Best I've faced! Boxers top ten they faced..

[MRBOOMER]

Idk if you guys have read these but go those who haven't your welcome. Also if you have the one about Roy jones plz post it.







Mike McCallum never got the fights he wanted against Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns but he still fought the best fighters of the 1980s and '90s. Who were the best in 10 key categories? Read on find out.



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Two decades before Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams claimed to be boxing’s “Most Avoided Fighter,” there was Mike McCallum, a superb technician who lobbied hard to get high-profile fights with Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns during his underrated years as a junior middleweight contender and beltholder but to no avail.

The two all-time greats, who had bigger fish to fry with bouts against each other and middleweight champ Marvin Hagler during McCallum’s mid-to-late 1980s prime, probably did the right thing (in terms of their careers) by not facing the iron-chinned Jamaican, who scored impressive knockouts of dangerous young contenders such as Julian Jackson (TKO 2), Donald Curry (KO 5) and Milton McCrory (TKO 10) in defense of his WBA 154-pound title (that was stripped from Duran) in ‘86 and ‘87.

McCallum, who attacked the midsections of his opponents with such expert zeal that he earned the memorable nickname “Body Snatcher,” was not able to coax the “the Big Four” (Duran, Hearns, Hagler or Sugar Ray Leonard) into the ring, but he still fought a veritable Who’s Who of top talent of the ‘80s and ‘90s during his 16-year career, including Roy Jones Jr., James Toney (three times), Jackson, Curry, McCrory, Steve Collins, Sumbu Kalambay (twice), Michael Watson, Herol Graham, Jeff Harding, Fabrice Tiozzo, and Ayub Kalule.

McCallum, who won major titles in three weight classes, junior middleweight, middleweight and light heavyweight, had a career any fighter would be proud of. He went 15 rounds in his first title bout (against Sean Mannion in ‘84), which made him the first Jamaican to win a major boxing belt. He was never knocked out as a professional despite his willingness to face bona-fide punchers, such as Jackson, who was 29-0 (with 27 KOs) when they fought. He gave Toney fits (in their first two fights)*and he defeated Harding (for a light heavyweight belt) at an age when most fighters are faded or retired.

Only Kalambay, who scored a split decision over McCallum in his adopted home country of Italy in 1988, can say he defeated the Body Snatcher during his prime (and he barely won).

McCallum retired in 1997 with a 49-5-1 (36) record. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003.

******’s Doug Fischer recently had the opportunity to talk to McCallum, who currently trains middleweight prospect Matt Korobov in Las Vegas, when the Russian southpaw took part in a media workout in L.A. prior to his bout on the Brandon Rios-Urbano Antillon undercard on July 9.

McCallum agreed to take part in ******.com’s Best I’ve Faced series, the periodic feature that asks the most-accomplished fighters of our generation to list the best they've fought in 10 important categories.

Here’s what McCallum, who seemed to enjoy the trip down memory lane, had to say:

Best overall: James Toney -- He wasn’t 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 wasn’t easy to hit him. He was very smart, very skilled.

Best puncher: Julian Jackson -- He hit me so hard! Julian wasn’t 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 “What’s 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 can’t forget about him. He’s the first fighter to beat me and it’s 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. That’s why he got so many knockouts. Everyone focused on his power and then he’d get you with a punch you didn’t 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 wouldn‘t budge. I couldn’t 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 Curry’s was the best. I see why they called him “the Cobra” because he didn’t miss with it. He was a bad man with that jab.

Strongest: Michael Watson -- Oh my God, he was so strong. That’s 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 I’d miss a punch. Kalambay was smart and so was Toney, although he didn’t 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 didn’t surprise me. I knew he was sharp. It was like he was always one step ahead of me.

[MRBOOMER]

James toney

Best fighter: Mike McCallum -- That’s an easy choice, right off the top of my head it’s 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, it’s him again. It’s between McCallum and Michael Nunn, but I gotta go with McCallum because he was a master boxer who wasn’t 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 ‘I’m gonna catch you!’ And I did.

