BoxRec

Not necessarily the most talented, the greatest record or the longest reigning champion. Who was your most entertaining boxer that you enjoyed to watch fight or listen to his interviews?

A lot to be said for Meldrick Taylor in this regard. He could really dazzle.

Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini was pretty entertaining but I love watching Sugar Ray Leonard also Toney is brilliant to watch

Naz was so novel, he sure got the world to pay attention....sort of like a car wreck you felt you knew was about to happen, but for the most part he kept his wheels on the road while forcing the other guy to crash.

For pure boxing Toney was always good to watch. Remarkable defensive skills.

Danny Lopez, never in a dull fight. Seemed to get better the worse things got for him in the ring.

One of my favourites.

Tommy Hearns post Shuler. He would get wobbled and dropped by guys he was dominating (Andries, Roldan, Barkley) and was always one punch away from a sensational victory or a devestating loss.

I always liked Greg Haugan he was the Graziano or Gatti of his day, in his prime - every bit the fighter and an entertaining character too.

Muhammad Ali.
Chris Eubank.

BoxBuzz wrote: For pure boxing Toney was always good to watch. Remarkable defensive skills.

- Rogers Mtagwa has likely never been in a dull fight and has such a rugged, off the wall slugging style that in spite of poor boxing skills he's finally come to being noticed.

Curious to see these Toney gems you tout. I grant you that he looked sharp against one eyed shot Barkley and a shot Mr. Field, but I was never much for the shooting fish in a barrel booths at the carny. Was that you I kept seeing in there?

Limon
Boza-Edwards
Chacon
Hafey
Navarette

Ah, those were the days...

roy jones when he did his pre ring pomp

jon thaxton was usually in a good fight and there was always a sence he could turn it with 1 big punch

Goodnight, Irene wrote:A lot to be said for Meldrick Taylor in this regard. He could really dazzle.

He made the extremely fast Norris look like he had average speed in their fight. While at the same time making Norris chin look like Haglers.

Nigel Benn
Thomas Hearns
JC Chavez
Mike McCallum
Mike Tyson
Dwight Qawi

Numerous others...

BroughtonRulesRefuge wrote:

BoxBuzz wrote: For pure boxing Toney was always good to watch. Remarkable defensive skills.

- Rogers Mtagwa has likely never been in a dull fight and has such a rugged, off the wall slugging style that in spite of poor boxing skills he's finally come to being noticed.

Curious to see these Toney gems you tout. I grant you that he looked sharp against one eyed shot Barkley and a shot Mr. Field, but I was never much for the shooting fish in a barrel booths at the carny. Was that you I kept seeing in there?

The more you talk the more I learn, but probably not at all what you imagine.

There are/were better boxers, but he gets a remarkable asterisk for his rather lazy efficiency. Slips very cleverly and displays a pretty cerebral engagement for a guy who looks like a guy in a tough guy tourney more than a boxer.

FMJ maybe the best pure boxer for the moment and I don't mean to compare him to Toney. So if you think Toney's a palooka good for you. I know what I know if you know what I mean.

You are not lighting any fires of inspiration as the new Boxing Oracle, but I know that's what you're aimin' for! So good luck with that!

Perhaps you can give us good forensic account of Toney's great deficits.

Rocky Marciano

For the ones I got to see live, it's a tie between Danny Little Red Lopez and Miracle Matt Franklin/Saad Muhammad.

Honorable mention (no order): Rock-a-bye Ruben Oliveres, Wiflredo Bazooka Gomez, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy The Hitman Hearns, Jose Pipino Cuevas, Roberto Manos de Piedra Duran, and, hey, Iron Mike Tyson.

BoxBuzz wrote:FMJ maybe the best pure boxer for the moment and I don't mean to compare him to Toney. So if you think Toney's a palooka good for you. I know what I know if you know what I mean.

You are not lighting any fires of inspiration as the new Boxing Oracle, but I know that's what you're aimin' for! So good luck with that!

