BoxRec

I would set up a poll but I'm only paying attention to about 20 fighters and most of them are middleweight and above. Given lower weight classes generally have better boxing skills it will be interesting to see the responses and then find them on youtube.

I think Kovalev has a great long jab at the moment, he puts it out there, he can make it hurt people and can straight right and left hook off it. Obviously Ward is great both short and long jab but I feel its not used frequently enough.

I believe GGG has an underrated jab, that has been kept quiet in his arsenel and that will cause future opponents serious problems ala Lemiex. Abel Sanchez said that before he met Glolovkin his style was similar to that of the Klitchko's....Klitchkos had great long jabs.

Mayweathers jab against Pac and Canelo was very effective although he's "retired".

Who else?

Lomachenko has a great one

SFW wrote:Lomachenko has a great one

his footwork looks phenomenal too. Pays to be an amateur. Got to earn it to be excellent pro.

Jessie Vargas has a pretty straight jab.

GGG clearly has the most effective jab in boxing. It's a jackhammer he pumps like a piston. No one has a better jab

Top-15 jabs: I like Anthony Joshua's... Luis Ortiz's... Oleksandr Usyk shows potential with his jab... Kovalev has a fantastic jab... Callum Smith has a potential jab... Gennady Golovkin has about the best jab in Boxing... Kell Brook has a good one... Egidijus Kavalianskas has a potentially great jab... Terence Crawford can jab well with either hand... Robert Easter potentially has a jab... Lomachenko has a masterful jab... Gary Russell has the best jab at featherweight and easily out-jabs much taller opponents... Rigondeaux can jab well... Nayorya Inoue has a potentially great jab... Roman Gonzalez has a great jab.

Klitschko

GGG has the best jab in boxing IMO. It looked amazing in the Lemieux fight as I was expecting him to go into a brawl with him.

Kalan wrote:Top-15 jabs: I like Anthony Joshua's... Luis Ortiz's... Oleksandr Usyk shows potential with his jab... Kovalev has a fantastic jab... Callum Smith has a potential jab... Gennady Golovkin has about the best jab in Boxing... Kell Brook has a good one... Egidijus Kavalianskas has a potentially great jab... Terence Crawford can jab well with either hand... Robert Easter potentially has a jab... Lomachenko has a masterful jab... Gary Russell has the best jab at featherweight and easily out-jabs much taller opponents... Rigondeaux can jab well... Nayorya Inoue has a potentially great jab... Roman Gonzalez has a great jab.

This is a great list. I agree with you putting ggg as one. I've watched some of his earlier pro fights pre Abel Sanchez and he works behind it like a master. To me there is nothing more skilful and pure watching someone work behind a jab, that's why I used to like de la Hoya. Of course hit man, Leonard, Holmes and McCallum when they used it, boxing art was on display.

PredatorHayds wrote:GGG has the best jab in boxing IMO. It looked amazing in the Lemieux fight as I was expecting him to go into a brawl with him.

Proved He's to smart and doesn't have an ego. I predict he will box eubank.

SFW wrote:Lomachenko has a great one

Yes he really does. It seems automatic.

After todays fights in the UK I was suitably impressed by Anthony Joshuas jab. It was against a stationary target (Breazeale). Will be interesting to see how he works it against a mover like Fury and Wilder. Very impressed. Honourable mention to Groves. Nice stiff jab, like in his first Froch fight.

Bravo gentleman, bravo lol.

Heavyweight division: Parker and Klitschko

In the lower weights I like framptons and loma, brook, GGG and kovalev all have monstrous jabs

lazboy wrote:

Kalan wrote:Top-15 jabs: I like Anthony Joshua's... Luis Ortiz's... Oleksandr Usyk shows potential with his jab... Kovalev has a fantastic jab... Callum Smith has a potential jab... Gennady Golovkin has about the best jab in Boxing... Kell Brook has a good one... Egidijus Kavalianskas has a potentially great jab... Terence Crawford can jab well with either hand... Robert Easter potentially has a jab... Lomachenko has a masterful jab... Gary Russell has the best jab at featherweight and easily out-jabs much taller opponents... Rigondeaux can jab well... Nayorya Inoue has a potentially great jab... Roman Gonzalez has a great jab.

