Best I've faced

Seen these posted on here before. But was just reading through a few and thought they were worth a re-post. They're from Ring magazine. Mike McCallum July 2011 Best overall: James Toney He wasnt a complete fighter the first time we fought, and I still believe I won that fight. But he learned in that fight and he got better. He grew with each fight. By our third fight, he was a different fighter, a complete fighter. He was someone who could do it all, fight inside or outside, work offense and defense at the same time, just like me when I was younger. I like to think that I helped James mature as a fighter. Best boxer: Herol Graham He was a pure boxer, a southpaw and very elusive. It wasnt easy to hit him. He was very smart, very skilled. Best puncher: Julian Jackson He hit me so hard! Julian wasnt just powerful, he was also real quick. I got caught by a right hand in the first round of our fight and I remember thinking Whats wrong with my legs? I tried my best to hide it from him. I knew I had to take him out as soon as I could. Best defense: Sumbu Kalambay I fought many good defensive fighters. Toney had a good defense. Graham was slippery. Jones was fast and slick, but Kalambay is No. 1. I cant forget about him. Hes the first fighter to beat me and its because of his good movement. He was always sliding side to side, very shifty. He was a dangerous boy. Fastest hands: Jackson He was quick, man. Thats why he got so many knockouts. Everyone focused on his power and then hed get you with a punch you didnt see. They landed on you boom! from out of nowhere. Kalambay and Toney were also fast. So was Jones, obviously, but I fought him when I was older and had slowed down a bit. Fastest feet: Roy Jones He had very quick feet. He was elusive just because of his footwork. Best chin: Steve Collins I almost said Toney, but Collins had the best chin. I hit him right on his chin all night and he wouldnt budge. I couldnt hit Toney that much and when I did, he backed off. Collins walked through punches. Best jab: Donald Curry I fought many fighters with good jabs. Kalambay could win fights with just his jab. McCrory had a good, hard jab. But Currys was the best. I see why they called him the Cobra because he didnt miss with it. He was a bad man with that jab. Strongest: Michael Watson Oh my God, he was so strong. Thats why that fight was so hard. It was a gruesome fight, 11 rounds of back-and-forth hell. Smartest: Roy Jones Jr. I fought quite a few smart boys in my time. Graham was a cunning S.O.B. I remember him sticking his tongue out at me whenever id miss a punch. Kalambay was smart and so was Toney, although he didnt have the experience to back it up when we first fought. But I think Roy may have been the smartest. He was very clever, which didnt surprise me. I knew he was sharp. It was like he was always one step ahead of me. ............................... ............................... James Toney Sep 2009 Best fighter: Mike McCallum Thats an easy choice, right off the top of my head its the Body Snatcher. He was the best fighter I fought at middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight. Out of all the fighters I fought, I respect him the most because he made me think about everything I tried to do. Before McCallum I was just runnin in on everyone, but he made me slow down and think for the first time. Best Boxer: McCallum Yup, its him again. Its between McCallum and Michael Nunn, but I gotta go with McCallum because he was a master boxer who wasnt afraid to stand his ground. Nunn was mostly fast. I admit that he outboxed me for about nine rounds, but my body shots slowed him down. I told him during the fight;Im gonna catch you! And I did. Best puncher: Merqui Sosa Sam Peter is the hardest puncher Ive fought, but pound-for-pound its Sosa because he hurt me the most. Ill never forget that fight, we fought on an ESPN show in Atlantic City on a Sunday. I went at him like I did everyone back then and that mother f_____ hit me so hard in the third round I was seeing triple for the next three rounds. He knew how to hit and he was so awkward that I couldnt time him and he caught me high on the head. Quickest hands: Roy Jones He was fast. Ill give him that, but thats all Ill give him. I would have knocked him out if I wasnt drained from losing 44 pounds in six weeks. I went in (that fight) like a fool and wasnt properly prepared. Quickest feet: Nunn He had some fast-ass feet (laughing), didnt he? He was an escape artist for nine or 10 rounds, til I caught up to him. Best defense: McCallum: He was right there in front of me, but I had a hard time hitting him with clean punches. I basically came into my own by fighting him. I learned how to be elusive without running around the ring by fighting Mike McCallum three times. Best chin: Tony Thornton: The punching postman from Philly! (laughs) I thought I was gonna knock him out easy. He was squared up with his chin right there for me to hit but I hit him with every punch I had and he wouldnt budge. I hit him with my best left hook and he didnt blink. Best jab: McCallum: Mikes jab was like a piston. There were other guys I fought who had good jabs, like Nunn and Jones, but they just had speed and they just flicked it. Mike popped that jab with authority. He was an old-school fighter. Strongest: Samuel Peter: He was just a big-ass African with brute African strength. Smartest: McCallum: Come on, who do you think it is? Whos the one fighter I truly respect? You got it, the Body Snatcher, Mike McCallum. I fought my share of boxers who thought they were clever like Roy Jones, Michael Nunn, Montell Griffin, and Reggie Johnson, but they were all scared to really fight. McCallum boxed, he fought, he defended, and he didnt run all over the ring. He could do all that because he was smart.