Perhaps you can give us good forensic account of Toney's great deficits.

- More interested in spewing sprays of perspiration as I administer thumpings.

Mr. Moneybags lacks the offense to be the best pure boxer for me. Has to be a balance and I'd plump up Joan Guzman, Iron Boy, Vitali, Kessler over him. I'd grant him the best overall defense, but is he really any more effective than Wlad on defense these days?

Mr. TwoTons greatest deficit is his mouth. Ate him out of every division he was in, shortcircuited his brain from any sort of representation of personal class and disconnected him from the reality of his career.

Someone mentioned Bobby Chacon as exciting. Allow me to 2nd that. Plenty of others, but I'm here to remind you that you gots to look far and wide to find a more exciting fighter than Aaron Pryor. Guy would be HUGE today if he was fighting, mecurical offensive talent and a superior boxer when he wished.

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:I think we can all agree that Broughton is the biggest moron to ever walk the earth.

Somebody should put that old horse to sleep.

Some have already mentioned Chacon, Boza-Edwards and Bazooka Limon. Dudes were warriors never in a bad fight. I would add one of their common opponents, Alexis Arguello.
The thing with Arguello was, he often looked slow and hittable. He got hit plenty in some of his fights. But when you watched him move around the ring, you always knew his equalizer - that short left hook or his long straight right hand - was going to land at some point. You never knew when, but it was something you just anticipated would eventually happen.
I also second nominations for Aaron Pryor and Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gomez. Two greats who fought virtually every fight as if they desperately wanted to beat each of their opponents into retirement.
Tommy Hearns deserves a mention. Produced spectacular knockouts and was fragile enough that you never knew if he'd last the distance himself

BroughtonRulesRefuge wrote:

BoxBuzz wrote:FMJ maybe the best pure boxer for the moment and I don't mean to compare him to Toney. So if you think Toney's a palooka good for you. I know what I know if you know what I mean.

You are not lighting any fires of inspiration as the new Boxing Oracle, but I know that's what you're aimin' for! So good luck with that!

Perhaps you can give us good forensic account of Toney's great deficits.

- More interested in spewing sprays of perspiration as I administer thumpings.

Mr. Moneybags lacks the offense to be the best pure boxer for me. Has to be a balance and I'd plump up Joan Guzman, Iron Boy, Vitali, Kessler over him. I'd grant him the best overall defense, but is he really any more effective than Wlad on defense these days?

Mr. TwoTons greatest deficit is his mouth. Ate him out of every division he was in, shortcircuited his brain from any sort of representation of personal class and disconnected him from the reality of his career.

Someone mentioned Bobby Chacon as exciting. Allow me to 2nd that. Plenty of others, but I'm here to remind you that you gots to look far and wide to find a more exciting fighter than Aaron Pryor. Guy would be HUGE today if he was fighting, mecurical offensive talent and a superior boxer when he wished.

Yep the school boy was surely an exciting fighter. I'm with you on that 100% and he brought out the best in his opponents.

And it was always exciting to see what "ready to go" fighter Pryor's managers were going to book him against next. Also it was exciting to know just what sort of reaction Aaron was going to have with the old "mixture of tap water and Perrier water" that came in those colored bottles. Never boring. Did you know SRL ran from him? Now that's exciting! But you knew that. And of course Duran never fought him...coincidence? I think not! Benitez vs Pryor? Never happened. But he did beat Arguello twice right? And of course Antonio Cervantes.....However Antonio in his prime would have changed Pryor's entire reputation. But he beat him...at the end of his run and that's exciting.

For pure craziness in the ring, Ray "Windmill" White

A true "maniac" in every sense of the word.

..for me..willie pep...

Muhammad Ali
RJJ

Emmanuel Augustus.

Grimm wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:A lot to be said for Meldrick Taylor in this regard. He could really dazzle.

He made the extremely fast Norris look like he had average speed in their fight. While at the same time making Norris chin look like Haglers.

I prefer to remember him in better times