Best I've faced

[Chrismart]

Azumah Nelson - Dec 7th 2015

BEST JAB
Calvin Grove: He had a good jab. He was a boxer-fighter and could move very well too. He was a champion before we fought.

BEST DEFENSE
Mario Martinez: I would have to go with Mario “Azabache” Martinez. He would make you think.

BEST CHIN
Juan Laporte: I fought him in Australia. He could certainly take it. He would take it without even shaking.

FASTEST HANDS
Grove: Grove definitely was the fastest of them all. He was fast with both hands. Irving Mitchell had a very quick right hand but Calvin Grove was just quick all around.

FASTEST FEET
Grove: Calvin Grove was also very quick with his feet, which made him a very good boxer overall.

SMARTEST
James James Leija: Most of them were smart … but I would say Jesse James Leija. I liked him so much as a person I could not hurt him. It was as if I would hold back on my punches. I could not execute against the guy for some reason.

STRONGEST
Martinez: I give him a lot of respect. … He would throw a punch and I would feel it in my hand. I would tell myself if that punch landed on my jaw, I would go flat (on my back).

BEST PUNCHER
Laporte: He could punch but was easy to read because I could see the punches coming. That suited me.

BEST SKILLS
Wilfredo Gomez: The Puerto Rican was the best boxer and he could also hit. Also Salvador Sanchez was a good boxer, good movement in and out. Though it must be said I was not ready for (the Sanchez) fight. It could have been different had I been ready. Pernell Whitaker was a very good boxer. At the time I just wanted to finish the fight and leave; my wife was in hospital at the time. I was not focused. That is why I do not talk much about the Whitaker fight.

BEST OVERALL
Martinez: There were quite a few of them but the best of them was Mario “Azabache” Martinez, the Mexican. I fought him twice. He was a good boxer, could read a fight well and knew what to do at the right time. He also had a big punch.

[Chrismart]

Eusebio Pedroza - Oct 2015

BEST JAB – Rocky Lockridge – He was a very fast boxer and had great movements.

BEST DEFENSE – Barry McGuigan – His youth and strong body made him a tough opponent.

BEST CHIN – Lockridge – Lockridge, as well as Ángel Mayor, had a great chin. They endured much punishment.

FASTEST HANDS – Jorge “Mocho” Luján – Besides his speed, he was calculating and clever boxer.

FASTEST FEET – Bernard Taylor – He was the only one that I think could match my speed.

SMARTEST – Luján – I would call him the most complete boxer I faced. His movements and trickery made him a dangerous boxer. Besides he already knew my boxing.

STRONGEST – McGuigan – His body was very strong and very tough.

BEST PUNCHER – Orlando Amores – He was the only one who could knock me down three times.

BEST SKILLS – Jorge “Mocho” Luján – Because of his method and style of combat. He could fight going in reverse and he also was a great counterpuncher. He never despaired. Because of that and many more, he was a controversial, technical and dangerous boxer.

BEST OVERALL – Lockridge – He has all the qualities together: speed, punch and good boxing. That’s why he was such a difficult opponent.

[Weebler I]

[BEST OVERALL
Mosley: In my book it’s Shane Mosley. He’s the most complete fighter I have ever faced.

Didn't Mayorga fight two poor versions of Mosley? Mayorga was winning the first fight and the second fight was a circus act.

[Chrismart]

Joel Casamayor - Dec 2015


BEST JAB
Diego Corrales: He knew where to aim and used his jab to follow with great shots. Even though I caught him with counter punches I figured him out and outsmarted him. His reach was his advantage.

BEST DEFENSE
Jong-Kwon Baek: The Korean guy I fought in Kansas City. I stopped him on cuts. I was just smarter than him and I hit him enough to cause the cuts that eventually stopped the fight but he had a great defensive strategy.

BEST CHIN
Jose Luis Castillo: I thought I was hitting him with good, heavy shots but he didn’t seem to feel anything. He is naturally strong and could take a punch.

FASTEST HANDS
Robert Garcia: Back in the day he was one of the fastest. I wouldn’t see punches coming in sometimes because he had really fast hands. He threw them with enough speed to create power. He was not the strongest guy I have faced in my career but one thing about him was his speed.

FASTEST FEET
David Chamendis: It was on a Pernell Whitaker undercard against Wilfredo Rivera, it was my first fight in my career. It was a four rounder, it was 1996 in Miami. He was just running around the ring. I knocked him out even though I was chasing him the whole fight.