Best puncher: Merqui Sosa -- Sam Peter is the hardest puncher I’ve fought, but pound-for-pound it’s Sosa because he hurt me the most. I’ll 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 couldn’t time him and he caught me high on the head.

Quickest hands: Roy Jones -- He was fast. I’ll give him that, but that’s all I’ll give him. I would have knocked him out if I wasn’t drained from losing 44 pounds in six weeks. I went in (that fight) like a fool and wasn’t properly prepared.

Quickest feet: Nunn -- He had some fast-ass feet (laughing), didn’t 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 wouldn’t budge. I hit him with my best left hook and he didn’t blink.

Best jab: McCallum: Mike’s 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? Who’s 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 didn’t run all over the ring. He could do all that because he was smart.

[MRBOOMER]

Erik MORALES

In his prime, and even as his hall-of-fame career began to wind down, there was no better elite-level warrior than Erik Morales. Few fighters of the past 20 years were as consistently entertaining against the sport’s best as the Tijuana native, who produced fight-of-the-year ring wars and instant-classic trilogies with fellow first-ballot hall of famers Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao.

Following a 2½-year “retirement,” Morales won a hard-fought 12-round decision over former lightweight beltholder Jose Alfaro in a welterweight bout this past March. Sadly, the speed, power and reflexes that aided “El Terrible” in winning his first 41 professional bouts -- a nine-year win streak that included victories over seven titleholders, including Barrera and Junior Jones -- were gone.

However, the fierce pride and warrior spirit -- intangibles that made the Mexican star special -- remain, as evidenced by a recent interview Morales (49-6, 34 knockouts) gave ******.com after a Los Angeles press conference announcing his second comeback fight against Scotland’s Willie Limond (33-2, 8 KOs) in a pay-per-view-televised bout Saturday from Mexico City.

Morales, 34, agreed to take part in ******.com’s Best I’ve faced series, the periodic feature that asks the most-accomplished fighters of our generation to list the best they've fought in 10 important categories. The former three-division titleholder had a difficult time with the first category, Best Fighter.

The obvious choice is either Barrera or Pacquiao, two arguably great fighters who Morales beat in the first bouts of their trilogies but lost the following two fights to each. However, the salty veteran refused to bestow that honor on either man. “El Terrible” takes his rivalries seriously.

In this way, Morales is no different from Joe Frazier, who resents Muhammad Ali to this day, or Marvelous Marvin Hagler, who maintains that he won his showdown with Sugar Ray Leonard.

“What do you mean by that question, ‘Who’s the best fighter?’” Morales asked through interpreter Ricardo Jimenez. “Are you talking about the most complete fighter? The best skilled?”

“All of the above,” this writer replied. A second later a fan who attended the press luncheon at downtown L.A.‘s El Paseo restaurant blurted out in Spanish: “Come on, Terrible! You know it’s Barrera!”

“Nah, f___ him,” Morales told the man.

If you believe the animosity between Morales and Barrera was contrived to sell tickets, think again.

“Ask the other questions,” Morales said after silencing the fan. “We’ll come back to this one.”

Morales was happy to answer the other categories:

Best boxer: Junior Jones -- This is a tough question. I faced a lot of good boxers in my career, but I think Jones might be the best. He had very good technique. He threw straight, accurate punches. He could punch too. He hurt me in our fight.

Best puncher: Jones -- I really felt it when he connected. I remember freezing for a second in the second round of our fight when he caught me with a right hand.

Quickest hands: Pacquiao -- Pacquiao had the quickest hands. Jones was faster with single punches from the outside, but Pacquiao could deliver four or five quick, short punches in combination in the blink of an eye. Both guys had the kind of speed that you couldn’t see.

Quickest feet: Hector Acero-Sanchez -- He kept running or walking around the ring the entire fight. I never knew where he was going or what he was going to do. I just wanted to fight. It was a frustrating night.

