Best I've faced

[Chrismart]

Wayne McCullough - July 2015

BEST SKILLS
Erik Morales: He came out to knock you out and when he fought me he’d knocked nine guys out in a row. He listened to his corner after the first round when they said back off and box. He could punch, he could fight and he could also adapt and box as well. He could change in a fight if he had to and win a fight on points. Other guys have one plan and if plan ‘A?doesn’t work they don’t have plan ‘B.?br />
BEST JAB
Morales: Morales had a good jab, he was the type of guy who would set everything up with a jab. He’d jab, jab and **** to the body, jab, jab and right hand to the head and then a jab to keep the distance. So it probably has to go to Morales.

BEST DEFENSE
Naseem Hamed: I think Naseem Hamed was the type of guy who depended on his defense. Against me he said he was going to knock me out and couldn’t do it and he ran. He’s hard to hit so you have to consider that good defense because you couldn’t really hit him. If a guy’s running away from you how can you hit him? You can’t really tell if it’s his defense or not. Out of everybody he probably did have the best defense.

BEST CHIN
Victor Rabanales: That’s a hard one too. Some of the Mexicans have tough chins, you hit them and they look at you so you hit them again and they look at you and then you hit them with a body shot and they crumble.

I know Morales stopped (Daniel Zaragoza) with a body shot. I believe to this day I won the fight. I remember hitting Zaragoza with a body shot in the second round and he cried like he was crying for his mommy! I thought I had him. He just grunted and I thought it was over and then the bell came. I reckon if there was another 30 seconds I could have stopped him.

The Mexicans, they’re all tough ?Zaragoza, Morales, Jose Luis Bueno. I didn’t take any easy fights coming up, I took tough fights against Mexicans.

Rabanales really did have a concrete chin. That was my 13th fight and his 50th fight and he was a former champion, No. 1 in the world. I hit him with everything and he hit me with everything too. That was the first time in boxing I lost a round. When I hit him in the chin he didn’t go anywhere. I remember looking at him and he had metal teeth! Every time I hit him it didn’t even faze him, he just kept coming and coming.

BEST PUNCHER
Morales: The biggest puncher was Erik Morales, pound-for-pound. From the first round until the 12th round he punched just as hard. The first round he hit me hard and the 12th round his punch didn’t diminish, he still kept the same intensity throughout the fight. He was really the hardest puncher for sure.

Hamed was strong, he had physical strength. He said to me when the fight was over, ‘You’re super strong.?Strength and punching power are two different things. The only guy to hurt me was Victor Rabanales. I think Hamed and Morales didn’t hurt me to the point where I was wobbling. Hamed was strong but Morales was pinpoint, he’d put a shock down the left side (of your body) every time he hit you.

FASTEST HANDS
Morales: Hamed, I could see his punches coming; I didn’t think Hamed was fast, I could see everything coming. Morales would hide his right hand with his jab. Nobody stood out as having fast hands. I think Morales gets it because he hid his right hand behind his jab. I’d probably give it to him.

FASTEST FEET
Hamed: I would say Hamed because he ran! I told him at the press conference, ‘What is going to happen when you hit me on the chin I’m still standing, what are you going to do??and he just ran for 12 rounds! I actually had blisters on both of my feet running after him. I called him on four or five different times, ‘Lets fight.?He definitely had the fastest feet.

SMARTEST
Daniel Zaragoza: Zaragoza for sure. He could adapt to anything. Just the years he fought ?even at 40 years old he was still fighting and winning world championships. I’d give it to him.

STRONGEST
Scott Harrison: Scott Harrison for sure. I was never really a featherweight, I moved up to fight Hamed and back down (to 122 pounds) to fight Morales. That was five years after I fought Hamed. On fight night the guy was just bigger, (at) the weigh in we were the same. I put on two or three pounds and I think he put on maybe 20 pounds. Scott Harrison for sure. Hamed was strong, his strength was unbelievable too but I remember in the interview after I said Scott Harrison was the strongest.