SMARTEST
Juan Manuel Marquez: He was a master at boxing. He came in with lots of experience. After the fight, I felt that there must have been things that I have missed practicing at training because I thought I prepared myself enough to be able to beat him. I thought I was going to win the fight but he caught me, so he outsmarted me that night and that stunned me.

STRONGEST
Michael Katsidis: He was young and physically very strong. The ring was very small in Morongo Casino. Usually it is 20-by-20 (feet) but it was 18-by-18. He was physically very strong. Every time I would hit him, I could feel how strong he was. He had a very good physical condition.

BEST PUNCHER
Castillo: The body shots of Castillo were out of this world. He was the best puncher, not just to the body but every punch. He knew how to throw punches. His footwork was excellent and that allowed him to be prepared and positioned to throw punches accurately.

BEST SKILLS
Castillo: Cutting the ring off is what he was doing, meaning if I would go right, he wouldn’t follow me but step to my right to stop me from going in that same direction. That’s a strategy that is taught in boxing, and it works. His footwork was excellent, his punches were accurate. He looked really good in the fight.

BEST OVERALL
Marquez: Juan Manuel Marquez because he was hard to figure out. I would punch and I would miss, I couldn’t catch him. He was also very strong, good on his feet, great puncher, fast and he knows the art of boxing. Marquez was very smart. His punches were accurate as well, he was crafty.

[hugh grant]

Is there one for mike Tyson?

[monkeyboy]

Wayne McCullough - July 2015

BEST SKILLS
Erik Morales: He came out to knock you out and when he fought me he’d knocked nine guys out in a row. He listened to his corner after the first round when they said back off and box. He could punch, he could fight and he could also adapt and box as well. He could change in a fight if he had to and win a fight on points. Other guys have one plan and if plan ‘A’ doesn’t work they don’t have plan ‘B.‘

BEST JAB
Morales: Morales had a good jab, he was the type of guy who would set everything up with a jab. He’d jab, jab and **** to the body, jab, jab and right hand to the head and then a jab to keep the distance. So it probably has to go to Morales.

BEST DEFENSE
Naseem Hamed: I think Naseem Hamed was the type of guy who depended on his defense. Against me he said he was going to knock me out and couldn’t do it and he ran. He’s hard to hit so you have to consider that good defense because you couldn’t really hit him. If a guy’s running away from you how can you hit him? You can’t really tell if it’s his defense or not. Out of everybody he probably did have the best defense.

BEST CHIN
Victor Rabanales: That’s a hard one too. Some of the Mexicans have tough chins, you hit them and they look at you so you hit them again and they look at you and then you hit them with a body shot and they crumble.

I know Morales stopped (Daniel Zaragoza) with a body shot. I believe to this day I won the fight. I remember hitting Zaragoza with a body shot in the second round and he cried like he was crying for his mommy! I thought I had him. He just grunted and I thought it was over and then the bell came. I reckon if there was another 30 seconds I could have stopped him.

The Mexicans, they’re all tough – Zaragoza, Morales, Jose Luis Bueno. I didn’t take any easy fights coming up, I took tough fights against Mexicans.

Rabanales really did have a concrete chin. That was my 13th fight and his 50th fight and he was a former champion, No. 1 in the world. I hit him with everything and he hit me with everything too. That was the first time in boxing I lost a round. When I hit him in the chin he didn’t go anywhere. I remember looking at him and he had metal teeth! Every time I hit him it didn’t even faze him, he just kept coming and coming.

BEST PUNCHER
Morales: The biggest puncher was Erik Morales, pound-for-pound. From the first round until the 12th round he punched just as hard. The first round he hit me hard and the 12th round his punch didn’t diminish, he still kept the same intensity throughout the fight. He was really the hardest puncher for sure.

Hamed was strong, he had physical strength. He said to me when the fight was over, ‘You’re super strong.‘ Strength and punching power are two different things. The only guy to hurt me was Victor Rabanales. I think Hamed and Morales didn’t hurt me to the point where I was wobbling. Hamed was strong but Morales was pinpoint, he’d put a shock down the left side (of your body) every time he hit you.

FASTEST HANDS
Morales: Hamed, I could see his punches coming; I didn’t think Hamed was fast, I could see everything coming. Morales would hide his right hand with his jab. Nobody stood out as having fast hands. I think Morales gets it because he hid his right hand behind his jab. I’d probably give it to him.

