Speed does not make a fighter,nor does power

[New England]

gifted fighters rise to the top. most of the greatest boxers of all time were supremely gifted fighters.

ali had great speed and a great chin.

robinson had power, speed and a chin

leonard had great speed, a great chin, and very good power.

louis had perhaps the best power, and very good speed. lightish chin, but he was mentally very strong.

duran was fleet, powerful, and had a great chin

the list goes on. the mentality to be great in a truly talented fighter is generally what produces greatness. very few of the bonafide greats aren't gifted. most of the guys who are greats who don't have great speed or power had great chins, gas tanks, and took a ton of punishment to win against other greats with physical talent.


i agree that fighters perhaps more than any other athletes are not equal to their physical parts, but we can't deny the importance of talent. again, most of the greats were supremely talented. the basic components of talent in boxing are speed, power, and chin. you develop them / bring them out, but they're not something you can teach.

[FerFAL]

Speed does not make a fighter,nor does power

Tell that to Iron Mike Tyson.

[Guest]

You mean overrated....I really like Carl but he's a mediocre boxer in my opinion: poor jab, footwork, skills but good power and great chin. But mentaly he's a ****in badass...that's why I like him.

That's my point.. he's a guy who could be KD'd ten times and still think he's ahead.

I still think he's underrated in NSB though... they see him as a guy just there to be hit.

[Verstyle]

Tell that to Iron Mike Tyson.

His lack of mental toughness is why he lost to fighters like Holyfield and Douglass Once his power did not get the fighters out of there he folded

[TGD]

Speed/strength/etc mean nothing if you can't use them the right way at the right time.

[LoadedWraps]

It seems people focus to much on these things and think these are the determining factors in fights.Boxing is not that simple,there are so many intangibles especially when you get to the elite level where EVERYONE CAN FIGHT. In my opinion the mental aspect is the most important thing,how mentally tough you are,how well you can think even when tired or hurt. The mental aspect is what separates world champions from contenders,and World champions from the elite p4p fighters.

Speed and power correlate...But I agree with your point. The intangibles are often underrated, because they are intangibles.

[Guest]

His lack of mental toughness is why he lost to fighters like Holyfield and Douglass Once his power did not get the fighters out of there he folded

Exactly .

[HarvardBlue]

I agree with the mental aspect of boxing. You don't have to Mayweather's boxing IQ either... You just need mental toughness. A perfect example is Lamont Peterson. His mental toughness kept him in fights he would have lost. Khan and Ortiz had him beat physically, but mental he was able to stay in both fights. It all went out the window when he fought Matthysse but I'm sure if they fight again (I doubt they will), but he would be better prepared mentally.

[Jc8804]

Dedication and respect for the life outside the ring as well.
Eating and drinking right. Resting and recovering.
To be the best you need skills,raw ability, talent,gifts from God and
Ring iq. Tactics and gameplans and character.

[Kagami Taiga]

people overrate the **** out of power on this site. thats always beenthe case and will always be the case.