince was 5-foot-4 and Gainer was 6 feet, so it was understandable why he wouldn't let me on the inside.

SMARTEST - Erik Morales I think Morales was very smart. He knew how to pick his moments. Also I would say Barrera. They both knew I was dangerous and they weren't reckless. I fought them last minute, I fought them after my prime, that's one thing I don't regret but wish I could have did it, I could have got a better look at them. I fought them way after I fought the Prince at featherweight. I was no longer featherweight so if I could, I could have boxed them in 95 or 96 , I could have got a better look at them.

STRONGEST - Vargas [I;ve] got to go with Goyo Vargas again, strength-wise. He was like a solid rock. He was like fighting (Roberto) Duran. you can't overpower him. I had to box him very smartly.

BEST OVERALL - I don't think there is any best, all fighters are different. You have to customize yourself for everyone you're fighting. They all have their own attribute,s every single one of them. They all grew me and made me and I learned something from all of them. There's no best fighter, cause they're all different. Prince put his hands down, he had great agility, he's a lefty, punches from different angles. Smoke was a mover, sticker, jabber, he never stayed in one spot. Troy Dorsey had a phenomenal chin, he kept coming, throwing punches over and over. Jesus Salud could stand up to my punching power and deal with it very well.

Champion after champion that I faced they all had their own attributes and I knew what their best was and I had to find a way to neutralize them. With the Prince it was more or less me being patient. The difference between me winning that fight and losing that fight was patience and I got impatient and I lost that fight. He was a heck of a fight but I rolled the dice. My trainer told me not to go after him and I did.

[silentscoper]

These are fantastic, keep them coming!

Joe Calzaghe - March 2014

Fastest hands : No one. I never really look at opponents and think of them as fast, because im so much quicker. I don't mean to sound funny. When i fought SMW i always found them quite slow, even though they're fast. I used to spar with Welterweights beacuse of my hand speed.

This was the only ego comment that had me groan.

[W1LLPARK3R]

Interesting Jackson had McClellan as best he faced, not just puncher..people forget how fearsome Gerald was as a Middleweight.

[Chrismart]

Nonito Donaire - July 2015

BEST SKILLS
Guillermo Rigondeaux: I think it would have been (Fernando) Montiel but it was only two short rounds. Also (Toshiaki) Nishioka was talented but I’d have to go with Rigondeaux in terms of boxing ability. I would say he was the most talented of all the guys I fought.

BEST JAB
Nicholas Walters: He had a good jab because he didn’t throw it like he did in previous fights. He would hold his jab and that’s why he was able to land the big shots.

BEST DEFENSE
Walters: I wouldn’t give the credit to someone who runs and not punch at all and that was (Omar) Narvaez. Rigondeaux was slick, he knew my timing, he was good defensively. I would say Walters, because he was right in front of me; Rigondeux was never in front of me. Walters shifted his offense into defense and was hard for me to hit. I didn’t expect him to change his style and that’s why he got me. I thought he’d be right in front of me but because of the second round where I nearly had him he actually changed things. I was on a mission at that time to take his head off.

BEST CHIN
Oscar Andrade: The guy that gave me my first cut. I dropped him like four or five times but he kept getting up. I think Walters wobbled ?this guy dropped and got back up. Walters wobbled but was the bigger guy, he was really out. Andrade got up, and I did that about four or five times. Thirty seconds more and Walters would have been out. I believe that because he walked to my corner.

BEST PUNCHER
Walters: I’d have to go with Walters, he was the first guy to really drop me, although when I was able to block them I didn’t really feel the punch. He was the bigger guy but the guy who damaged me the most was (Vic) Darchinyan in the second fight. But Walters was the heavier puncher.

FASTEST HANDS
Rigondeaux: Would probably be Rigondeaux, he was really quick. There was nobody else that was faster than me.

FASTEST FEET
Rigondeaux: It’s not so much his speed. He knew when I was coming. If everybody knew when I was coming they’d beat me. Walters knew when I was coming and beat me. He was able to keep his distance.

SMARTEST
Rigondeaux: Like I say, he knew when I was coming. Walters changed his ways after the second round. I underestimated his mental strength, I didn’t think he’s able to counter; he got me with a counter, it wasn’t toe-to-toe. Walters was a smart guy. I expected it from Rigondeaux. What got me was because I kept pushing the wall with Walters. He really surprised me, I have never fallen into anyone’s trap. With Rigondeaux I was chasing him; with Walters I fell into his trap. That’s why I got knocked out. If I had fallen into Rigondeaux’s trap I probably would have got knocked out.

STRONGEST
Walters: There’s no doubt Walters was a physically strong guy. I couldn’t push that guy back. He was like a freight train. I smiled and was like ‘Lets do this.?The thing about me, the harder it becomes the more I get amped. The better the competition, the more I enjoy it.

BEST OVERALL
Walters: The guy that knocked me down. Not only did he outsmart me, he had decent speed, he out-powered me. From physically to mentally, he beat me overall. With Rigondeaux, he beat me with speed and boxing ability. With Walters it was overall.