Top 10 Defensive Fighters?

Who are they?

Obviously Locche, Pea, Pep, Floyd and Benitez are in there.

 

Jack Johnson? Billy Graham?

Would Winky Wright have a case for the top 10?

 

Toney and hagler deserves a mention before Locche

 

It is difficult to separate defensive skills from chosen strategies (if it matters).

Ray Leonard got hit way more than Floyd, but had he approached fights as carefully as Floyd, would that have been the case?

Was Wlad a good defensive fighter or not? He got hit less than perhaps any heavy champ since Johnson, but he achieved that by shutting down his offense almost completely.

What about Tyson? Got hit some, but not much considering his aggressiveness.

If we compare the smoothness of techniques, that's another matter. But I don't know how to approach this properly. Somehow 'good offense' seems to be easier to define

 

That's why i don't think Locche is among the best. He was very slippery when he was concentrating on defense, but he didnt really blend defense and offense together

 

Toney's defence is quite overrated, IMO. He got hit a helluva lot.

And Hagler has no place above Locche in any shape or form.

 

This isn't focusing on who was better at blending defence and offense. Just who was better defensively.

 

Johnson's a pretty good mention. Bit at the time, I'm pretty sure Griffo, Dixon and Corbett were lauded more for their defensive abilities.

I think it's likely that there were a number of fighters better defence was than Graham in the 50s.

I wouldn't have Wright. I don't think his defensively was better than Hopkins', or a few others in the 00s.

 

Rigondeaux

 

In no order: Zapata, Canto, Pep, Floyd, Whitaker, Locche, Benitez, Duran are the top defensive fighters of all time imo.

 

I and other posters continually tell you this is untrue, yet you continue to spout this bullshit narrative.

Have you ever seen Locche's fight with Carlos Hernandez?

 

Canto might be the best of any guy we have extensive footage on.

 

Calderon, boring as he was, was an exceptional defensive fighter.

 

Yeah, Winky sure as Hell is not top 10 all time defensively.

 

This was my top seven

#07. Miguel Canto
#06. Hilario Zapata
#05. Wilfred Benitez
#04. Willie Pep
#03. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
#02. Pernell Whitaker
#01. Nicolino Locche

 

I'd unironically have Jones and Kalambay higher than Toney.

 

Ironically, to JOM's false point, Locche was doing the same kind of rolling/countering against Fuji and Hernandez that Toney did against Barkley.

Its a complete falsehood that he couldn't blend offensive/defense.

 

Yeah, he could do it really well. I think the problem is that his defence outshined his offense by so much that people think the other doesn't exist. It doesn't help that his output was pretty low.

I'm interested in what to do with Lora. He had great reflexes and very good skills, he got hit sparingly when he didn't get in a war. But he did get in wars, he did get hit. Is it fair to dock him like I do Duran and Toney for his style/temperament? Same with Qawi?

 

Ohhh shit, forgot about Happy! I think he could sneak into the top 10.

 

If we're talking best defense among attacking fighters, I think Duran, Qawi, Chavez, Tyson, and Moore are the top 5.

 

There's one guys who I just wished we had more (or any) footage of. Wolgast and Griffo are famed for their defensive wizardry. Yet you can't see it, sooooooooo wtf do you do with them? Or Melankomas?

 

I'd probably have Harada on there.

 

To make it simple, I only included guys we have footage of.

 

Ezzard Charles was a defensive wizard. Like a combo of Kalambay on the outside and Toney on the inside.

Would he get on anyone else's?

 

I'm basically doing the same.

I feel like a guy who's talent dates back to the first Olympics is probably a little bit of a niche mention

 

Actually, he was in the 207th Olympic Games.

 

Top 20.

He didn't have a long peak, but how bout Hugo Corro?

 

Definitely below Ezzard Charles. ;)

 

Pedroza is top 20 imo

 

Yeah, that's fair.

Laguna and Marcel?

Also, I wasn't joking. I'd definitely have Charles above Corro. I'd have him above Moore as well, but where would you rate Moore?

Conteh?