Best chin in history?

[1SILVA]

Very difficult decision, so I will just name several who had great chins:
Tony Lopez
Randy Cobb
Muhammad Ali
Jake Lamotta
James Toney
Evander Holyfield
Roberto Duran
Doug Dewitt
George Chuvalo
Daniel Zaragoza
Jose Luis castillo
Julio Cesar Chavez
Marvin hagler
Glen Johnson
Bernard Hopkins
Bennie Briscoe

[OLD JUD]

Very difficult decision, so I will just name several who had great chins:
Tony Lopez
Randy Cobb
Muhammad Ali
Jake Lamotta
James Toney
Evander Holyfield
Roberto Duran
Doug Dewitt
George Chuvalo
Daniel Zaragoza
Jose Luis castillo
Julio Cesar Chavez
Marvin hagler
Glen Johnson
Bernard Hopkins
Bennie Briscoe

Agreed, it's very difficult to pin down one man who has the 'Best Chin'.
I'm surprised that Larry Holmes name hasn't surfaced?
Pole-axed by Ernie Shavers and out on his feet against Snipes, i've yet to see any modern day fighter recuperate in a matter of seconds as Holmes did.

And before anyone makes a comment on Holmes, i'm referring to Holmes at his best, not the old timer who was pummeled by Tyson.

[The Surgeon]

Agreed, it's very difficult to pin down one man who has the 'Best Chin'.
I'm surprised that Larry Holmes name hasn't surfaced?
Pole-axed by Ernie Shavers and out on his feet against Snipes, i've yet to see any modern day fighter recuperate in a matter of seconds as Holmes did.

And before anyone makes a comment on Holmes, i'm referring to Holmes at his best, not the old timer who was pummeled by Tyson.

Holmes had a good enough chin to deserve a mention but im not sure whether to give him credit in "chin" for his recoupritive powers. Should they fall into the same category? I Dunno..

[BigStereotype]

No he didn't. The first time it really got tested in a big way he got stopped/quit

Did you actually just try to say that McClellan showed a lack of toughness and heart in that fight? He fought through a brain embolism for fucks sake.

[Great John L]

Heavyweights would be able to withstand the most damage because, well, they're heavyweights, but technically they may not be endowed with the best chin pound for pound. For heavyweights I'd say Ali, Marciano, Frazier, Foreman, and Chuvalo as being some of the better ones. Lighter fighters I'd say Lamotta, Duran, Hagler, Chavez, and perhaps Hopkins. I can't really narrow down the best.

[nomadman]

Agreed, it's very difficult to pin down one man who has the 'Best Chin'.
I'm surprised that Larry Holmes name hasn't surfaced?
Pole-axed by Ernie Shavers and out on his feet against Snipes, i've yet to see any modern day fighter recuperate in a matter of seconds as Holmes did.

And before anyone makes a comment on Holmes, i'm referring to Holmes at his best, not the old timer who was pummeled by Tyson.

That "old timer" went on to fight at a world level for another decade more, fighting the likes of McCall, Mercer and Holyfield without ever getting stopped again.

[OLD JUD]

Holmes had a good enough chin to deserve a mention but im not sure whether to give him credit in "chin" for his recoupritive powers. Should they fall into the same category? I Dunno..

Surely they go hand in hand with each other? You get pole axed and then you manage not only to recover, but go on and KO the other guy, thats pretty impressive to me!

[OLD JUD]

That "old timer" went on to fight at a world level for another decade more, fighting the likes of McCall, Mercer and Holyfield without ever getting stopped again.

CORRECT.......Not bad for an old guy eh?

[nomadman]

I think if we were to truly analyse every fight we could find in order to make a list like this we'd all be surprised by the large number of bums and journeymen on there. Much like punching power, a good chin is to a large degree luck, but more importantly doesn't guarantee you success at the higher level without other attributes like speed, skill, heart etc. Though when a fighter does emerge at the top level with little more than his chin, you can be assured it's probably a great one.

[nomadman]

Surely they go hand in hand with each other? You get pole axed and then you manage not only to recover, but go on and KO the other guy, thats pretty impressive to me!

I'd say there is a difference. A guy like Gatti had great recuperative abilities (a catch all term for things like physiological recuperation, ingrained behavioural responses to danger, pain tolerance and the like) but there's no doubt that he got buzzed and dropped a lot. Someone like Tyson had a great chin, by most standards, but when he got hurt or dropped it was usually the beginning of the end.