Marc Johnson
Joe Walcott
George Benton (first to master the philly shell)
Marlon Starling
Ivan Calderon
@Doc(tracey) if ur looking for good defensive fighters from the UK, I think "Mr X" Terry Marsh is the best.
The list consist of Willie Pep, Nicolino Locche, Wilfred Benitez, Muhummad Ali, Ray Leonard, Pernell Whitaker, and Floyd Mayweather...nuff said !
Without a doubt Muhammad Ali is the most elusive fighter ever. First his weight - 16 stones average - and his dancing for 15 rounds is at superhuman level. I dont know when Mayweather had his last fight... he is so well known in UK I have never seen his fights on TV. Ali fought 5 times a year against the best fighters around .... he did not select easy fights. He has never been marked.
There is no one in history to come near Ali. Yes there are other great boxers but that just shows how truly great Ali was.
Edit > SPORTS MD ...... "Ali, tasted the canvass many times" ????? what !!!!! he is renowned as probably the best TAKER of punch in history - FOREMAN - SHAVERS ... the two hardest hitters in history hit Ali many times he just took it and knocked them both out.
Alis TOTAL time on the canvass, for all his fights put together was > > under 5 seconds !!!
He was never knocked out. He fought the best ... he travelled the world fighting only the best, the champs of each country. When does Klitchkos and Mayweather fight ????? I have never seen one of their fights ??? The reason is because they belong to a rigged system which matches them up for controlled money making machine.
Foreman - Frazier - Norton - Bob Foster - Shavers - Ali ..... all their fights were mega gladiatorial with an ambulance waiting to take one of them (or both Frazier Ali) away.
It's impossible to say.
Mayweather is very elusive but great swarmers [not powerpunchers], like Castillo, tend to land allot on him.
Mayweather is unquestionably the most elusive defensive fighter in the last 10 years since Pernell Whitaker and you're right; he is more elusive than Ali.
With that said; I doubt he is as elusive as the great Charley Burley or Willie Pep.
Burley used the same defensive techniques as Mayweather but against much larger men & he fought every swarmer of his day. Burley was also more correct, stylistically, than Mayweather; Burley parried punches with his shoulderroll while Mayweather tends to absorb the punches on his arms, shoulder and sometimes body.
Willie Pep had amazing but deceptive footwork. The only way you could go 229 pro wins against the best is if you don't take punishment.
Willie Pep by far, guys like Locche and Whitaker were better than very good, but nobody was as elusive as Willie Pep. Pep won a round without throwing a punch, and nobody else can say that no matter how good they were.
I think Floyd mayweather is the most elusive fighter ever because he is hard to hit flush. His opponents land at a connect percent of a 20. While he land an outstanding 47% of his combinations.
He is not active as his opponents but he is able to land the more effective combinations. Hence, his opponents lose their confidence after the 4th. round because they can not hit a moving target.
His defense is always top notch and the next generation try to model behind him because he is a technician.
BQ: Muhammad ali did not have a great defense but his offense was his biggest strength. He use to batter his opponents with lighting combinations but he tasted the canvas many times throughout his career.
Floyd mayweather never tasted the canvas because he is more elusive and slicker than than Muhammad Ali.
pep ,whitaker and locche will be the obvious choice but i'd like to throw in a young herol graham or even johnny nelson .
@alkhal...marsh was a nice box puncher but i wouldn't call him a great defencive boxer . about the same as kell brook now
What about the great heavyweight Jack Johnson? Surely he belongs on this list too.
Floyd Mayweather is and anyone who say other wise is a liar.
the man that is/was hardest to hit?
i think it's Mayweather.the likes of Pep, Whitaker, Locche were masters in their own right but none of them could avoid punches like mayweather.
agree/disagree?
