Best I've faced

[Santa_]

Mark Johnson - Sep 2018

BEST JAB
RAFAEL MARQUEZ: I could never beat (trainer) Nacho Beristain. I lost to two of his fighters, Rafael Marquez and Jhonny Gonzalez. I lost to a great trainer in Nacho Beristain. Marquez had the best jab. What I noticed about Marquez was that his jab was pinpoint; his jab was to control the distance, as well as the fight to make me move my head to one side, so he could throw the right hand.

BEST DEFENSE
FERNANDO MONTIEL: He was one of the best Mexican guys I’ve ever seen box. He was slick and hard to hit. He had a lot of good head movement.

FASTEST HANDS
MONTIEL: I didn’t fight anybody who had hand speed that could match with me but I think Fernando Montiel was a little closer than most.

BEST FOOTWORK
MONTIEL: I think Fernando Montiel could box, move and punch. He had good footwork.

BEST CHIN
ARMANDO DIAZ: I beat him 12 straight rounds. I hit Armando Diaz with everything except the kitchen sink and I couldn’t knock him out. I think you could hit him with a baseball bat (and he wouldn’t move).

SMARTEST
MARQUEZ: Marquez is one of the guys I have a lot of respect for. I think he was the smartest guy. He hit me with a lot of body shots to slow me down.

STRONGEST
MARQUEZ: I think Marquez was physically strong. He was a bigger, stronger guy. He gained a lot of weight after the weigh-in. I think Jhonny Gonzalez was strong guy as well. At 112 and 115, I was the bigger, stronger guy but at 118, I definitely wasn’t the bigger, stronger guy.

BEST PUNCHER
MARQUEZ: To me the biggest puncher was either Marquez or Gonzalez. I think Marquez because he stopped me. I think I was a little old when I fought Gonzalez. I don’t think it was one punch that did it; it was a succession of different punches.

BEST BOXING SKILLS
MONTIEL: The best boxing skills was Fernando Montiel. He was a good boxer. I fought guys who were stronger and bigger but, when it came to boxing and using the ring, I think Montiel was that guy.

BEST OVERALL
MARQUEZ: Montiel had the whole package but I beat him, so Marquez, he beat me twice. I think I pegged Marquez’s career because I was only going to 118 pounds to try to be a three-weight world champion against Tim Austin. Marquez beat me and then he beat Tim Austin and then went on with the wars with Israel Vazquez. Before he fought me, he was just Juan Manuel Marquez’s little brother.

Good one. Prime Montiel at Flyweight and SuperFly was a beast. Too Sharp was past it when he lost to Marquez imo.

[True That]

Thank you for posting these and constantly updating with new boxers! Truly appreciate it.

[Chrismart]

Tony Tubbs - September 2018

BEST JAB
TYRELL BIGGS: He was in the 1984 Olympics. He moved like Muhammad Ali. I beat him in a fight where we all came together in a tournament. I think he had one of the best jabs. He had good movement and e tried to be the next Muhammad Ali.

BEST DEFENSE
TIM WITHERSPOON: Tim had a good defense. He was tough to land a clean shot on.

FASTEST HANDS
MIKE TYSON: I think I had the best hand speed, but Tyson had hand speed too. He had power and speed.

FASTEST FEET
BIGGS: I never had any problem with anyone’s footspeed. Tyrell Biggs; he’s a mover, you had to catch him. He had the best footwork and used all of the ring. I had to chase him down.

BEST CHIN
JIMMY YOUNG: I fought so many people [laughs]. Greg Page had a good chin, we went 15 rounds. Tyson had a pretty good chin, but if he went five rounds or more he’d tire out. Rid**** Bowe had a good chin, I don’t think he beat me that fight. Jimmy Young had a nice chin. I would say he had the best chin.

SMARTEST
WITHERSPOON: Greg Page was clever. He would let you come in and feint you and with his power. He would just sit there, but I was too fast. I beat him on the scorecards. Tim Witherspoon beat me on points and Bonecrusher Smith cracked him on the chin, anything can happen in a fight. I’d say that Tim was clever. He was comfortable in his fight zone. When I fought Bonecrusher I kept throwing combinations and getting out the way. I should have done the same thing to Tim, but every fight is different.

STRONGEST
TYSON: I think Tyson was way stronger than Bowe. Tyson was a comer; he was like a Joe Frazier. He depended on hitting, and he was a fast hitter. He had short arms, but when he got in he could dig, so you don’t want to let him get in.

BEST PUNCHER
TYSON: When Tyson hit me I felt dazed. When you’re younger you can take the puncher better than when you get older. If I had stayed on the outside he wouldn’t have beaten me. He gave up all his strength after five rounds. He was a hitter. Certain fighters would never fought Tyson, Rid**** Bowe would never fight Mike Tyson. Bowe never fought nobody, he never fought Lennox Lewis. I’m glad I had the fights I had.

