Best I've faced

[Beercules]

Interesting what Bute said about DeGale.


Keep these coming OP

[yngwie]

Cory Spinks - Feb 2017

BEST JAB
Jermain Taylor: I would say the person that had the best jab was Michele Piccirillo…no, let me take that back: Jermain Taylor. Jermain Taylor had the best jab. You could tell he worked on it a lot and he used it to set up everything, so I had to basically try to take his jab from him. Piccirillo, he had a nice snapping jab. It was like a herky-jerky jab but it was a good jab.

BEST DEFENSE
Zab Judah: I would say Zab because we were both skillful southpaws and I had to adjust and deal with his defense. He had a pretty cool defense. It wasn’t that easy to hit him.

FASTEST HANDS
Judah: It goes again to Zab. Zab had the fastest hands; I would give that to him. That was one of his attributes; he had fast hands and a little pop.

FASTEST FEET
Judah: I didn’t fight too many people that had just as fast a hand and foot speed as me, so it has to go to Zab.

BEST CHIN
Miguel Angel Gonzalez: Rafael Pineda, I hit him and nothing (laughs). I was heavy and I kind of underestimated him and didn’t train as hard as I possibly could. When I got in there, I wished I did (Laughs), very good chin, strong body. I made it through that one but it was tough. I hit him with everything and he wouldn’t stop coming. He fought one of my idols, Pernell (Whitaker) and that got me a little pumped but he wouldn’t budge.
I hit Miguel Angel Gonzalez with everything but he wouldn’t go nowhere. I would say he had the best chin because I sat down on a lot of shots and he did not go anywhere. He didn’t take a foot back or anything; I give that to him. Mayorga had a decent chin when he wanted and wasn’t acting silly but I would say Miguel Angel Gonzalez got him though.

SMARTEST
Judah: I really didn’t fight a person who made me do things they wanted me to do because I was a smart boxer. At first I thought Zab was. He was a smart fighter at that time, at the top of his game and we had two wars.

STRONGEST
Ricardo Mayorga: He was very strong,. A lot of his punches weren’t straight. He packed a mean punch. I was in tremendous shape but I could tell when I clinched with him, I could tell he was probably the strongest person I fought.

BEST PUNCHER
Mayorga: I weaved some of them punches and I swear I heard a whistle. He can punch.

BOXING SKILLS
Miguel Angel Gonzalez: He had smart tactics to fight a southpaw but he was an older fighter but I could tell he did his homework and he came with a gameplan and he tried to execute it but I was being a little hard-headed, at the time.

BEST OVERALL
Taylor: That’s a toughie. I would have to say the ones that accomplished the most, Mayorga, Jermain Taylor, Zab and Miguel Angel Gonzalez. I would say Jermain Taylor. He knew what was his best and he used it to win the fights and that’s his jab. He had a terrific trainer; Emanuel Steward taught him how to use it even better and he perfected it and it made it real tough to get past his jab.

Judah talent was for real, but his head was in another place.

[Chrismart]

Juan Laporte - March 2017

BEST JAB
Eusebio Pedroza: Pedroza had a good jab. He had a long reach with the jab. It was a powerful jab. It wasn’t just a flick jab; it was a strong jab.

BEST DEFENSE
Salvador Sanchez: Salvador Sanchez had a good defense. At that time, it was my first big fight and it was kinda difficult for me because I didn’t have all the experience of boxing and he made it difficult for me ’cause he had good reflexes and he’d move away from punches and turn his head, so he had a good defense.

BEST CHIN
Julio Cesar Chavez: This is the best chin in boxing, me! (laughs) Chavez had a good chin. I hit him a couple of times and I hit him hard. I know, after the fight, he couldn’t eat for a couple of days because his jaw was messed up. He could take a good shot. Ruben Castillo, he took shots and he had a good chin.

FASTEST HANDS
Ruben Castillo: Ruben Castillo had fast hands; he was probably one of the fastest hands I fought.

FASTEST FEET
Wilfredo Gomez: Wilfredo Gomez was good for that, his foot movement, defense. Gomez was one of the greatest fighters in the world.

SMARTEST
Sanchez: (The smartest) that I fought was Salvador Sanchez. This guy was unbelievable; he kept coming. Defense was great; you’ve got to constantly be thinking every second of the fight because this guy is that good.

STRONGEST
Kostya Tszyu: The strongest guy I fought. I was out of shape and on the way out and fought Kostya Tszyu. That was the strongest guy I ever fought. He was like 160 pounds when I was 140 pounds wet. This guy was big and strong.