BEST OVERALL
Morales: Erik Morales for sure, definitely. We became good friends after the fight. He hit me with good shots and I laughed at him. Every time he sees me he goes, ‘You’re loco, you’re loco.?He always calls me Crazy Irish man. The man could box, he could punch, he moved around. At 122, 126 were his best weight classes but when he started moving through the divisions, when he fought at 140 and 147 I don’t think he belonged there at all. Overall, Erik Morales was definitely the best for sure.

[Chrismart]

Best I’ve Trained: Kenny Adams - August 2015

BEST SKILLS ?Kennedy McKinney ?Kennedy McKinney, it has to be. His skills were great. He had one of the best jabs around, he had a good right hand, good hook. He won the world title in Sardegna, Italy, against Welcome Ncita. It was probably a fight most people didn’t see; it was one of the greatest knockouts of all time: He slipped a punch, threw a right hand and the man came to attention and fell face-first. Johnny Tapia was another who had great boxing ability. I had actually known him since he was an amateur in Albuquerque, New Mexico. All his growing up he was such a warrior. He had good boxing ability, good chin, but didn’t care about boxing, he just wanted to fight you and prove to you he was as tough as you. “Mi Vida Loca?was what he lived to be.

BEST JAB ?McKinney ?Great jab, outstanding jab ?two and three jabs, single jab. Also Diego Corrales had a great jab ?a good stabbing, stiff jab. It was important for him to have that. Linares, there’s another with a great jab. A lot of them are very close but Kennedy rings out as the having the best jab.

BEST DEFENSE ?McKinney ?There we go again. Defense I would probably say Kennedy McKinney, he was one of the greatest all-around fighters I worked with. He had everything. He had defense, he had offense, great jab, great right hand, he had a great hook, great bodyshots, slip punches, he could move ?he could do it all.

BEST CHIN ?Vince Phillips ?Vince Phillips, best chin of anybody. You could hit him with a sledgehammer and he’d just walk away. Ray Mercer had a great chin, chin of stone.

BEST PUNCHER ?Eddie Cook ?Best single puncher Eddie Cook. Him and a close second Diego Corrales. Also I have to add Edwin Valero. Those three were some of the better punchers I know, natural punchers, period.

FASTEST HANDS ?Jorge Linares ?I guess Jorge Linares had the best hand speed. McKinney wasn’t far behind. (Linares) put combinations together ?four, five, six, seven punches and finish it with a hook and knock the guy out. Double jabs, triple jabs, moving left ,moving right, dropping the right hand, coming back with hooks.

FASTEST FEET ?Frankie Liles ?McKinney had great footwork. I think Valero had decent footwork. Also, Jorge Linares but maybe the best footwork was Frankie Liles ?the guy had some great footwork. Freddie Norwood was another one. (They) could change direction, backwards, forwards, move in and out and could pivot and step around and use angles (to) give a different direction and move out of harm’s way and (get) in position to punch.

SMARTEST ?Liles ?Frankie Liles would probably be the guy, he was another great boxer who would use his height and reach and his long arms. He would be thinking ahead, he would put you into traps, he would lean you in that direction and roll back and move his feet. He would fit that mold.

STRONGEST ?Mike McCallum ?I only worked with him a couple of times. Mike McCallum was a strong, slick guy, was one of those guys who would hit mitts (and) you could tell. Another who was very strong was Ray Mercer because he could punch so hard. He just had raw talent as far as that was concerned. He was a guy who overwhelmed you, he didn’t have great defense or style. Another was Ruslan Chagaev ?he had strong raw talents, his punching ability especially as he was left-handed ?made a big difference. When you work them on the mitts those left-handers can hit you with shots you don’t expect.

BEST OVERALL ?McKinney ?Kennedy McKinney was probably the best overall ?great boxer, great puncher, good defense, good movement and conditioned. But other fighters who I could put in that category would be Edwin Valero, Jorge Linares ?I thought they were great boxers, especially Edwin Valero ?great puncher, very strong, conditioned, always wanted to be first. As you know, he has 27 wins, 27 knockouts, 19 in the first round, so that speaks for itself. Eddie Cook has to be another I would add in there, he had such a great personality for his punching power. He knocked a guy out (Israel Contreras) and broke his jaw in two or three places to win the world title. It was his 18th fight and the guy was 36-2-1 with 25 knockouts.

