Top 5 defensive hw's of all time!

[The Raging Bull]

My top 5 best defensive heavyweights ever are (in no particular order):

Jack Johnson
Ezzard Charles
Joe Louis
Larry Holmes
James Corbett

[Kid Achilles]

Most of these options are not even what I'd call defensive boxers. Gene Tunney, Tommy Loughran, Muhammad Ali, Tommy Gibbons were all guys who had a defensive phislosphy towards fighting. Tyson had an effective defense but he was still an aggressive fighter, not a defensive one. Same for Joe Louis.

[Southpaw Stinger]

don't know whether I've responded to this before or not but my pick is Jack Johnson.

[Dude]

Gene Tunney was a defensive wizard. He had possessed great speed and unmatched ring intelligence. He never was a real heavyweight but in his bouts against Dempsey he was the first man who had found an answer to Jacks aggressive and at this time innovative style. Tunney was never knocked out (he only lost once anyway).

He saw punches coming very early. Tunney made boxing chess, planing ahead and finding resolutions for problems before they occured.

I think he was the best defensive HW champion of All-Time.

[Mr. Ryan]

Defensive?

Muhammad Ali
Larry Holmes
Ezzard Charles
Jersey Joe Walcott
i CAN'T THink of a fifth

[BrooklynBomber]

Tyson was very defensive and countered really well when he was under D'Amoto.

[Derranged]

What about prime Chirs Byrd???

[Kid Achilles]

Tyson had a great defense but was not a defensive fighter. His defense served to make openenings for him to land a KO punch or combination of punches. To me a defensive fighter is someone who's entire gameplan is centered on outboxing an opponent and winning rounds.

[j]

jack johnson should be a garaunteed top spot in this catagory. he was known for having the best defence in his time.

of the last 10 years, i will go with vitali klitschko. after all, what other heavy was known for seeing punches before they were thrown?

[RockyMarcianofan00]

1. Joe Louis
2.Mike Tyson
3.Jack Dempsey
4.Jack Johnson


Holmes and Ali are in the same boat as far as I'm concerned...Neither really used much defense, it was more using their speed tactically to keep opponents at bay....Like I said earlier its not that they couldn't be defensive its that they didn't...