Which greats do you consider as close to KO-proof as can be? For the record, KO includes any kind of stoppage in this context. I'm not talking about your Tex Cobb's & Jake LaMotta's, BTW --- I mean the greats who, for whatever reason, would at least last the distance against most of their fellow legends. I was just reading the back-&-forth between Double L &...well, everyone else ( :: ) & was thinking Whitaker was about as KO-proof as it gets among the great LW's. His combination of heart, chin, defense --- even the likes of Duran would struggle mightily to ever beat him inside the distance.
Wrong forum but. HAGLER without question. Hopkins is up there Sugar Ray Robinson Pernell Whitaker Chris Eubank
Agree totally. Dare I say it: for reasons already mentioned by yourself, more KO proof that Duran in fact.
SO far Floyd seems pretty KO proof, but I will concede that he hasn't fought enough people to test that theory yet. But he seems to have the same attributes that made Whitaker KO proof.
I think Mosley proved Floyd is stoppable. I don't think his chin is bad, but it's not GREAT, but his powers of recovery are incredible, he gets his senses back very quickly. Couple that with a wonderful defence and it makes him very very difficult to stop, but not impossible.
Ray Robinson was never stopped, in ring, in 200 fights. I think he's earned the right to top this list.
I can see Mayweather in this discussion, yes. I understand he'll have detractors on the basis of competition (at least, from his Welter days), but I think he's in the discussion. Great fighter & very difficult for anyone to KO, no matter what you may think of him. Hopkins is a good shout. Robinson proved at an advanced age in his fights with younger, stronger bruisers, like Basilio, Fullmer & others, that he has a place here. Basilio & Fullmer themselves are worthy candidates, come to think of it. Harry Greb? Muhammad Ali? Evander Holyfield (definitely at Cruiser, & probably at Heavy)? Julio Cesar Chavez? Within their best weightclasses, I see very few, if any, men knocking out or stopping these guys.
You might make a case for men with greater weight-jumping feats who were never or rarely KO'd, but putting it the way you did, Robinson is at least a viable contender for the top spot. How about Joe Walcott? The original. Can't think of many men between 140 & 147 who would have much of a shot of knocking out a fully-prepped Wilfred Benitez. Sal Sanchez would take a hell of a lot of stopping.
Somewhat open to debate, but I would rate Jim Jeffries a mention at Heavyweight. I'm not quite sure about Pacquiao...he may qualify on the basis that he is so offensively-driven, he leaves few openings for counter-attack. His chin seems to have improved, though his defense still doesn't impress me. Wouldn't call him a poor choice by any means, though. James Toney has to be in this.
Yes he does. How many times have you seen Manny down or badly hurt from 122 up? Ali was near to the brink of KO a few times. Robinson ranks above Ali in this topic.
We're talking about a man who started his career at flyweight literally walking Cotto down absorbing his punches like they are nothing, who is considered pretty heavy handed at welterweight. Of course Manny deserves a mention. Considering his featherweight frame, his chin is solid as fuck, so is his fighting spirit, and his defense is vastly improved. Duran and Whitaker definitely do. I can see why people might think Whitaker even more than Duran, but put it this way, the only person to KO Duran is Hearns, and would you be particularly surprised to see Hearns knock Whitaker out cold at 154? I wouldn't. Toney and Mayweather definitely deserve a mention. I don't think Floyd has a chin like Pacquiao or Mosley, he can be hurt easier than them no doubt, but his chin is still good without question, he can take a punch, and recovers very well.
I nominate Mike McCallum. 55 fights from 154 pounds up to 175 against some of the best and the dude didn't even hit the canvas until he was 40. And was never close to being stopped.