[Johnwoo8686]

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.

Wow, Castillo seems to have a high opinion of Floyd despite arguably beating him in the first fight.

[Chrismart]

Ricardo Mayorga - July 2015

BEST SKILLS
Shane Mosley: The best I’ve faced by far was Shane Mosley because his ring generalship, his agility in the ring and speed. As a boxer he had the best skills of anyone I fought.

BEST JAB
Mosley: Again it’s Mosley, he’s extremely fast and he has a great jab.

BEST DEFENSE
Oscar De La Hoya: The best defense was Oscar De La Hoya. He had great movement, he put himself in position for a good defense. He was the hardest to hit.

BEST CHIN
De La Hoya: It’s hard to tell because everyone I hit I hurt. I would say De La Hoya.

BEST PUNCHER
Miguel Cotto: He knew how to punch and when he hit me I felt he had the most power behind it.

FASTEST HANDS
Mosley: He set things up with a nice jab, he threw fast combinations, better than anyone I faced.

FASTEST FEET
Mosley: He had the best foot movement. Again for positioning, ring generalship and the best boxing skills, he exceeded everyone’s speed.

SMARTEST
Cory Spinks: I pick Cory Spinks because he ran from me all night. He was the smartest.

STRONGEST
Cotto: The strongest one in the ring was Miguel Cotto. He was the hardest one to move around, his body felt the heaviest.

BEST OVERALL
Mosley: In my book it’s Shane Mosley. He’s the most complete fighter I have ever faced.

[b00g13man]

Ricardo Mayorga - July 2015

BEST SKILLS
Shane Mosley: The best I’ve faced by far was Shane Mosley because his ring generalship, his agility in the ring and speed. As a boxer he had the best skills of anyone I fought.

BEST JAB
Mosley: Again it’s Mosley, he’s extremely fast and he has a great jab.

BEST DEFENSE
Oscar De La Hoya: The best defense was Oscar De La Hoya. He had great movement, he put himself in position for a good defense. He was the hardest to hit.

BEST CHIN
De La Hoya: It’s hard to tell because everyone I hit I hurt. I would say De La Hoya.

BEST PUNCHER
Miguel Cotto: He knew how to punch and when he hit me I felt he had the most power behind it.

FASTEST HANDS
Mosley: He set things up with a nice jab, he threw fast combinations, better than anyone I faced.

FASTEST FEET
Mosley: He had the best foot movement. Again for positioning, ring generalship and the best boxing skills, he exceeded everyone’s speed.

SMARTEST
Cory Spinks: I pick Cory Spinks because he ran from me all night. He was the smartest.

STRONGEST
Cotto: The strongest one in the ring was Miguel Cotto. He was the hardest one to move around, his body felt the heaviest.

BEST OVERALL
Mosley: In my book it’s Shane Mosley. He’s the most complete fighter I have ever faced.

Interesting that he rates Shane that highly. I thought he looked like **** in that fight. Also expected Trinidad to be the biggest puncher.

[Chrismart]

Muhammad Ali -1975

*This feature originally appeared in the February 1975 issue of THE RING ****zine*

Can Frank Sinatra name his ten favorite songs? Could a child list his ten favorite candy bars? Can Jim Brown rattle off his ten favorite football games? And make those in order of preference.

I doubt it. At least not without changing the lists many times over.

I guess I have been asked to name “my toughest fights?at least a hundred times. And I have probably come up with as many different replies. It’s difficult because I consider all of my fights tough and all my opponents worthy.

Until this time I don’t think I’ve ever had to sit down and give it thought. Running true to form if you asked me the same question next week, my list might change again.

I’ve had too many milestones in my career to possibly think of picking fights on their importance.

There was probably no bigger challenge in my career than the one George Foreman posed in Kinshasa, Zaire. Strangely, although regaining my crown will remain one of my greatest thrills, it wasn’t one of my toughest fights.

The toughest would be my fight with Sonny Liston, when I won the title in 1964.

I was young and a great admirer of Liston’s talent. He could do just about everything except dance. But outside of myself, there’s never really been a dancin?heavyweight. Liston had a tremendous jab, could punch with either hand, was smart in the ring and as strong as any heavyweight I’d ever seen.

