BoxRec

The reason why im asking this is if you look at the majority of guys that are considered real bangers they tend to be quite aggressive in their styles, guys like Mclellan, Jackson, etc tended to be guys who came forward rather than boxing off of the backfoot and werent the hardest guys to hit. So yeah what do you think? If you do have examples of guys who were or are more defensively minded but big punchers/ ko artists then give some examples.

Lennox Lewis

On second thoughts probably not a knockout artist

Trinidad, although he was often down early in fights.

Andypittcov wrote:Lennox Lewis

On second thoughts probably not a knockout artist

Yeah im finding it hard to think of guys who fit that criteria! Maybe Wladimir Klitschko? Or Guillermo Rigondeux?

orbtastic wrote:Trinidad, although he was often down early in fights.

Would you say Trinidad was a defensive type boxer then? Il be honest, I havent watched enough of his fights to fully understand his style.

as far as i'm concerned, a knockout artist is judged purely on having a very high number of stoppages.
if you happen to be able to do that on the back foot it should make no difference. knockouts are knockouts.

if anything it makes it all the more impressive if you can

there aren't too many examples i can think of, like you i'm kinda stuck on wlad to be honest

davie wrote:as far as i'm concerned, a knockout artist is judged purely on having a very high number of stoppages.
if you happen to be able to do that on the back foot it should make no difference. knockouts are knockouts.

if anything it makes it all the more impressive if you can

there aren't too many examples i can think of, like you i'm kinda stuck on wlad to be honest

Yeah thats what made me ask to be honest! It got me thinking are the guys with the highest KO percentages automatically the biggest punchers or is it a case of because they're aggressive in their style they tend to land more which creates more knockouts, versus a more defensive minded boxer who either tries to counter thus not always getting full leverage on their shots or who is trying to avoid getting hit aswell and landing thus not landing as many significant blows. Got me wondering I have to say!

leftysreturn wrote:

orbtastic wrote:Trinidad, although he was often down early in fights.

Would you say Trinidad was a defensive type boxer then? Il be honest, I havent watched enough of his fights to fully understand his style.

Defensive isn't really the word you'd ordinarily use to describe Trinidad. I've seen all his fights from Rodriguez onwards bar a couple and he's what I would term an outfighter, primarily. He would use his height and reach to box. He had a jab but had silly power. I suppose if you absolutely had to put him in a category it would be "boxer-puncher" but he had fight ending power with one shot and could throw punches up close but was better from range.

It was the closest I could get to a puncher who wasn't an out and out chin in the air brawler. To me, he's a world away from say, Barkley, yet he probably had more power and is rightly regarded as a banger.

Rafa Marquez is perhaps in the same rough ball park, although he did like to brawl when the mood took him. He had ridiculously heavy hands.

Sugar Ray Leonard.

I think Lewis is a reasonable shout

orbtastic wrote:

leftysreturn wrote:

orbtastic wrote:Trinidad, although he was often down early in fights.

Would you say Trinidad was a defensive type boxer then? Il be honest, I havent watched enough of his fights to fully understand his style.

Defensive isn't really the word you'd ordinarily use to describe Trinidad. I've seen all his fights from Rodriguez onwards bar a couple and he's what I would term an outfighter, primarily. He would use his height and reach to box. He had a jab but had silly power. I suppose if you absolutely had to put him in a category it would be "boxer-puncher" but he had fight ending power with one shot and could throw punches up close but was better from range.

It was the closest I could get to a puncher who wasn't an out and out chin in the air brawler. To me, he's a world away from say, Barkley, yet he probably had more power and is rightly regarded as a banger.

Rafa Marquez is perhaps in the same rough ball park, although he did like to brawl when the mood took him. He had ridiculously heavy hands.

Yeah im trying to think of guys who were primarily defensively minded but were or are knock out artists. Im trying to think if there is any! Wlad Klitschko i would put in that bracket and also possibly Guillermo Rigondeux down at super-bantamweight! Im trying to think of any others! I think Hearns was more defensively minded than say Mclellan but yeah im finding it tough to think of many who fit that particular criteria.

David Price perhaps? I consider him a thinking boxer but yet he's definietly a puncher.

McClellan's boxing is usually criminally overlooked, he was a very good boxer but as he progressed [in his career], he regressed and just head-hunted with huge shots. It's really hard to judge because Jackson aside, he was fed a DK conveyor belt of stiffs and cream-puffs. You could even argue Jackson was at least half blind and already showing serious signs of decline. He had a tremendous chin though so wasn't that really concerned with defence, or boxing defensively...he literally threw huge shots with the intentions of ending the fight early.

Hearns...at times he was another in love with his power and would look for the right hand - You'd even see him measure it with the left just shoved in the other guy's face but it did leave himself very open.

McCallum? He scored some belting KOs/stoppages, he was an excellent boxer and was defensively minded but always thinking about his shot placement. Very intelligent fighter.

Roberto Duran was a puncher and very good defensively as well, he didn't take many punches for someone so in yer face in the ring

orbtastic wrote:McClellan's boxing is usually criminally overlooked, he was a very good boxer but as he progressed [in his career], he regressed and just head-hunted with huge shots. It's really hard to judge because Jackson aside, he was fed a DK conveyor belt of stiffs and cream-puffs. You could even argue Jackson was at least half blind and already showing serious signs of decline. He had a tremendous chin though so wasn't that really concerned with defence, or boxing defensively...he literally threw huge shots with the intentions of ending the fight early.

Hearns...at times he was another in love with his power and would look for the right hand - You'd even see him measure it with the left just shoved in the other guy's face but it did leave himself very open.

McCallum? He scored some belting KOs/stoppages, he was an excellent boxer and was defensively minded but always thinking about his shot placement. Very intelligent fighter.

Ha ha, the Hearns vs Cuevas fight comes to mind when you talk about him basically sticking the left in his opponents face as a measuring stick and then unleashing the dynamite which was his right hand!

Prime Don Curry would slip a shot and KO with the counter; he was brilliant.

Azumah Nelson is another 1 punch power guy who wasn't caught much by his opponents, watch his rematch against Fenech

Old bones Ian wrote:Roberto Duran was a puncher and very good defensively as well, he didn't take many punches for someone so in yer face in the ring

Yeah, he was very ring smart.

palooka wrote:Prime Don Curry would slip a shot and KO with the counter; he was brilliant.

I havent seen a lot of Curry, gonna have to check him out!

leftysreturn wrote:

palooka wrote:Prime Don Curry would slip a shot and KO with the counter; he was brilliant.

I havent seen a lot of Curry, gonna have to check him out!

check him out definatly, his prime wasn't as long as some thought it was going to be, but the left hook he destroys McCory with is stunning.
Also his 2 fights with Marlon Starling , both were defensive masters at work.

Old bones Ian wrote:

leftysreturn wrote:

palooka wrote:Prime Don Curry would slip a shot and KO with the counter; he was brilliant.

I havent seen a lot of Curry, gonna have to check him out!

check him out definatly, his prime wasn't as long as some thought it was going to be, but the left hook he destroys McCory with is stunning.
Also his 2 fights with Marlon Starling , both were defensive masters at work.

good calls there Ian Curry v Colin Jones is on youtube as well; he hardly put a foot wrong in that ne and Jones was a dangerous fighter.

Hamed being the exception.

should we judge defensive fighters as ones who like to feel their back on the ropes?

x3 on Wlad

Now Herol Graham is often thought of as a defensive master, and oddly his KO rate from 1983 to 1998 was very high 26 wins 22 KO's
before that 1978 to 1982 it was 22 wins 5 KO's ,