There is no single way in which BoxingScene writers and editors conceive of or commission articles. Sometimes - fight week previews, for example - the themes are obvious. Sometimes, they're obscure. Sometimes, they're the result of random observations in a group WhatsApp chat.

For example:

“So is the 50th anniversary of Jaws. That means as much time elapsed between Jaws and that fight as between that fight and now. Damn, I feel old.”

“We could do a tie-in: the 50 best jaws in boxing history.”

Which is where we are now. This past weekend marked five decades since the debut of history's most famous jaws, and today we roll out BoxingScene’s look back at decades' worth of boxing's most resilient jaws.

Sure, it's a bit of a reach, but no matter. Few things are more likely to get boxing fans alternately entertained and enraged than historical “best of” lists, especially as they are, by their very nature, subjective. It's the boxers who come close to inclusion but end up left out that cause particular agitation, and fans of Oscar De La Hoya, Joe Calzaghe, or Evander Holyfield among others might feel aggrieved at those great fighters’ exclusions. But 50 is an entirely arbitrary number, and history is replete with great boxers - and not-so-great ones - with sturdy beards.

Indeed, an early draft was a little heavy on recency bias. The likes of Canelo Alvarez or Oleksandr Usyk tend to come to mind before Holman Williams or Gorilla Jones. In the end, we elected not to include active fighters, partly to make it easier to draw the line for inclusion, and partly because, as with assessing Hall-of-Fame credentials, it's generally a good idea to let a career play out in its entirety before making summary judgments. That said, Alvarez in particular seems destined for this list when he's done and could legitimately be miffed at missing the boat this time.

(There is one exception to the above: Oliver McCall is both on the list and, incredibly, active. He's also 60 years old, so it’s highly improbable we'll come to a different conclusion on his eligibility in the future.)

There is no hard-and-fast rule about what makes a good jaw. Sometimes it's genetics, sometimes it's thick neck muscles, often it's keeping the chin tucked, having good defense, or being able to anticipate incoming artillery in just enough time to avoid being caught fully flush. Sometimes, it's all the above. Either way, the following fighters boasted some of the sturdiest mandibles to ever bite down on a mouthpiece.

We'd love to be able to do justice to every truly resilient boxer to grace the squared circle, but … well, we're gonna need a bigger list.

Preamble over, it's time for the main event. In alphabetical order, the honorees are:

Muhammad Ali

(1960-1980)

“The Greatest” had a couple of early scares - decked by Sonny Banks and Henry Cooper while still known as Cassius Clay, before stopping them both - and was felled by a Joe Frazier left hook in the 15th round of their epic first contest. But, a disputed knockdown call against Chuck Wepner aside, he remained on his feet for the rest of his all-time-great career.

Carmen Basilio

(1948-1961)

Dropped just once in 79 fights at welterweight and middleweight against some of the best fighters in the sport’s history. After a close win in his first fight against Sugar Ray Robinson, the Associated Press reported that he “shook off punches that would have knocked down a horse.”

Panama Al Brown

(1922-1942)

The great Panamanian bantamweight was knocked down just once in 155(ish) bouts, of which he won 123 and drew 10.

Charley Burley

(1936-1950)

Widely considered one of the greatest boxers never to win a world title; Archie Moore would call him “the best fighter I ever fought, and the best fighter I ever saw.” He could be inconsistent offensively, but rarely defensively and was never stopped in 98 pro fights.

Julio Cesar Chavez

(1980-2005)

It took 90 pro fights before Chavez tasted the canvas, in his first career defeat, against Frankie Randall. He was knocked down again, in his relative dotage, by Kostya Tszyu. But even as he inevitably grew less resilient with age, he remained standing through two stoppage losses to Oscar De La Hoya. Notably withstood extensive punishment from Meldrick Taylor to turn the fight around and score a dramatic, last-second, knockout.