Best defense: Acero-Sanchez -- I had a hard time finding him. He kept his gloves up and he never stopped moving in and out and around me.

Best chin: In-Jin Chi -- That was one very tough guy. I should have knocked him out with the number of hard punches I landed to his chin, but he just kept coming forward all night. He was strong and he had great conditioning.”

Best jab: Zahir Raheem -- Everything he did was off his jab. That was his key punch. He was all about the jab, and that jab gave me trouble.

Strongest: Pacquiao -- Often guys who are as muscular looking as he is aren’t that strong in the ring, but he is strong. Very strong. Chi was physically strong, too. He had the strength to push me around and wrestle with me on the inside, but Pacquiao was more explosive. He is a very powerful man in the ring.

Smartest: Raheem -- I never liked the way he fought and I didn’t like that fight for me. I knew it would be difficult. I didn’t have the best camp for Raheem, but even if I had had a great camp, he would have been frustrating because he’s so cagey.

When it was time for Morales to answer the Best fighter category he was still clearly uncomfortable with the question.

“If you’re talking about the toughest opponent I’ve faced, to be honest, his name was Erik Morales,” he said in all seriousness. “When I did things the right way and had proper training, boxing was easy for me, but all too often I did not do that. So, as you know, I had a lot of struggles.

“Honestly, I had too many tough fights to say one man was tougher than all the rest. I know fans want me to say that it was either Barrera or Pacquiao, but I don’t see it that way. That’s not how a fighter views things. There are fighters who people have forgotten about or never knew that were the toughest fights, the biggest fights for me at the time I fought them.

“Jose ‘Pepillo’ Valdez was the toughest fighter I had ever faced back when I was nothing. That fight [TKO 3 in 1994] was the biggest fight for me when I was just a Tijuana prospect.

“Enrique Jupiter (TKO 6 in 1995) was the toughest I faced when I moved on to the next level and was regarded as one of Mexico’s best young fighters. I had to beat him in order to show that I was going to go somewhere in boxing.

“Daniel Zaragoza, the old champion I beat a week before I turned 21, was the toughest fighter I faced when it was time for me to prove that I could be a Mexican star in the United States. He was by far the toughest and most skilled fighter I had faced at the time. By beating him [KO 11 in 1997], I proved that I could fight any style and that I could be a real champ.

“Junior Jones (TKO 4 in 1998) was my biggest fight when it was time for me to prove that I could go to the next level, from a champion to one of the fighters rated pound for pound. And from then on it was just tough fight after tough fight.

“My fights with Barrera and Pacquiao are among those tough fights, but I don’t see them as being any more special than my tough fights with (Wayne) McCullough, (Guty) Espadas, Chi, (Jesus) Chavez, (Carlos) Hernandez and (David) Diaz. I’ve had so many wars I forget some of them. You or anyone else can probably put together a Top 20 list of my toughest fights.”

[MRBOOMER]

Ricky hatton

Ricky Hatton seems to be remembered best for the thunderous punch from Manny Pacquiao that ended his career in 2009. The two-division titleholder was much more than that, though.

Hatton had a dominating run through the junior welterweight division in the first half of the last decade, dispatching a number of quality 140 pounders before his defining 11th-round knockout of now-Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu in 2005. And the pride of Manchester, England, made fans worldwide with his fast-paced, aggressive attack that ended most of his fights short of the distance.

Hatton would run his record to a remarkable 43-0 (31 knockouts) before finally meeting his match in 2007 against Floyd Mayweather Jr. at 147 pounds.

The fearless Briton gave a spirited performance, as usual, but ultimately fell victim to the American’s sublime skills and otherworldly speed, the final result being a 10th-round knockout.

Hatton wasn’t finished, though. He outpointed Juan Lazcano and then stopped Paulie Malignaggi in 11 rounds to set up a huge fight with an emerging superstar, Pacquiao, in May 2009.

Alas, Pacquiao, too fast and too good for his overmatched foe, dominated from the opening bell. Hatton went down twice in the first round and then was put to sleep with a left hand that rocked the boxing world and ended Hatton’s career.