FASTEST FEET
Hamed: I would say Hamed because he ran! I told him at the press conference, ‘What is going to happen when you hit me on the chin I’m still standing, what are you going to do?‘ and he just ran for 12 rounds! I actually had blisters on both of my feet running after him. I called him on four or five different times, ‘Lets fight.‘ He definitely had the fastest feet.

SMARTEST
Daniel Zaragoza: Zaragoza for sure. He could adapt to anything. Just the years he fought – even at 40 years old he was still fighting and winning world championships. I’d give it to him.

STRONGEST
Scott Harrison: Scott Harrison for sure. I was never really a featherweight, I moved up to fight Hamed and back down (to 122 pounds) to fight Morales. That was five years after I fought Hamed. On fight night the guy was just bigger, (at) the weigh in we were the same. I put on two or three pounds and I think he put on maybe 20 pounds. Scott Harrison for sure. Hamed was strong, his strength was unbelievable too but I remember in the interview after I said Scott Harrison was the strongest.

BEST OVERALL
Morales: Erik Morales for sure, definitely. We became good friends after the fight. He hit me with good shots and I laughed at him. Every time he sees me he goes, ‘You’re loco, you’re loco.‘ He always calls me Crazy Irish man. The man could box, he could punch, he moved around. At 122, 126 were his best weight classes but when he started moving through the divisions, when he fought at 140 and 147 I don’t think he belonged there at all. Overall, Erik Morales was definitely the best for sure.

Just an awesome thread. Brilliant read. Thanks.

[SkillspayBills]

This is honestly one of the best threads in this site's history. Love hearing insight from so many fighters. Though it's funny, you can tell the salt from a few of them.

[hugh grant]

Nigel benn hit real hard. Someone should ask him if he hit as hard as Gerald McClellan?

[Doctor_Tenma]

Joel Casamayor - Dec 2015




BEST CHIN
Jose Luis Castillo: I thought I was hitting him with good, heavy shots but he didn’t seem to feel anything. He is naturally strong and could take a punch.

This is actually true, Casamayor is such an underrated puncher, he had one of the shortest straight left hands that he can generate an unusual amount of power with and Castillo was able to take it very well. Even though Casamayor fought a little negative in that one, it was such a close fight I wish we would have gotten a rematch.

[Doctor_Tenma]

Azumah Nelson - Dec 7th 2015

BEST JAB
Calvin Grove: He had a good jab. He was a boxer-fighter and could move very well too. He was a champion before we fought.

BEST DEFENSE
Mario Martinez: I would have to go with Mario “Azabache” Martinez. He would make you think.

BEST CHIN
Juan Laporte: I fought him in Australia. He could certainly take it. He would take it without even shaking.

FASTEST HANDS
Grove: Grove definitely was the fastest of them all. He was fast with both hands. Irving Mitchell had a very quick right hand but Calvin Grove was just quick all around.

FASTEST FEET
Grove: Calvin Grove was also very quick with his feet, which made him a very good boxer overall.

SMARTEST
James James Leija: Most of them were smart … but I would say Jesse James Leija. I liked him so much as a person I could not hurt him. It was as if I would hold back on my punches. I could not execute against the guy for some reason.

STRONGEST
Martinez: I give him a lot of respect. … He would throw a punch and I would feel it in my hand. I would tell myself if that punch landed on my jaw, I would go flat (on my back).

BEST PUNCHER
Laporte: He could punch but was easy to read because I could see the punches coming. That suited me.

BEST SKILLS
Wilfredo Gomez: The Puerto Rican was the best boxer and he could also hit. Also Salvador Sanchez was a good boxer, good movement in and out. Though it must be said I was not ready for (the Sanchez) fight. It could have been different had I been ready. Pernell Whitaker was a very good boxer. At the time I just wanted to finish the fight and leave; my wife was in hospital at the time. I was not focused. That is why I do not talk much about the Whitaker fight.

BEST OVERALL
Martinez: There were quite a few of them but the best of them was Mario “Azabache” Martinez, the Mexican. I fought him twice. He was a good boxer, could read a fight well and knew what to do at the right time. He also had a big punch.

I can understand not being ready for Sanchez, hence not mentioning him but is he bitter about losing to Whitaker? He struggled to touch Pernell and Whitaker's jab was killin' him.