BEST PUNCHER
Mario Miranda: I got rocked about once or twice in my whole career and one of them was Mario Miranda for the title. He only had power in one hand, the right hand. After he hit me in the second round, that’s it. I didn’t let him hit me with that hand anymore. Chavez had power; Gomez had a little power but he didn’t do anything to me either. Salvador didn’t have the power punch. Pedroza had a little power but didn’t hurt me. The only time he hurt me was when he hit me in the groin, low blows and kidney punches. McGuigan, no, he had fast hands; he was like Ruben Castillo. Nelson, I didn’t even feel it cause he didn’t want to get near me. Kostya Tszyu was a very powerful puncher, that’s the only fight that I ever thought I was in trouble ’cause I knew I was out of condition and this guy was way bigger than me out of my (natural) weight (class) and I just had to fight my way all the way to the 10 rounds. Everybody knows Zack (Padilla, the only fighter to stop Laporte) wasn’t a power puncher. He was a busy fighter; he had conditioning, throwing punches from everywhere but he wasn’t a power puncher. I was hitting him harder than he was hitting me. He was just hitting me more and he was way bigger.

BEST SKILLS
Gomez: Best boxing skills…I fought a guy like Charles Murray (at junior welterweight). These guys are different weight divisions. They’re taller and bigger. They can outbox the little guys, so that makes it a little difficult. But my size, Wilfredo Gomez, he was the best. You could tell by his record and the guys he fought. When he fought me, he made the fight so easy for himself. I was over-trained and it was hard to get off. That was my worst fight but I respect that he had a very good day.

BEST OVERALL
Sanchez: To me, since it was the biggest fight of my career, at the time, it was Salvador Sanchez.

[Chrismart]

Paulie Malignaggi - April 2017

BEST JAB
Amir Khan: To be effective with the jab you must control range and when you get into position you rely on your hand speed. Amir had that down very well in our fight.

BEST DEFENSE
Adrien Broner: Adrien stays in the pocket so that he can roll and slip what’s coming his way and when he does catch a shot, it rarely lands flush. There is method to that Mayweather defense, although Floyd is a lot better at it. Both Gavin Rees and Marcos Maidana exploited Broner’s vulnerability to the overhand right and that’s because Adrien doesn’t bend at the knees.

BEST CHIN
Lovemore Ndou: Lovemore was never stopped as a professional and had a great chin. I did drop him in our first fight but that was one of the sharpest performances of my career. I won my first world title from him and was really on my game that night.

BEST PUNCHER
Miguel Cotto: Miguel was a consistently hard puncher. The guy hit me and I was actually asking myself if it was real. He broke my orbital bone in Round 2 and that’s damage you pick up in a car accident. Don’t believe all the bulls–t about an injury like that going numb either. The pain never goes away and it’s your adrenaline that carries you through.

FASTEST HANDS
Khan: When he found the range his hand speed never let him down. Amir could pull the trigger very quickly and in that sense, he’s like a gunslinger in the Old West. He was the fastest on the draw and very difficult to counterpunch. He also has a very deceiving rhythm, which makes it difficult to time him.

FASTEST FEET
Khan: Amir was the only guy who completely nullified my main asset, which is quickness. He took the lead in our fight and I couldn’t fall back on my speed because his speed topped mine. Very early I could tell it was going to be tough and it obviously was. Amir will be a nightmare for any opponent because he uses fast feet to acquire the range and then releases fast hands when he gets there.

SMARTEST
Cotto: Miguel is so good at making you feel uncomfortable and making you fight his fight. He takes you completely out of your comfort zone and even when you’re doing well against him, you still know you’re in danger. He cut off the ring, maneuvered me into certain areas, made me overthink, and that’s when panic sets in. He has excellent ring intelligence. You can’t tell how good Miguel is until you’re in there with him.

STRONGEST
Shawn Porter: He came from a higher weight and has a background in wrestling and football. Also, he has the type of physique where he can excel in that body-to-body contact. It was very difficult to maneuver on the inside against him and locate the correct punching angles. Shawn was very strong and tenacious on the inside and he kept the action there as often as he could.

BEST OVERALL SKILLS
Cotto: Miguel’s technical skill is excellent. If you see a still picture of him throwing a left hook, his right hand is always right by his chin. If he’s throwing the right, his left hand is by his chin. He has terrific balance, keeps his hands very high and is always in good position.

BEST OVERALL
Cotto: He had the power, the ring intelligence and the unique ability to know when I was hurting. Many times in my career I would catch a good shot to the head or to the body and play possum in order to kill the clock. The problem was Miguel always knew when I was hurt and would jump right on me. He had real killer instinct and that, combined with his power, technique and desire, makes him what he is. All these years later and I can say, ‘Hey, that’s the best fighter I ever fought.’”

[mlac]

the best chin on paulies list ...was dropped by paulie?

[Pac=Duran]

the best chin on paulies list ...was dropped by paulie?

HJHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Paulie is disgrace.

[Vadrigar.]