Hatton, who walked out of the ring in disgust that night, certainly didn’t leave the sport on his terms. However, when we reflect on his career, we’ll remember his greatest moments along with the worst.

Here are the best fighters Hatton has faced:

Best overall: I would say Manny Pacquiao. Just his speed. Southpaw. Obviously he hits very hard. Floyd Mayweather also was very good but the more and more I see Manny Pacquiao, maybe I’m shifting to him. And Kostya Tszyu, he was a deadly, deadly puncher.

Best boxer: Oh, Floyd Mayweather. Technically, he was very, very good. Defense. Boxing. Choosing his moments to step on the gas. Defenseively, he is a genius, really.

Best puncher: Quite obviously I would have to say Manny Pacquiao. He just seems to be getting stronger as he moves up in weight.

Best defense: Floyd Mayweather.

Fastest hands: I thought Floyd was very, very quick. Pacquiao was very, very quick too but the fight was over before I could really know. I would say Floyd.

Fastest feet: Floyd was fast on his feet. But he planted his feet; that’s his natural defensive stance. Probably Pacquiao had the fastest feet.

Best chin: Tszyu. I would say probably Tszyu. I hit him with some good shots and he stayed in there. In the end, I had to put out quite an effort to take him down.

Strongest: Kostya Tszyu. Juan Urango was physically very strong but he didn’t have the speed, really. He was just strong.

Smartest: Floyd Mayweather. No doubt.

[MRBOOMER]

Shane Mosley

Shane Mosley was sitting on the edge of the ring at Fortune Gym in Hollywood recently, a few minutes before a media workout to promote his fight against Sergio Mora on Saturday, when he was asked by ******.com to reveal the best he’s faced in 10 important boxing categories.

The assumption was that Floyd Mayweather Jr. – who easily outpointed him in May -- would be his response in most of the categories even though the future Hall of Famer has faced many elite opponents over his 17-year career.

Among those he has fought are possible Hall of Famers Oscar De La Hoya (twice), Vernon Forrest (twice), Winky Wright (twice), Fernando Vargas (twice), Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito and Mayweather, against whom he was a collective 5-6.

Mayweather made the list of the best Mosley has faced – how couldn’t he? – but we were surprised by some of Mosley’s answers.

Here goes:

Best overall fighter: Four-way tie -- Mosley knew he was expected to say Mayweather when he was asked this question but shook his head and refused to name a single fighter. “Everybody had different strengths. Vernon Forrest had his strengths. Mayweather had his strengths. Oscar had his strengths. Winky had his strengths. I’d say they were all on the same level at the time I fought them.”

Best boxer: Mayweather -- No hesitation here. Mosley was unable to cope with Mayweather’s skills for almost the entire 12 rounds. “His technique, his movement. He was just a very good boxer.”

Best puncher: Forrest: Forrest was the first to seriously hurt Mosley, who went down twice in the second round but survived to lose a one-sided decision in their first meeting. Mosley has never been knocked out in 53 fights. “I’m not sure why; maybe it was just natural. He just hit the hardest.”

Quickest hands: De La Hoya -- Mosley was smiling when he responded to this question because, again, he knew the expected response was Mayweather. However, he was firm with his answer. “It wasn’t Mayweather. Actually, it was Oscar back then. Not now but back then.”

Quickest feet: Mayweather -- Again, no hesitation. “Mayweather. Very fast.”

Best chin: Zack Padilla -- Mosley cheated here because he didn’t face Padilla in an official bout but the two sparred well over 1,000 rounds over many years. His response in this category was probably his most enthusiastic. “He had the best chin. I hit him with sledge hammers and it didn’t hurt him. Ask anyone who has fought him and they’ll say the same thing.” Sadly, Mosley did hurt Padilla. He suffered a brain injury after a brutal session in 1994 and had to retire.

