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Mayweather belongs on the list for consideration, granted, but I believe that is all. He is up for debate, like everyone else with a deep medicine bag. There is no runaway, in my opinion, other than the possibility of Robinson. And there is not only room for debate that Robinson is a runaway, but room for whether or not he is indeed the deepest medicine bag that ever graced a canvas.
I watched the fight I think Christo posted. Cervantes seemed to know an awful lot.
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Sugar Ray Leonard, now there is a question. No doubt he is one of the better fighters of all time. No one should even question that. When selecting the very top, as in the summit, especially in a category like deepest and broadest medicine bag, all bets are off. For indeed some few boxers are known to linger near the summit of accomplishment whose bag of traditional skills was full of holes, and who would almost score a 0 in some of the sub-categories, e.g. Ali in body swatting. The average-ness of his lefhook might be another.There is great room for individuality in boxing, by the evidence, even in reaching AT summits.
But again, we are not focusing on accomplishment here, but breadth and depth of the skill bag. It helps, of course, to have gone far with your methods.
Ali and Jones are my two premier examples of fighters whose early magnificence was predicated heavily upon natural athletic ability. Not that they were ignorant of boxing. Two all time greats ignorant? Please. Jones grew up in a gym. It may be that the clumping of vast amounts of natural talent in both of them, like a pure vein of ore snaking its way that missed others, allowed them to take shortcuts and ignore parts of their textbooks. On the accomplishment poll you earn an entry form this way, if you are as talented as they were. What you probably do not earn is an entry to this particular poll, though I forgot to set it up as a poll. That is okay, because I could not have included everyone who deserves contention.
Back to Leonard. Obvious holes in his game are are less forthcoming. No one should dispute any of the following, in my opinion:
1 Ring Generalship--unthinkably good
2 Punch Arsenal--all-inclusive
3 Footwork--few equals
4 Stamina & Durability--no problem
5 Chin--no problem
6 Power--no problem
7 Body Punching--beautiful
8 All Aspects of Defense--?
Do not forget Leonard himself was one of the most naturally gifted fighters to ever appear. He may have taken a few shortcuts himself therefore, though I would definitely pronounce his game more traditionally sound than--say--Ali's, with some confidence.
Why do I say this? Well, believe it or not, because of how Leonard performed as a semi-shot and shot fighter. He became as defenseless as a puppy when a tough opponent became serious. He was using, I believe, what remained of those incredible reflexes and legs to squeak by. I think he must have skipped some parts in his textbooks, too, because of the shortcuts available to him--lessons full of defensive tricks that would have served him well in his declining years as a pug. Once the natural gifts degenerated, Leonard did not seem to have much to fall back on in the way of deep traditional defensive training, allowing punks like Camacho and others to storm his gates fearlessly.
It is just a theory. Leonard would still have a very plump medicine bag, even if there are some holes.Comment
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Well I don't think he has been even close to KO'ing any top fighter in a very long time if you discard the suckerpunch on Ortiz.
He may be a tad above Malignaggi but I wouldn't say he'd threaten to brutalize anyone (except if he fought a debutant with no am or pro boxing experience whatsoever).Comment
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MayweahterComment
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Archie Moore has to be one of the top contenders. Boxing skills, chin, IQ, stamina he had it all.Comment
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If you count clinching, elbows and forearms as in-fighting, then yes, you can add Floyd to that list.Comment
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