Great great thread. I love how James Toney gave no respect to Roy Jones. Not that I dislike Roy. I love Roy. That was just hilarious. Toney is a riot.

The only fighter that can get away with being disrespectful and even be loved for it. The attitude just suits him perfectly.

[Vadrigar.]

De La Hoya - August 2009

Best fighter: Julio Cesar Chavez He had it all. He could box, he could punch, he had an iron chin. And he had guts. He had the whole package. He wasn't 25 when he fought me but he was still an elite fighter.

Best boxer: Pernell Whitaker He was very elusive, very hard to hit. He was very slippery.

Best puncher: Arturo Gatti. This kid, may he rest in peace, didn't catch me flush on the chin but his punches were so heavy, heavier than Ike Quartey's. I dont know what he had in his hands.

Quickest hands: Manny Pacquiao His punches don't come from your basic boxing style; they come from all sorts of weird angles. That'ss what makes him difficult.

Quickest feet: Pernell Whitaker He was very elusive. He could spin you around and not exert much energy doing it. He did it with ease. It was so natural to him. Footwork starts everything.

Best defense: Pernell Whitaker Again, he was slippery, elusive. It was hard to crack that defense.

Best chin: Julio Cesar Chavez I hit him with some shots. In our second fight, I said to myself, My gosh. How can he not go down?

Best jab: Ike Quartey He had an incredible jab. The special thing about it was that he threw it from his chin or sometimes he would leave it loose in the air. You wouldnt notice him throwing it. His jab was very powerful, one of his best weapons. And when it landed, it really hurt. It didnt sting; it hurt. Like a hammer coming down on you.

Strongest: Fernando Vargas He just felt strong. It was so hard to handle him. I felt his weight. His punches were heavy and strong. He was solid. We all know what happened there, though: He had a little help.

Smartest: Bernard Hopkins He is the type of fighter who gets in your head. For our press tour, he was always polite, very nice. No trash talk, no nothing. After the fight, I realized: He did that because he didn;t want me to fight angry, to try to take his head off. At the time I fought him, he didnt like pressure from his opponent because he didnt like fighting the whole three minutes. He is one smart cookie.

Loved how De La Hoya replaced Fluid with Whitaker in those categories. **** that fraud.

[Chrismart]

Raul Marquez - April 2017

BEST JAB
Jermain Taylor: To me it has to be Jermain Taylor. He had an excellent, long jab. He kept me away. I’m an inside fighter ?when I did work myself inside he would grab and hold me and wait for the referee to break us up. It was hard to get under his jab; it was long jab. He was too big for me but his jab didn’t let me get in. It was always in my face and kept me from doing my inside work.

BEST DEFENSE
Arthur Abraham: Probably Abraham. He’s got that peekaboo defense, he was hard to hit. Again, he’s a big dude and that was sort of near the end of my career. You could never really land a clear shot on him because of the way he covers up and puts his hand up and fights behind his guard.

FASTEST HANDS
Shane Mosley: Has to be “Sugar?Shane Mosley. He was pretty fast. I knew Shane from the amateurs. Obviously, I was a stronger guy than him ?he was fighting as a junior middleweight for the first time. He was fast, he had fast hands. We came up in the amateurs ?he didn’t make the Olympic team I did. I think he lost to Vernon Forrest in the Olympic Trials. Another guy in there with the fastest hands would be Fernando Vargas.

FASTEST FEET
Fernando Vargas: I’m gonna go with Vargas. When I fought him he was very sharp, great footwork. He was there but I couldn’t really catch him. He fought a very disciplined fight when he fought me. He’d tag me and I’d try to go after him but his footwork was excellent and on point ?good angles and good lateral movement. Yeah, it has to be Fernando Vargas.

BEST CHIN
Keith Mullings: Well there’s two: Yori Boy Campas, he had a good chin, and Keith Mullings ?that was a guy that had a granite chin. Yori Boy Campas I may have dazed and rocked him. And you know what, when I fought Keith Mullings my hands were a mess; my hands were so swollen up from me hitting him. I think I’m gonna go with Keith Mullings. He just kept coming, I couldn’t move him.

SMARTEST
Vargas: I’m gonna go with Fernando Vargas. His smartness, his intelligence ?he was a thinker when I fought him. He would take control of the ring. Again, his jab, sharp; short, fast combinations ?really snappy ?and his angles and lateral movement, good defense, pretty good speed.

STRONGEST
Abraham: I think the strongest guy I fought was Arthur Abraham. He was pretty strong. He’s got good power. With Abraham, he was like a brick wall, he was just strong. When he hit me I could feel his shots.