He was ugly, too. In and out of the ring. Being a big underdog and acting crazy at the weigh-in made everybody think that I was scared half to death.

Sonny came out at the bell looking to take me apart. I moved and stuck, knowing that I was going gaining control in the second round. But the “Bear?was always dangerous. Stalking, glaring, mean.

About the fourth round my eyes stated burning. Finally, when I came back to my corner, I couldn’t see at all. I figured Liston had something on his gloves and asked Angele (Dundee) to cut my gloves off. He didn’t but gave my eyes a good wash, checked Liston’s corner, talked to the referee and tried to stall for more time.

The bell rang but my eyes were still burning and watering, Angelo gave me a good pat on the rear end and said “keep moving?

Half-blinded, only seeing a blurred hulk, coming at me, I got on my bicycle. Luckily, I had enough instinct, speed and, yes, fear, to keep from getting tagged by the chasing Liston until my eyes started to clear.

I think he used up a lot chasing me and missing those big punches. He was tired and I knew I had regained control.

Like a wounded animal, with eyes swollen and cut, Sonny came out with a surge in the sixth round and connected with a good right hand but he couldn’t keep it going and I ended the round feeling like I was the new champ.

But I was still very relieved to see big Sonny remain on his stool when the bell rang for the seventh.

I still respect him as one of the truly great heavyweights of all time.

Next, I’d say would be the Doug Jones fight in 1963.

Jones had just come off a big knock out of Zora Folley. He was smart and hungry. I had put a lot of pressure on myself with predicting and tried to make it come true. The Garden was jammed and Jones was from New York.

All night long the determined Jones kept getting me with a looping right hand. He’d move in relentlessly and lead with the right. He was just throwing me off stride and I was very happy to be awarded a close decision.

Here I go, getting myself in deep trouble. That’s because I don’t know who could have been tougher than Joe Frazier the first time we met. He was really something that night, March 8, 1971, I’ll never forget the date.

Joe just kept coming. I thought that I won that fight but I don’t do the judging. Everybody remembers that one so I don’t have to go into it. He was a great heavyweight that night. His style will give me a tough fight every time.

Ken Norton was tough both times we fought. He broke my jaw in the first one, which I wasn’t in condition for. The second time, in Los Angeles, I was ready and won the early rounds but had to pull a split decision out in the last round.

Norton’s strength and jerky rhythm throws me off, and like Frazier, will always be a tough one for me to conquer.

I know the name Karl Mildenberger might not strike fear in to many men’s hearts but he was a rough one for me to figure.

I fought him in Germany in 1966. He was a southpaw and I had a lot of trouble getting untracked against his style. He could box pretty well and whacked me with a few good punches. I didn’t get him until the 12th round in what everyone figured would be an easy fight.

In my second fight since my layoff of over three years, Oscar “Ringo?Bonavena gave me a real tough 15 rounds.

Bonavena, short, awkward and strong, did everything but hit me in the kneecaps trying to win that one. I finally caught him coming in with a left hook in the 15th round. I was glad it was over after a grueling fight.

Then in 1972, I met light heavyweight champ Bob Foster in Lake Tahoe. I always respected him as possibly the greatest of all 175-pounders but I never figured he could handle me.

For almost four rounds, I laid on him and used my 41-pound advantage to tire him out. When I figured I had him weary, he started jabbing. I couldn’t believe he was out-jabbing me, the master of the jab. His jabs were sharp and hard. He caught me with some good combinations and shook me a couple of times.

For the first time in my career, I was cut with a crisp jab. He also had me swollen under the other eye and cut in the mouth but the weight took its toll and he went down for the seventh and final time in the eighth round.

I was glad I got him at 34 and he didn’t have an extra 15 or 20 pounds.

It might sound funny but Jimmy Ellis, who was formerly my chief sparring partner, gave me a tough night in the Houston Astrodome.

Jimmy, who probably knew me and my moves better than I knew myself, was as smart as they came. He had pride and was a world champion too.

