Who is the Greatest Defensive Fighter of All Time?

[HandsofIron]

Wilfred Benitez

[CubanGuyNYC]

El Radar was a hell of a fighter.

I remember when he fought Leonard all those years ago. Back in those days, boxing was far more popular, on free TV all the time. The fight was highly anticipated. Leonard was on his way to a clear victory, even before the stoppage, but it was an excellent fight. “Sugar” once said, “No one, I mean no one, can make me miss punches like that.” Quite the compliment, coming from someone like that. A shame Wilfred isn’t doing too well these days.

[MDPopescu]

other than floyd mayweather?

ali did not have great defense. he was just incredibly fast in the 60'a and very long. once the 70's rolled around he was not hard to hit and was in some real wars.

... Yes... Ali was a head first brawler, tbh... who KO'd Big George (in 1974) by pure accident... ( he just went rogue... right?)...

[djtmal]

Pernell in my book

[ShaneMosleySr]

Willie Pep.

[Dodger07]

Floyd is the best I've ever seen.

[New England]

... Yes... Ali was a head first brawler, tbh... who KO'd Big George (in 1974) by pure accident... ( he just went rogue... right?)...

you don't get a reputation for having maybe the best chin ever by having the greatest defense ever. people talk a lot about ali, but do they really watch him fight?


ali spent a ton of time on the ropes in the foreman fight and took a lot of punishment. took some of the steam offof the foreman punches, but believe me you're better off letting those things hit air if you can.

ali just didn't have the legs in the 1970's to fight on his toes round after round. he did what he had to do, and in part he had to rely on his chin.

did he have all time great defense when joe frazier outpointed him and put him on his butt in the first fight? when kenny norton broke his jaw? when henry cooper put him on his ass?

how about the thrilla in manila, where he claimed fighting joe frazier was the closest he could get to death without dying?


floyd mayweather didn't fight in the HW division or in nearly the kind of era ali fought in, with great offensive talent in their primes, but he also went his entire career hardly ever getting hit flush. you can count on one hand the amount of times floyd was shaken by punches. heck, there are probably only a dozen or so "flush, sunday punches," that floyd took in his entire career. guys would go from averaging double digit power punches landed per round to landing literally nothing in a round. i've never seen a fighter able to take offense away like that, and neither have you. there's no comparing their defensive skills or the impact that they had on fights. again, ali was in wars and didn't become the most famous athlete of all time playing patty cake. floyd made his money never losing and hardly ever even being in a tough fight.

castillo 1, maidana 1, mosley in round 2, cotto in very few spots, chop chop corley, and who else are we giving credit for really putting it on floyd in any meaningful capacity? went down when he broke his hand early in his career. maybe got hit once by pacquiao with a true power punch. hatton mauled him but hardly messed up his hair.

[4truth]

Whitaker and then Mayweather. Probably there were others, maybe some were better but in my lifetime, those two stand out.

[boliodogs]

Maybe Willie Pep although that is just by reputation since I have not watched him. It's not SRL. He had a decent defense and a great offense but Hearns and Duran both had no problem hitting him hard and often Armstrong was famous for his attack and high volume punching but not for his defense. Roy Jones got the better of Toney both on offense and defense and he beat Hopkins too. Maybe a prime Roy Jones should be on the list because nobody hit him much in his prime.

[boliodogs]

I would rate Mayweather very highly. He has a great defense.