George Chuvalo

(1956-1978)

Possessing the definitive granite chin, Chuvalo was never off his feet in 93 bouts: not against Floyd Patterson, nor Ernie Terrell, nor Oscar Bonavena, nor Muhammad Ali. A young Joe Frazier stopped him on a cut and George Foreman battered him until referee Arthur Mercante rescued him, but he remained standing the whole time.

Joshua Clottey

(1995-2019)

Down just once, against Miguel Cotto, and never stopped, Clottey could be an infuriatingly passive fighter at times, but the Ghanaian was always resilient.

Randall Cobb

(1977-1993)

Larry Holmes couldn't drop him. Nor could Ken Norton or Earnie Shavers or Michael Dokes. Outside of a brief knockdown against Eddie Gregg and an odd first-round stoppage against Dee Collier, Tex Cobb's jaw was impregnable, which is all the more remarkable given that that chin was often his first line of defense against frequently superior boxers.

Steve Collins

(1986-1997)

Never close to being knocked out, Collins was officially knocked down just three times: on a body shot from Kevin Watts in 1989, in his first fight with Chris Eubank in 1995, and in the first 15 seconds of his final bout, against Craig Cummings (which he insisted was a slip). He won all three contests.

Chris Eubank

(1985-1988)

Eubank was not knocked down until suffering his first defeat in his 44th fight, against Steve Collins. The former 160 and 168 pound champion would hit the deck in two more outings: against a younger Joe Calzaghe in 1997 and in a bold challenge of cruiserweight Carl Thompson the following year.

Tommy Farr

(1926-1953)

Farr was stopped five times over 27 years and 143 bouts, but three were early in his career and two when the “Tonypandy Terror” was well past his best; and only once was he down for the count. Was the first of only three opponents (the others being Jersey Joe Walcott and Ezzard Charles) to survive 15 rounds against Joe Louis.

George Foreman 

(1969-1977; 1987-1997)

Foreman's first 40 fights: 40 wins, no knockdowns suffered. His next two fights: one win, one KO loss, three knockdowns suffered. His final 39 fights: 35-4, no knockdowns suffered, even at age 45.

Carl Froch 

(2002-2014)

Knocked down just twice in his career - by Jermain Taylor and George Groves - he bounced back to stop both opponents.

Gene Fullmer

(1951-1963)

The “Mauling Mormon” was knocked out just once in his 64-bout career: when Sugar Ray Robinson stopped him with a left hook that was dubbed “the perfect punch.”

Kid Gavilan

(1943-1958)

Possessing just about everything except a power punch, the Cuban Hawk went the distance 115 times in 143 fights, which makes it all the more remarkable that not only was he never stopped, he was dropped only twice in his Hall-of-Fame career.

Gennadiy Golovkin

(2006-2022)

Never knocked down and barely if ever perceptibly buzzed, Golovkin once even knocked out Daniel Geale immediately after being punched flush in the face himself.

Billy Graham

(1941-1955)

Known as the “Uncrowned champion,” Graham fell short against Kid Gavilan in two shots at the welterweight crown, but was a highly competitive contender during a golden era for the sport and stayed on his feet throughout every one of his 130-odd professional contests.

Harry Greb

(1913-1926)

Despite starting at welterweight, winning titles at middleweight and light-heavyweight, and competing at heavyweight, Greb was stopped only twice in 300 or so fights, both times in the first two years of his career: once when outweighed by 14 pounds and once when he fractured his arm during a fight.

Marvin Hagler

(1973-1987)

The great Hagler faced the best of the best, including his fellow members of the Four Kings, and none of them came close to knocking him off his feet. His one official knockdown, against Juan Roldan, was clearly a slip.

Larry Holmes

(1973-2002)

The strength of Holmes’ jaw was really highlighted when he was knocked down by the mighty Earnie Shavers in 1979. Holmes shook it off, rose to his feet, and stopped Shavers in 11. Three knockdowns in a comeback against Mike Tyson barely count.

