Greatest deffensive fighter ever?

[BoxBuzz]

Rosenbloom has to be one of them, but damned if I've seen a single frame of him actually in a ring.

[jimglen]

Nel Tarlton was described "like a mirage that would just 'flicker' out of range"

brilliant.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Locche is perhaps the greatest of them all.

[Badhusker]

For recent fighters at least, Mayweather and Pernell W. easily.

[Seamus]

Might have to with Pernell Whitaker

[raylawpc]

From the old-timers: that old pedophile and the only featherweight to KO a heavyweight champion, Young Griffo.

[Cutman Scabbers]

Gypsy Joe Harris

[Grimm]

From the old-timers: that old pedophile and the only featherweight to KO a heavyweight champion, Young Griffo.

Care to elaborate?

[raylawpc]

Happy to. Young Griffo was arrested in the Summer of 1895 in New York City and accused of sodomizing a 12-year-old boy. He pleaded guilty to the offense in August 1896, and served a ten months of a one-year sentence in Sing Sing. (If you look on his record, you will see a one-year absence from the ring July 1896 to July 1897.)

[Panzerfaust]

Happy to. Young Griffo was arrested in the Summer of 1895 in New York City and accused of sodomizing a 12-year-old boy. He pleaded guilty to the offense in August 1896, and served a ten months of a one-year sentence in Sing Sing. (If you look on his record, you will see a one-year absence from the ring July 1896 to July 1897.)

There are some iffy circumstances to this, the kid disapeared before giving testemony amon other things... ill have to look it up again

[Grimm]

Happy to. Young Griffo was arrested in the Summer of 1895 in New York City and accused of sodomizing a 12-year-old boy. He pleaded guilty to the offense in August 1896, and served a ten months of a one-year sentence in Sing Sing. (If you look on his record, you will see a one-year absence from the ring July 1896 to July 1897.)

Wow just ten months?

I thought they would kill you for that back then.

[raylawpc]

Happy to. Young Griffo was arrested in the Summer of 1895 in New York City and accused of sodomizing a 12-year-old boy. He pleaded guilty to the offense in August 1896, and served a ten months of a one-year sentence in Sing Sing. (If you look on his record, you will see a one-year absence from the ring July 1896 to July 1897.)

There are some iffy circumstances to this, the kid disapeared before giving testemony amon other things... ill have to look it up again

Yeah, the kid and his Dad went up to Canada before the trial was to begin, and there was some speculation they had been paid off to leave New York. (Griffo's bond was posted by one of his backers - a NY State Senator - I forget the fellow's name.) However, when the kid came back for the second trial setting, and it was clear he would testify, Griffo threw in the towel and pleaded guilty.

[raylawpc]

Happy to. Young Griffo was arrested in the Summer of 1895 in New York City and accused of sodomizing a 12-year-old boy. He pleaded guilty to the offense in August 1896, and served a ten months of a one-year sentence in Sing Sing. (If you look on his record, you will see a one-year absence from the ring July 1896 to July 1897.)

Wow just ten months?

I thought they would kill you for that back then.

If you look at some of the old cases from those days, you'll see convicted felons going away for much shorter sentences than convicted felons receive for the same offenses today. One reason, I suspect, is because prison conditions were quite harsh at the turn of the century, and the ten months he served was hard time. The long sentences we have today are a fairly recent phenomenon in cricminal jurisprudence.

[IRLangmaid25]

Pep

Very good footwork could slip and move very well, I seem to remember reading somewhere that he once won a round without ever throwing a punch and just used all of his defensive boxing skills. What about Ali in his prime with his elegant footwork and balance

[Panzerfaust]

Pep was very frantic(if thats the right word), while Locche didnt waste a drop of sweat if he didnt need to. Guess i favor the energy conserving style more and that makes it him for me. Hard pick this is

[raylawpc]

Pep

Very good footwork could slip and move very well, I seem to remember reading somewhere that he once won a round without ever throwing a punch and just used all of his defensive boxing skills. What about Ali in his prime with his elegant footwork and balance

The "won a round without throwing a punch" myth is just that - a myth. It supposedly happened in the 3rd round of the Jackie Graves fight in 1946, but contemporary ringside reports make no mention of it.

[zojo]

Reggie Strickland

After all with that many fights (and losses) he must be a wiz at defense to still be healthy.

[jaclem2]

...sojo...that's not a bad pick...although i think the fighters selected should be winning fighters...who while being great at defense also be able to land enough punches to win as well..

confession...i thought for a while about reggie too, but i talked myself out of it for the reason i've just given...

[Idisagree]

In no particular order:
Willie Pep, Nicolino Locche, Pernell Whitaker, Benny Leonard, Roberto Duran, Wilfredo Benitez, and Jack Johnson. Most recently Floyd Mayweather Jr., James Toney, Ivan Calderon, and Chris Byrd .

[jBacca]

My vote goes to Locche. Anybody ever see this video paying tribute to the great defensive boxers? Some great footage.

Part 1 of 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ct2jCu7 ... re=related

Some beautiful stuff there.

Pep is a genius, but I think Locche was that little bit better.

[palooka]

herol graham in his prime was a marvel.

[Panzerfaust]

I wonder why i didnt think of this guy before, but Panama Al Brown was a deffensive marvel

[BoxBuzz]

Maxie Rosenbloom from all written accounts. Sadly not a shred of film available.

[orbtastic]

Maxie Rosenbloom from all written accounts. Sadly not a shred of film available.

I saw him in a late 30s film, he was a pretty lousy actor and already sounded well punchy.

[jaclem2]

..i saw rosenbloom in several movies...he was often cast as a punch drunk fighter or just a plain dumb guy....usually in a comedy. i saw him on tv a few times...and he was articulate and funny....

...and his record shows he was one of the great defensive boxers..