For seven or eight rounds, Jimmy gave me fits. He darted in and out and kept me under pressure with a good scientific fight. I started getting to him about the ninth round and the referee stopped it in the 12th.

Up jumped Joe Frazier again and as you can guess, it was another tough one but I wound up with the decision this time.

Joe was still his relentless self as he seemed to get stronger as the fight went on. I thought I had him going early in the fight but there was a little mix-up with the bell and the ref stepped in to early.

The fight was a good one and Joe remains high on my list in more ways than one. We are even at one and one and one maybe someday we can have the rubber match to settle the score. Joe would like that too.

Those are ten, which I was asked for but there are more that seem to belong in that top ten.

Jerry Quarry, in our first fight in Atlanta, was coming strong in the third when I stopped him on a cut. But that was my first fight back after the layoff and Quarry was probably too tough a choice. I was very fortunate to have had the fight stopped on a cut, which was a bad one.

Joe Bugner, the European champion, game me a tough 12-round decision fight in Las Vegas. That’s another fight that people figured with be easy but Bugner was determined, clever and fast.

Mac Foster gave me a grueling 15 rounds in Tokyo, Japan, that had to be one of my toughest fights from a physical standpoint.

Alvin “Blue?Lewis, whom I stopped in 11 in Dublin, Ireland, gave me much more trouble than I bargained for. I did have a bad cold going into the fight but that’s no excuse. Lewis was a good heavyweight who needed more breaks.

Speaking about tough, I don’t know who was ever tougher on me physically than “Granite Jaw?George Chuvalo. He gave me two tough distance fights for a total of 27 rounds and took everything I had to dish out and kept coming for more.

Henry Cooper, one of England’s greatest, sat me on my pants in London and was without a doubt one of the best I had met. His big trouble was tissue-paper skin.

Ernie Terrell, who is now making it as a singer with his own group, gave a tough account of himself against me at the Astrodome for the undisputed world championship in a fight I won over the 15-round distance.

As I said, they were all tough. I’ve never really had an easy one.

There will be more tough fights in the ring for me. But my toughest of all fights is still to come when I retire from boxing. That will be my continued fight to help my people.

[Zaroku]

Crazy inverse relationship between the respect McCallum gets from fighters and trainers and the wider public's awareness of him. He's basically unknown outside of the core boxing fanbase, yet the likes of Toney and Jones think he's one of the greatest ever.

The thing that always jumps out to me when I watch McCallum is how rarely he misses. It's ridiculous. You watch some of his fights and it's like he doesn't miss with a single shot for rounds at a time. Great, great fighter.

Pauline malinaggi hahaha thanks man. I needed that!

[removed]

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.

My favourite. Brutally honest, no ego.

[Willy Wanker]

Ricardo Mayorga - July 2015



SMARTEST
Cory Spinks: I pick Cory Spinks because he ran from me all night. He was the smartest.

Mayorga is the most honest and funniest guy in boxing.

[Chrismart]

Michael Nunn - Oct 2015

BEST SKILLS - Donald Curry: He was wise and sharp. This is a tough one because I came across a lot of good boxers on the way up the ladder.

BEST JAB - Frank Tate: He had a great jab, so I had to stay on top of him from the first round. I won the middleweight championship of the world after a long, hard fight.

BEST DEFENSE ?Marlon Starling: To this day, Starling is still asking for a rematch. He was a crafty little man, who was hard to catch cleanly with big shots.

BEST CHIN - lran Barkley: You could hit the guy with a hammer and he was going nowhere. I landed everything I had and he said, ‘Is that all you’ve got, Nunn??br />
BEST PUNCHER - Juan Roldan: He was the strongest puncher I faced in my career.

FASTEST HANDS - Carl Jones: He was from Los Angeles and had me down in the first round.

FASTEST FEET - Jones: The only thing faster than Jones?feet were his hands.

SMARTEST - James Toney: I have to admit, looking back, James Toney was a smart guy in the ring.

STRONGEST - Barkley: For a middleweight, Barkley was exceptionally strong. It was like pounding on a heavyweight. After the weigh-in, he must have gained an extra 20 pounds.

BEST OVERALL - Curry: The best overall game belonged to Donald Curry. He could do a bit of everything.