Bernard Hopkins

(1988-2016)

Until his final fight, the worst damage Hopkins took in a ring was when referee Mills Lane accidentally pushed him through the ropes when separating him from a clinch with Robert Allen in 1998. Segundo Mercado dropped him in the altitude of Quito, Ecuador in 1994, and Jean Pascal and Sergey Kovalev put him down in 2010 and 2014 respectively. But he wasn't halted until his final outing, at age 51.

Beau Jack

(1939-1955)

Not until his 81st pro fight, in 1947, was former lightweight champ Jack halted in a contest - and that was after re-injuring a bad knee. He was then stopped by Ike Williams in an attempt to regain his crown, but remained on his feet. He was ultimately halted just four times in 121 bouts, but was never counted out.

Joe Jennette

(1904-1919)

In a career that lasted, by some accounts, 157 fights, Jennette was stopped just twice: in his third outing, against Black Bill, and in one of his many battles with Sam Langford. He recovered from multiple knockdowns to stop Sam McVea in the 49th round in 1909, although ringside reports don't support later claims of his hitting the deck 27 times.

Glen Johnson

(1993-2015)

In a 77-fight pro career often fought on the road, Johnson was stopped just twice: on his feet by Bernard Hopkins at middleweight in 1997; and at cruiserweight aged 45 by Ilunga Makabu.

Gorilla Jones 

(1924-1940)

Former middleweight champ Jones fought 140 or so times as a professional and was knocked down just once, by Freddie Steele, in 1935.

Vitali Klitschko

(1996-2012)

When he quit with a bum shoulder against Chris Byrd in 2000, plenty questioned his toughness. After he kept walking down Lennox Lewis despite a hideous gash on his eyelid, he was questioned no longer. Unlike his famously vulnerable brother, was never once off his feet as a pro (or, reportedly, as an amateur). Now standing up to everything Vladimir Putin can throw at him.

Jake LaMotta

(1941-1954)

The great Sugar Ray Robinson couldn't drop him in six meetings. Nobody could, until Danny Nardico, in the 104th fight of LaMotta's 107-fight career.

Juan LaPorte

(1977-1999)

The Puerto Rican featherweight fought them all - Salvador Sanchez, Barry McGuigan, Kostya Tszyu, Eusebio Pedroza, Julio Cesar Chavez and more - and was knocked down just once, by Sanchez, en route to losing a decision.

Rocky Marciano

(1947-1955)

The Rock was famed for his relentless and refusal to yield, which were aided considerably by his iron chin. Jersey Joe Walcott and Archie Moore were the only ones to drop him, and he came back to halt them both.

Antonio Margarito

(1994-2017)

Boxing historian Bert Sugar once said that “If lightning struck Margarito, I'd put my money on Margarito.” His ability to absorb clean punches and emerge victorious allowed him to stop Miguel Cotto; but the concrete jaw finally cracked against Shane Mosley and his eye socket followed against Manny Pacquiao and in a rematch with Cotto.

Floyd Mayweather

(1996-2017)

Almost lost among his other superlatives was Mayweather’s robust jaw. His only official knockdown came when he touched a broken hand to the canvas in pain (although maybe Zab Judah could have had one called in his favor). While much was due to his defense, he also took clean punches from the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto and recovered swiftly when stunned by Shane Mosley.

Oliver McCall

(1985-2025)

How good is the Atomic Bull's chin? Even when he was having a nervous breakdown and wouldn't even defend himself, an admittedly hesitant Lennox Lewis still couldn't drop him. Even at age 60 and - God help us all - somehow still active, McCall has never been off his feet.

Mike McCallum

(1981-1997)

Not until the “Body Snatcher” was 38 and in the 52nd fight of what would be a 55-fight career did an opponent (Fabrice Tiozzo) briefly put him down. Two fights later, Roy Jones dumped him on the seat of his trunks for a few seconds. Otherwise, McCallum remained vertical throughout his career.