Best jab: De La Hoya and Wright -- Mosley thought about this for a few minutes but couldn’t make his mind. “They both had a really good jab.”

Strongest: Wright -- This isn’t a surprise because Mosley was still a natural welterweight and Wright was a mature junior middleweight when they met twice in 2004, Wright winning a one-sided decision in the first fight but barely gaining the nod in the second. “Winky didn’t have punching power but he was physically very strong. He was the strongest I faced.”

Smartest: Mayweather -- One aspect of Mayweather’s game might be his ring savvy. Mosley didn’t hesitate before provided this response. “He’s just smart. He knows when to go in and when not to. He won’t take any chances. He won’t listen to the crowd or anything to get himself riled up. He stuck with his game plan.”

Best defense: Tie, Wright and Mayweather -- Mosley at first gave Wright as his response to this question. On second thought, though, he wondered out loud whether Mayweather was the better choice. “I think Winky was the best defensive fighter I faced. Mayweather is more a slick counter puncher. … Well, I did hit Winky a lot. Maybe it’s Mayweather. Winky had more a smothering defense. He gets you tired, drains you. With Mayweather, you just can’t hit him really. It’s close. They have different types of defenses.”

[MRBOOMER]

Carlos Palomino

Admirers who run into well-preserved former fighters often extend a typical compliment out of fondness: “You look like you’re in fighting shape.” In the case of Carlos Palomino, though, nothing could more accurate.

The former welterweight champion is 61 going on 31, the only hint of the aging process being some gray hairs. He was fit and well dressed (as usual) when we ran into him at a news conference to promote the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Matthew Hatton fight on March 5 in Anaheim, Calif.

In other words, he looks pretty much as he did when he stunned John Stracey and millions of Brits by winning the WBC 147-pound title in 1976 in London.

And it’s no surprise. Palomino has been a diligent runner for many years, although he acknowledges that his knees are starting to feel the effects of constant pounding. He has run a number of marathons, peaking at an impressive 3:04 for the 26.2-mile run.

“I’m addicted to running,” he said.

Palomino, a terrific boxer-puncher, successfully defended his title seven times during an era deep in talent before losing it by a split decision to the great Wilfredo Benitez in 1979 in Puerto Rico.

The Mexican-born Angeleno “retired” after losing a one-sided decision to Roberto Duran in 1979 but made one of the more-remarkable comebacks in boxing history in 1997 –- when he was 47.

Palomino went 4-0, including a first-round knockout of former two-time junior welterweight titleholder Rene Arredondo, before calling it quits for good after he gave a credible performance but lost a decision to title contender Wilfredo Rivera when he was 49.

Today, Palomino makes appearance at boxing events and autograph signings and does charity work.

And, oh yeah, what does he think of Alvarez? Palomino saw the 20-year-old Mexican sensation knock out Carlos Baldomir in September at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

“I love the kid,” he said. “I think he has a lot of potential. I think he’s still learning. He’s a counter puncher. I think he needs to initiate a little bit more. It might’ve been who he was fighting, though. He was backing up most of the time and countering.

“That was the only time I saw him fight, though. I’m looking forward to seeing this fight [vs. Hatton].”

Palomino said he understands all the hype surrounding Alvarez so early in his development. The fighter is promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.

“That’s what you have to do today,” he said, “because there aren’t enough stars. When you have one coming up, you have to take advantage of it. Oscar knows that. He was in the same position.”

Now on to Palomino’s “The Best I Faced.”

Best overall: “It has to be Roberto Duran. I always had the idea that he was just a brawler. What surprised me was that the guy could really box –- going in and out, the feints, it was just a surprise to me. It impressed me how quick his shots were and how much power he had. And his movement surprised me.”

Best boxer: “It would have to be Andy Price. I fought him when I was like (10-0-1) and he was like (12-1-3). I lost a split decision to him (in 1974). He was very much like Sugar Ray Leonard, very quick. I think from a boxing standpoint he was the best I faced. He was also a good puncher. You had to worry about that. He later beat Pipino Cuevas.” Leonard stopped Price (33-8-3, 13 KOs) in the first round in 1979.