BEST BOXING SKILLS
WITHERSPOON: He would come out just like a Philadelphia fighter, trying to counter. He’d try to put some things together, so you’ve got to think. But I was a boxer, I never was a puncher. When I first came in, I fought Witherspoon’s fight. I can catch and slip and do that game, but I should have been boxing because I know how to score. When you fight your own fight you always win, Muhammad Ali taught me that. Tim Witherspoon was a comer, he was a hitter, but I should have been working my jab. He fought his way, you’ve got to have skills to fight his way.

BEST OVERALL
TYSON: I’d say Tyson. I was 30, Tyson was 21. He was in his prime, he was a force of nature

[Chrismart]

Alan Minter - Oct 2018

BEST JAB
Marvelous Marvin Hagler: “The reach he had was phenomenal, the right jab, him being short, but he had very long arms. It was deceptive. He would switch all the time. You just didn’t know what was coming. He’d throw a jab, then turn orthodox and throw another jab. He was all over the place. His jabs were accurate and they had a lot of power. It would go straight through you, especially when a man’s coming straight at you, it doubles the impact. The jab was spot on; whatever punches he threw from the jab were all dangerous. He had every punch in the book.?br />
BEST DEFENSE
Hagler: “Hagler had a good defense. Whether he was boxing orthodox or southpaw, the shots he would throw were phenomenal. He rolled and moved away from…he was very difficult to get a hold of, very slippery.?br />
FASTEST HANDS
Kevin Finnegan: “His jabs were accurate because of his brother Chris being a southpaw. I would think Kevin. Finnegan sparring with his brother, he was a very difficult man to avoid.?br />
BEST FOOTWORK
Emile Griffith: “He was coming to the end of his career. He was still maneuverable. No matter how clever you were or tried to be, he could get away.?br />
CHIN
Tony Sibson: “When I caught him, he never wobbled or anything. I didn’t land my best shots against Hagler.?br />
SMARTEST
Griffith: “Experience, very knowledgeable, over the years he’d been a pro and what he did in boxing. Even when I thought I had him, he was able to maneuver out of it.?br />
STRONGEST
Hagler: “You couldn’t push him back. He was physically strong.?br />
BEST PUNCHER
Hagler: “His timing was first class, when he threw a punch he got you. He wouldn’t throw and miss and he wouldn’t be out of distance. He was very heavy-handed.?br />
BEST BOXING SKILLS
Finnegan: “The way he threw punches, all his punches were put together and come as a package instead of a jab, a right hand. It was all fluid.?br />
BEST OVERALL
Finnegan: I don’t know how to explain it, why I’d pick him over Hagler, Griffith. There was just something in him, the ability of his style. He used to cut quite easily but the way he boxed was phenomenal.?

[hugh grant]

Tucker thinking Tyson was the best which goes to show h2h Tyson was right up there with the best when Tyson was at his best.
Nobody beat a prime Tyson. Busters win over Tyson Tyson clearly was not what he was. No head movement

[Chrismart]

Javier Castillejo - Oct 2018

BEST JAB
FELIX STURM: He had a very fast and had good left jab.

BEST DEFENSE
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: It was very difficult to hit him and he did very smart defensive movements also.

FASTEST HANDS
DE LA HOYA: De La Hoya was as fast as a lightning.

BEST FOOTWORK
DE LA HOYA: Oscar de la Hoya once again. He moved like an ice-skater.

BEST CHIN
KEITH MULLINGS: I hit Mullings with my best punches. He had a very good defense with the gloves and the guard too. Also, Fernando Vargas, I broke his jaw in the first half of the fight. He is a very tough guy and fought until the end of the fight and won.

SMARTEST
LAURENT BOUDOUANI: The Frenchman was very intelligent, and he knew what to do in every moment.

STRONGEST
JULIO CESAR VASQUEZ: He was strong like a race horse.

BEST PUNCHER
VASQUEZ: Either Boudouani or Julio César Vasquez. Boudouani was very accurate; he knew the way to hurt the opponent. Vasquez was a beast, very violent. He hurt me a lot of times during the fight. If I had to pick, I would say Vasquez.

BOXING SKILLS
ROMAN KARMAZIN: Very complete fighter. Good puncher, fast, good technique?very, very difficult.

BEST OVERALL
DE LA HOYA: Oscar De La Hoya or Laurent Boudouani. I’d say De La Hoya; he is a legend, an Olympic gold medalist and champion in six weight categories. He was very skilled in all areas.

[Chrismart]

Someone in the fan mail section of the Ring asked Doug Fischer for his 'Best I've watched'. Since it fits in with the thread I thought i'd post it here :


JAB
Larry Holmes. I hated him because he humiliated and followed my hero, the man that attracted me to the sport in the first place, Muhammad Ali, but his left stick was mesmerizing; and even as a kid, I could see that he could win fights with that one key punch.

DEFENSE
Pernell Whitaker. I noticed his defensive prowess during the 1984 Olympic Games, but did not appreciate Sweet Pea as a pro until he left the lightweight division and planted his feet while schooling a fellow ATG in Julio Cesar Chavez and outclassing or competing with the best welterweights of the 1990s. I thought Pea deserved to be the BWAA’s Fighter of the Decade over Roy Jones Jr. Wilfredo Benitez, who I didn’t appreciate enough during his prime years, is also way up there.