BEST PUNCHER
Abraham: Vargas had power but it was more snappy. Abraham, you could feel every single punch. You could just feel your whole body. He had stunning power. One-punch knockout power. He had heavy hands; he’d touch you and you could feel he was strong and powerful. Campas has some power. I took a good shot ?I was never not knowing where I’m at. Campas had pretty decent power but I don’t compare it to the power Abraham had. Shane’s power didn’t affect me at all; it was more his speed and quickness, but his power was nothing to me. I’d fought bigger guys. He might have had power at 135 or 147 but it didn’t affect me at all.

BOXING SKILLS
Vargas: I’m gonna go with, in my time ?Fernando Vargas. I couldn’t tell with Shane ’cause it was only three rounds, but you look at the rounds there was a lot of holding. Every time I hit him with the left hand, he’d hold me a lot. With Fernando, he would hit me, I’d try to hit him and he was gone ?he was quick on his feet, quick hands, sharp and explosive, he had angles and lateral movement. I might have caught him with one shot and I couldn’t catch him with three or four shots; he was there and then he was gone. He had good boxing reflexes and skills.

BEST OVERALL
Vargas: Overall, in my time, I can’t say it’s Abraham, I can’t say it was Jermain Taylor ?they were good fighters, but again I’m going to go Vargas. Vargas is going to love me picking him! For being that young, when I fought him he was very advanced. He had a great amateur career, he was an Olympian. He was hungry, he was feisty, he was a hungry lion and he wanted to be the best, and perhaps his downfall was he fought the best too soon. For me it has to be Vargas.

[yngwie]

Juan Laporte - March 2017

BEST JAB
Eusebio Pedroza: Pedroza had a good jab. He had a long reach with the jab. It was a powerful jab. It wasn’t just a flick jab; it was a strong jab.

BEST DEFENSE
Salvador Sanchez: Salvador Sanchez had a good defense. At that time, it was my first big fight and it was kinda difficult for me because I didn’t have all the experience of boxing and he made it difficult for me ’cause he had good reflexes and he’d move away from punches and turn his head, so he had a good defense.

BEST CHIN
Julio Cesar Chavez: This is the best chin in boxing, me! (laughs) Chavez had a good chin. I hit him a couple of times and I hit him hard. I know, after the fight, he couldn’t eat for a couple of days because his jaw was messed up. He could take a good shot. Ruben Castillo, he took shots and he had a good chin.

FASTEST HANDS
Ruben Castillo: Ruben Castillo had fast hands; he was probably one of the fastest hands I fought.

FASTEST FEET
Wilfredo Gomez: Wilfredo Gomez was good for that, his foot movement, defense. Gomez was one of the greatest fighters in the world.

SMARTEST
Sanchez: (The smartest) that I fought was Salvador Sanchez. This guy was unbelievable; he kept coming. Defense was great; you’ve got to constantly be thinking every second of the fight because this guy is that good.

STRONGEST
Kostya Tszyu: The strongest guy I fought. I was out of shape and on the way out and fought Kostya Tszyu. That was the strongest guy I ever fought. He was like 160 pounds when I was 140 pounds wet. This guy was big and strong.

BEST PUNCHER
Mario Miranda: I got rocked about once or twice in my whole career and one of them was Mario Miranda for the title. He only had power in one hand, the right hand. After he hit me in the second round, that’s it. I didn’t let him hit me with that hand anymore. Chavez had power; Gomez had a little power but he didn’t do anything to me either. Salvador didn’t have the power punch. Pedroza had a little power but didn’t hurt me. The only time he hurt me was when he hit me in the groin, low blows and kidney punches. McGuigan, no, he had fast hands; he was like Ruben Castillo. Nelson, I didn’t even feel it cause he didn’t want to get near me. Kostya Tszyu was a very powerful puncher, that’s the only fight that I ever thought I was in trouble ’cause I knew I was out of condition and this guy was way bigger than me out of my (natural) weight (class) and I just had to fight my way all the way to the 10 rounds. Everybody knows Zack (Padilla, the only fighter to stop Laporte) wasn’t a power puncher. He was a busy fighter; he had conditioning, throwing punches from everywhere but he wasn’t a power puncher. I was hitting him harder than he was hitting me. He was just hitting me more and he was way bigger.

BEST SKILLS
Gomez: Best boxing skills…I fought a guy like Charles Murray (at junior welterweight). These guys are different weight divisions. They’re taller and bigger. They can outbox the little guys, so that makes it a little difficult. But my size, Wilfredo Gomez, he was the best. You could tell by his record and the guys he fought. When he fought me, he made the fight so easy for himself. I was over-trained and it was hard to get off. That was my worst fight but I respect that he had a very good day.

BEST OVERALL
Sanchez: To me, since it was the biggest fight of my career, at the time, it was Salvador Sanchez.

This was nice.
Seems like a real honest interview but I have the feeling that LaPorte was always trying to take some credit away from all of them.