Hardest puncher: I fought this guy in the amateurs, Norman Goins from Minnesota. He did pretty well as a pro. He was a tremendous puncher. I fought him the finals of the Pan American (Games) trials and was knocked down three times, once in each round. I still won the fight -- it was the amateurs -– but I got dropped three times. I’ll never forget that.”

Fastest hands: “It would be a tie between Benitez and Price. Wilfredo was just so cagey. He could hit you from different angels and very quickly, especially his jab. Most of the punches he landed against me were jabs.”

Fastest feet: “Duran. Watch him in his prime, with Ray Leonard or my fight with him. Watch him as a lightweight. He had the ability to move in and out so quickly. I’ve said that Manny Pacquiao reminds me a lot of Duran.”

Best jab: Benitez. It was a very quick, snapping jab, a lot like (Muhammad) Ali’s jab.”

Best chin: Armando Muniz. You could hit him with a ring poll and nothing would happen. [Laughs.] I nailed him all night long and hurt him. He had a chin.”

Smartest: Benitez or Duran. Maybe Benitez was natural boxer. It was almost like he had a sixth sense. I don’t think I caught him solid in my fight with him. It seemed like he knew what was coming all the time.”

Strongest: Muniz. He would just walk in, walk you down. He was a wrestler in high school so his head was attached to his shoulders. He had no neck. He was that kind of guy. Strong.”

Best defense: I would say Benitez and Duran (tie) again. As I said, it was like Benitez had a sixth sense, like he knew what was coming. Duran was hard to catch also. I was trying to counter what he was doing but I couldn’t because of his quickness. They were both good defensive fighters.

[MRBOOMER]

Oscar De La Hoya

Best fighter: Julio Cesar Chavez -- He had it all. He could box, he could punch, he had an iron chin. And he had guts. He had the whole package. He wasn’t 25 when he fought me but he was still an elite fighter.

Best boxer: Pernell Whitaker -- He was very elusive, very hard to hit. He was very slippery.

Best puncher: Arturo Gatti. -- This kid, may he rest in peace, didn’t catch me flush on the chin but his punches were so heavy, heavier than Ike Quartey’s. I don’t know what he had in his hands.

Quickest hands: Manny Pacquiao -- His punches don’t come from your basic boxing style; they come from all sorts of weird angles. That’s what makes him difficult.

Quickest feet: Pernell Whitaker -- He was very elusive. He could spin you around and not exert much energy doing it. He did it with ease. It was so natural to him. Footwork starts everything.

Best defense: Pernell Whitaker -- Again, he was slippery, elusive. It was hard to crack that defense.

Best chin: Julio Cesar Chavez -- I hit him with some shots. In our second fight, I said to myself, “My gosh. How can he not go down?”

Best jab: Ike Quartey -- He had an incredible jab. The special thing about it was that he threw it from his chin or sometimes he would leave it loose in the air. You wouldn’t notice him throwing it. His jab was very powerful, one of his best weapons. And when it landed, it really hurt. It didn’t sting; it hurt. Like a hammer coming down on you.

Strongest: Fernando Vargas -- He just felt strong. It was so hard to handle him. I felt his weight. His punches were heavy and strong. He was solid. We all know what happened there, though: He had a little help.

Smartest: Bernard Hopkins -- He is the type of fighter who gets in your head. For our press tour, he was always polite, very nice. No trash talk, no nothing. After the fight, I realized: He did that because he didn’t want me to fight angry, to try to take his head off. At the time I fought him, he didn’t like pressure from his opponent because he didn’t like fighting the whole three minutes. He is one smart cookie.

[Skyhook]

Cheers man great reads. Do you have any more?

[SixFootGiant]

Great thread, I loved this series when they did it. Mike McCallum has the greatest nickname in sports history

[GrandpaBernard]

it can't get any better than listening to boxers tell war stories straight from their own mouths