Wayne McCullough

(1993-2008)

Not only was the “Pocket Rocket” never dropped, he was barely ever buzzed, not even by the likes of Erik Morales and Naseem Hamed.

Ray Mercer

(1989-2008)

Until the age of 40, Mercer was dropped just once, by Evander Holyfield, despite also taking on such names as Lennox Lewis and Larry Holmes. At age 41, he was floored once by Wladimir Klitschko, and that was it for canvas visits. (An official KO loss to Shannon Briggs was the result of Mercer going down in search of a DQ win.)

Carlos Monzon

(1963-1977)

Early in his career was rocked badly by Bennie Briscoe and dropped three times by Felipe Cambeiro. But once he got into his stride, he was all but unmovable until Rodrigo Valdes knocked him down (but lost) in Monzon's final fight.

Shane Mosley

(1993-2016)

Despite facing the very best of his era across multiple weight classes, Sugar Shane was only dropped by Vernon Forrest and Manny Pacquiao. He went the distance in both fights; his only stoppage was as a result of a back injury against Anthony Mundine.

Battling Nelson

(1896-1917)

Joe Gans dropped the Durable Dane but couldn't stop him, and Ad Wolgast needed 40 rounds to finish him. Was stopped just three times in 106 contests.

Billy Papke

(1906-1919)

Only the great Stanley Ketchel was able to halt the Illinois Thunderbolt, who otherwise appeared all but impervious to punishment.

Ruslan Provodnikov

(2006-2016)

Despite fighting in a wildly exciting and concussive style, the Russian was never off his feet as a pro.

Barney Ross

(1929-1938)

The Hall-of-Fame welterweight fought some of the very best of all time, compiling a record of 72-4-3 and being dropped just once, by fellow great Jimmy McLarnin.

Michael Spinks

(1977-1988)

Disregard the last 91 seconds of his career; Mike Tyson would have flattened most people that day. Before that final outing, Spinks had been off his feet just once as a pro, despite competing in a terrific light heavyweight era.

Dick Tiger

(1952-1970)

The Hall-of-Fame Nigerian middleweight was knocked down by Emile Griffith and stopped once at age 39 by light heavyweight Bob Foster but otherwise withstood the heaviest punches thrown at him over more than 80 contests.

James Toney

(1988-2017)

Toney fought across three decades from middleweight to heavyweight, but in 90 fights was never stopped and was only dropped twice, both times briefly: by Reggie Johnson in 1991 and in a weight-drained loss to Roy Jones in 1994.

David Tua

(1992-2013)

Despite squaring off against Lennox Lewis, Ike Ibeabuchi, and Hasim Rahman among others, the popular Samoan heavyweight visited the deck just once, against Monte Barrett when he was 38 years old and nearing the end of his career.

Pancho Villa

(1919-1925)

Before his life was cut tragically short at age 23, Villa fought 105 times as a professional, losing only five and never being stopped.

Micky Ward

(1985-2003)

The popular New Englander was stopped only once, on a cut, and was rarely off his feet. Even when Arturo Gatti dropped him face-first in their second fight, Ward ended the round waving him in and throwing punches in return.

Jimmy Wilde

(1911-1923)

The ‘Mighty Atom’ was flyweight world champion and perhaps Britain's finest ever boxer. Went at least 132-4-1 and was stopped just three times: once while suffering from influenza and outweighed by 10 pounds, in his penultimate fight when outweighed by 9.5 pounds, and in his final outing against Pancho Villa.

Holman Williams

(1932-1948)

In a 188-fight pro career, including against the likes of Archie Moore, Charley Burley, Jake LaMotta, and Marcel Cerdan, Williams was stopped just three times and never knocked out.

Marion Wilson

(1989-2007)

12-41-4 heavyweight journeyman fought Ike Ibeabuchi, Shannon Briggs, Ray Mercer, Hasim Rahman, and more; he made the final bell against them all.