FASTEST HANDS
Roy Jones Jr. Prime Jones has the fastest, most explosively powerful hands I’ve ever seen. Even when I finally got a chance to see him live and up close as a young member of the media in the early 2000s (2000-2003), when he was past his prime, fighting at light heavyweight, his hand speed was phenomenal.

FOOTWORK
I was an admirer of middleweight titleholder/perennial contender Sumbu Kalambay. To me, he was a 160-pound Ali.

CHIN
I’ll go with prime Ray Mercer. He took the best bombs of both Tommy Morrison and Lennox Lewis.

SMARTEST
Roberto Duran is by far the craftiest and most ring savvy fighter I’ve ever seen, even when he was way past his prime and way about his prime fighting weight. I could watch his 1989 middleweight title win over Iran Barkley every day for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. I even learn from watching his losses against Marvin Hagler and Robbie Sims. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is also up there, in and out of the ring (as his own matchmaker).

STRONGEST
Marvelous Marvin Hagler. I wasn’t a fan during his title run but I respected him and always likened him to the “Immovable Object?of boxing.

PUNCHER
Thomas Hearns. At his best, his power (and the speed and superlative technique that helped set it up) was scary. I still can’t watch his knockout of Roberto Duran. Julian Jackson and Naseem Hamed are up there, obviously.

BOXING SKILLS
Whitaker. Prime James Toney, when he had trained right, is also up there, as is Marco Antonio Barrera.

OVERALL
Sugar Ray Leonard. Nobody comes close to being the “total package?as my boyhood idol. A lot folks won’t agree with me, but I put prime Terry Norris up there too, along with Mark “Too Sharp?Johnson.

[YNG]

Someone in the fan mail section of the Ring asked Doug Fischer for his 'Best I've watched'. Since it fits in with the thread I thought i'd post it here :


JAB
Larry Holmes. I hated him because he humiliated and followed my hero, the man that attracted me to the sport in the first place, Muhammad Ali, but his left stick was mesmerizing; and even as a kid, I could see that he could win fights with that one key punch.

DEFENSE
Pernell Whitaker. I noticed his defensive prowess during the 1984 Olympic Games, but did not appreciate Sweet Pea as a pro until he left the lightweight division and planted his feet while schooling a fellow ATG in Julio Cesar Chavez and outclassing or competing with the best welterweights of the 1990s. I thought Pea deserved to be the BWAA’s Fighter of the Decade over Roy Jones Jr. Wilfredo Benitez, who I didn’t appreciate enough during his prime years, is also way up there.

FASTEST HANDS
Roy Jones Jr. Prime Jones has the fastest, most explosively powerful hands I’ve ever seen. Even when I finally got a chance to see him live and up close as a young member of the media in the early 2000s (2000-2003), when he was past his prime, fighting at light heavyweight, his hand speed was phenomenal.

FOOTWORK
I was an admirer of middleweight titleholder/perennial contender Sumbu Kalambay. To me, he was a 160-pound Ali.

CHIN
I’ll go with prime Ray Mercer. He took the best bombs of both Tommy Morrison and Lennox Lewis.

SMARTEST
Roberto Duran is by far the craftiest and most ring savvy fighter I’ve ever seen, even when he was way past his prime and way about his prime fighting weight. I could watch his 1989 middleweight title win over Iran Barkley every day for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. I even learn from watching his losses against Marvin Hagler and Robbie Sims. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is also up there, in and out of the ring (as his own matchmaker).

STRONGEST
Marvelous Marvin Hagler. I wasn’t a fan during his title run but I respected him and always likened him to the “Immovable Object?of boxing.

PUNCHER
Thomas Hearns. At his best, his power (and the speed and superlative technique that helped set it up) was scary. I still can’t watch his knockout of Roberto Duran. Julian Jackson and Naseem Hamed are up there, obviously.

BOXING SKILLS
Whitaker. Prime James Toney, when he had trained right, is also up there, as is Marco Antonio Barrera.

OVERALL
Sugar Ray Leonard. Nobody comes close to being the “total package?as my boyhood idol. A lot folks won’t agree with me, but I put prime Terry Norris up there too, along with Mark “Too Sharp?Johnson.

Damn that's a pretty good list actually, I'm picking Gomez for best footwork tho.

[chrisJS]

Good one. Prime Montiel at Flyweight and SuperFly was a beast. Too Sharp was past it when he lost to Marquez imo.

I agree on both points but I'll say this:

Johnson was past his best (he'd been to prison for about a year) but he'd still not came close to losing a fight (since his early loss a debatable one to a local fighter in Ireland) and for Rafael that was a HUGE step-up. He was even a 4-1 underdog in the re-match! Rafael wasn't considered a major prospect and had never mixed with anybody close to Too Sharp's class. Those were great victories.

Johnson then went on to beat Montiel rather easily a couple of years later at a time when Montiel was looking very, very good. I think Montiel got stage fright or something because he seemed in awe of Johnson.

[Motofan]

Just a thank you to everyone who adds to this thread. I look forward to reading every one of these you guys add.