Who's the better defensive fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Pernell Whitaker?

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Floyd wouldn't fight them until they were past the age of 35.

Lmao...

Hatton
Judah
Ortiz
Ghost
Canelo
Cotto
Corrales
Castillo
Manfredy
Chavez
famoso
Maidana
Marquez

All under 35,,,,, try again

[IronDanHamza]

Lmao...

Hatton
Judah
Ortiz
Ghost
Canelo
Cotto
Corrales
Castillo
Manfredy
Chavez
famoso
Maidana
Marquez

All under 35,,,,, try again

And Oscar.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

And Oscar.

Dudes just hate on floyd so much it's incredible... Not a huge floyd fan but have followed him since 95, and the guy is a GREAT boxer... We probably won't see another guy like him in our lifetimes.. To hate or discredit his skills is just insane.. The guy has proven it over nearly 2 decades and 5 weight classes

[stefl14]

Sweet Pea and it's not really close. Floyd is arguably a better offensive fighter when he chooses to let his hands go, but Sweet Pea is up there with Locche, Prince Naseem, Burley, and James Toney, Floyd a tier below with RJJ and Rigo. I will always rate the fighters who's defense relies considerably on athleticism below the most gifted fighters who don't rely on the athleticism to be elite defensively.



Doesn't really matter, longevity is a factor in comparing ATG resumes but fighters age differently, and Floyd has been protected at times and hasn't faced all possible opposition, and that's coming from a Floyd fan. Oscar isn't fighting anymore either but he was also a great defensive fighter and fighter overall. Salvador Sanchez had a short career but that doesn't affect who he was in his active prime.

Prince Naseem? The guy that got hit with everything but the kitchen sink by Barrera and got dropped three times by Kevin Kelley due to the fact that he had terrible defense and couldn't balance himself? Hamed got hit, and a lot at that, when he stepped up. Plus, any defense he did have relied heavily on reflexes so you contradict yourself. You contradict yourself even more with the inclusion of Locche. Locche's defense relied heavily on superhuman reflexes, as did Pernell's. It's almost like you're deliberately trying to sound stupid with this post. Mayweather relies considerably more on skill than lots of the fighters you mentioned. Also, I don't know why it matters if you rely on athleticism anyway - the question is who has better defense - not who has better defense the way you like it. Oh and finally, Floyd below RJJ? Haha, another guy who relies on athleticism for defense, another contradiction. Rigo? Not even worth commenting on, he's fought one top guy and has been dropped more than once. You don't know boxing.

[b00g13man]

And did you really just put Prince Naseem in the top tier of defence? Followed by saying "I always rate guys who rely on athleticism below guys who don't rely on gifts" ? How can you possibly say that with a straight face when you have Prince Naseem in there?

I can't believe I missed Naseem in that list. That's a joke.

Lmao...

Hatton
Judah
Ortiz
Ghost
Canelo
Cotto
Corrales
Castillo
Manfredy
Chavez
famoso
Maidana
Marquez

All under 35,,,,, try again

pwned!!

[LoadedWraps]

How do you know about Charley Burley's defence? Break it down to me.

What fights of his have you seen?

And did you really just put Prince Naseem in the top tier of defence? Followed by saying "I always rate guys who rely on athleticism below guys who don't rely on gifts" ? How can you possibly say that with a straight face when you have Prince Naseem in there?

How did Pernell Whitaker not rely on his athleticism and gifts?

Burley's philly shell variation had a methodology of economical movement, and subtle slips and rolls. His variation allowed him remain in a solid base stance and rarely go off balance even when throwing punches.

Yea, trollin a bit with my main man Prince Naseem there.


Sweet Pea relies less on athleticism than Floyd because he can change levels and slip punches in the pocket without needing to explode in and out. Two forms of defense that are equally effective but one uses less energy.

[HarvardBlue]

I'm a huge Pernell Whitaker fan but I have to give it to Mayweather. Not only is Mayweather a tad bit better but he's been consistent over his career. Mayweather's defense makes good/great boxer look less than ordinary. His reaction time is so quick it's hard to time him. Just when you think you've figured him out he raises his defense to another level. Pernell was great but Mayweather is just better.

Btw, someone mentioned Rigo... He gets hit flush in the face a lot. He's just able to compensate with his other skills.

[IronDanHamza]

Burley's philly shell variation had a methodology of economical movement, and subtle slips and rolls. His variation allowed him remain in a solid base stance and rarely go off balance even when throwing punches.

Yea, trollin a bit with my main man Prince Naseem there.


Sweet Pea relies less on athleticism than Floyd because he can change levels and slip punches in the pocket without needing to explode in and out. Two forms of defense that are equally effective but one uses less energy.

How do you know? What do you base that on? In regards to Charley Burley.

What fights of his have you seen?

[IMDAZED]

Mayweather and it's become increasingly apparent over the past few years.

Whitaker was a ridiculous defensive talent who, liked Floyd, shined brightest on the big stage. In the lower divisions he used his legs a lot to get out of the way. As he matured he proved to be equally elusive when forced to stand still. I think he peaked around the Chavez fight. He started getting tagged a bit more around the Rivera fights and it spiraled somewhat.

Mayweather's defense even at this advanced stage is remarkable. What he did to Canelo and Pacquiao, two offensive juggernauts, cannot be understated. The Marquez performance was as perfect a defensive performance as possible. I don't know about all time, but he's certainly the best defensive fighter I've ever seen.

[IMDAZED]

And whoever said Whitaker didn't use his legs as much is on crack. Not saying I have any issues with using your legs (maybe that poster does) but Whitaker used his legs more IMO. Mayweather was much more of a mover at 130-135 than he is now. Save for the second Chino fight he's basically been a flat-footed fighter who mixes in movement since 2009. He's fought a huge number of elite fighters since and barely lost rounds.