guys who are more effective than they look

[Oiky]

Real deal geales a good shout

[Black Sam Bellamy]

Masher Dodd

[stujones]

Great thread.

Tyson Fury - although still don't know just quite how good he is (or how shit Klitchsko was).
Tony Bellew in his post Light Heavy career - although a bit like Fury hasn't really fought enough at that world level to establish that consistency.
Masher Dodd - definition really of over achieving.
Liam Smith - okay his WBO title might have been a bit lofty - but he has proven himself a sold EBU level fighter.
Ricky Burns - great call.
Bruno - did so well in world title fights, against some of the very best heavyweights that it cannot be considered that the guys took him lightly - yet in the states he was completely scoffed for most of his career.

Away from the UK scene -
Glencoffe Johnson - good solid fighter, but never oozed the quality for me to predict world title honours.
Svenny - looks average, no power, engine okay but not seemingly spectacular - but even eliminate those dodgy decisions he scored some exceptional good wins.

[jamamb]

ya some more good shouts guys

[jamamb]

ya sven just came to mind too stu. was going to post him but saw you beat me to him

[Boxerbeetle]

I guess Juergen Braehmer fits that description for me. I think he looks poor and beatable every time I see him, but clearly it’s not as easy as it looks.

[Monte Fisto]

Obligatory John mcdermott mention. Not great, but good domestic operator.

Great call.

If John had got some of those debatable decision losses as wins, it would have been interesting to see who he would have progressed to fight. No doubt he could have made a few more quid as well.
For a guy his size, his fitness was very very good!!

[jamamb]

I guess Juergen Braehmer fits that description for me. I think he looks poor and beatable every time I see him, but clearly it’s not as easy as it looks.

this was like me an hopkins a few years ago. as a 40+ year old lhw thought he looked beatable pretty much each time out and that the next guy would just need to be a little better than the last. he was old, threw one punch at a time, had like no power at lhw, wasnt fast at all. but he knew exactly what punch to throw and exactly what time and defensively he remained sharp enough

him vs pascal was a good contrast of skill vs athleticism but far less skill

[stujones]

I guess Juergen Braehmer fits that description for me. I think he looks poor and beatable every time I see him, but clearly it’s not as easy as it looks.

Early Braehmer coming through I was impressed with, then he just seemed to go into his shell more and he lost to Mario Veit.... moved u, bit still fought largely the same way - but ended up very successful.

[SteveDow]

Marcus Maidana for me was the one that instantly sprung to mind.

Very unconventional style, punches from very odd angles, does pretty much everything technically wrong. The fact that he gave Mayweather kittens for a few rounds whilst looking pretty crude tells you that he's harder to fight than he looks. Mayweather usually eats guys like that for breakfast.

[jamamb]

[keirw]

Sam Eggington, he looks bang average in every department but has managed to establish himself as a solid ebu level fighter and picked up some respectable wins along the way.

[danconnollyeire]

Big George Foreman. Average looking technique, swung like a drunk man. Extremely effective and a solid record

[bripez]

I have always thought that Martin Murray looks slow and ponderous like he is punching through treacle - but I am sure the reality is very different.

[stujones]

I have always thought that Martin Murray looks slow and ponderous like he is punching through treacle - but I am sure the reality is very different.

A decent shout, from a big struggle with Cello Renda to giving Sergio Martinez fits.

Scott Harrison is another example - looks like he is punching like butter, but at least Scott always looked a freakly strong man at Featherweight - Murray seemed to develop his man strength late. I remember thinking in Prizefighter that he needs to move down to Light Middle cos he's getting backed up to easily.

[Counter-puncher]

Sam Eggington, he looks bang average in every department but has managed to establish himself as a solid ebu level fighter and picked up some respectable wins along the way.

[Counter-puncher]

Leo Santa Cruz looks like shit to me for a genuine world champion. Doesn't seem to have snap or leverage in his shots, slow on his feet etc

[stujones]

Leo Santa Cruz looks like poo to me for a genuine world champion. Doesn't seem to have snap or leverage in his shots, slow on his feet etc

I have similar views on the following ..clearly not as good as LSC but have been world champions or there abouts for a long time.

Brandon Rios
Richard abril
Mike Alvarado
Jesus Soto karasd
Chris Algieri

[Lenny]

Wayne Alexander always looked a bit novice like to me. A novice with ridiculous punching power obviously.

Winky Wright hiding behind a massive guard, throwing straight shots doesn’t immediately appear world class.

[Dixonian]

at an elite level id say froch too

was slow for that level, could be really technically crude, not all that hard to find, etc. but even aside from him having a good enginge and wearing down seemingly more skilled and faster fighters, there were fights were he was effective boxing and not really going to war or playing the long game. but even then he could look crude and slow but he still managed to keep landing

Though Froch wasn't quick, he has excellent timing on his shots, and very good punch accuracy, at his best, he didn't waste many shots, and also put plenty each and ever shot.

Possessed a great jab when he bothered to use it.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Wayne Alexander always looked a bit novice like to me. A novice with ridiculous punching power obviously.

Winky Wright hiding behind a massive guard, throwing straight shots doesn’t immediately appear world class.

His style partly worked because he had freakishly long arms. He was like a praying mantis.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Big George Foreman. Average looking technique, swung like a drunk man. Extremely effective and a solid record

A telling interview with Ali, late in his life, he said that the reason for the rope a dope, was not part of a master plan, but because he realised that Foreman was actually extremely proficient at cutting off the ring, and he he wouldn't be able to last 15 rounds with a strategy that involved constant movement. The rope-a-dope was born of expediency and wasn't some master plan he concocted beforehand.

Frazier definitely couldn't get out of his way, that's for sure, neither could Norton.

I think he was also blessed with freakish physical strength, his stiff armed shots seemed to allow him to punch right through people's guards with impugnity.

[Tony1244]

Two Ton Tony Galento. He was a punching bag with arms.

[asdfjkl]

Ismael Lazaar, when I saw him for the first time, I thought that even I could handle him, somehow, for some odd reason even the current super heavyweight 270 pound ripped champion of the world couldn't KO him and in pretty much all of his fights he actually wins.

[bennie]

I would plump for Jim Watt, who looked fairly ordinary from outside the ring but he was strong and persistent inside it. Howard Davis derided Watt constantly in the build-up to their world title showdown but he was soundly outpointed over 15 rounds and never really got over it.