This is a great list. I agree with you putting ggg as one. I've watched some of his earlier pro fights pre Abel Sanchez and he works behind it like a master. To me there is nothing more skilful and pure watching someone work behind a jab, that's why I used to like de la Hoya. Of course hit man, Leonard, Holmes and McCallum when they used it, boxing art was on display.

I'll tell you why I wouldn't put De La Hoya for Hearns on a "best jabs" list. They had real good jabs, but if you're looking for a GREAT jab, or a jab that looks like in 5 to 10 fights this guy might have a great jab, then you want to see a slick, deceptive weapon that doesn't get countered. It's like a great fastball. You can't hit the MFer. Oscar had a bit of a forward head and you could sit on his jab and pop him pretty good like Floyd did. Everybody says Oscar abandoned the jab, but he actually threw MORE jabs after the 6th round. He just couldn't land it anymore. With Hearns you could read his jab and get the right counter on him. If he fought more guys like Nunn, Toney, Johnson, and McCallum I think he would have been stopped a few more times. It's like having a lot of different pitches so the batter has no idea what's coming.

Heavyweights, Sonny Liston, Larry Holmes and Lennox Lewis

Fury perplexed Wlad with his jab, so I'd say his is pretty decent.

Lackeos wrote:Fury perplexed Wlad with his jab, so I'd say his is pretty decent.

Definitely Fury -- if we're talking verbal jabs.

Ricky Burns is worth a mention here, Terence Crawford, Takuma Inoue

Kalan wrote:

lazboy wrote:

Kalan wrote:Top-15 jabs: I like Anthony Joshua's... Luis Ortiz's... Oleksandr Usyk shows potential with his jab... Kovalev has a fantastic jab... Callum Smith has a potential jab... Gennady Golovkin has about the best jab in Boxing... Kell Brook has a good one... Egidijus Kavalianskas has a potentially great jab... Terence Crawford can jab well with either hand... Robert Easter potentially has a jab... Lomachenko has a masterful jab... Gary Russell has the best jab at featherweight and easily out-jabs much taller opponents... Rigondeaux can jab well... Nayorya Inoue has a potentially great jab... Roman Gonzalez has a great jab.

This is a great list. I agree with you putting ggg as one. I've watched some of his earlier pro fights pre Abel Sanchez and he works behind it like a master. To me there is nothing more skilful and pure watching someone work behind a jab, that's why I used to like de la Hoya. Of course hit man, Leonard, Holmes and McCallum when they used it, boxing art was on display.

I'll tell you why I wouldn't put De La Hoya for Hearns on a "best jabs" list. They had real good jabs, but if you're looking for a GREAT jab, or a jab that looks like in 5 to 10 fights this guy might have a great jab, then you want to see a slick, deceptive weapon that doesn't get countered. It's like a great fastball. You can't hit the MFer. Oscar had a bit of a forward head and you could sit on his jab and pop him pretty good like Floyd did. Everybody says Oscar abandoned the jab, but he actually threw MORE jabs after the 6th round. He just couldn't land it anymore. With Hearns you could read his jab and get the right counter on him. If he fought more guys like Nunn, Toney, Johnson, and McCallum I think he would have been stopped a few more times. It's like having a lot of different pitches so the batter has no idea what's coming.

I agree with the de la hoya comment. He was a converted lefty and I think he had a bit to much power on his jab at times and was more of a straight power left, so it was more one dimensional then someone who could shorten it, just flick it and work off it...still it worked and looked good at times. I'm not meaning to put him in the best jab of all time, he's just a fighter I paid attention to and remember his jab. I think Hearns, when he boxed Leonard in their first fight, he had a great great jab. I understand when he was heavier and older maybe he put to much juice on it or it slowed down but his first fight with Leonard, after he adapted, his jab was long and fast, worked with his feet and he worked the right behind it, to me thats effective. I see people like Mayweather, Toney slipping his jab later on his career, cos thats what they do but if he had the foot movement, that straight and speediness of it, he would have given them problems. He out jabed the boxer Leonard.

I watched Thurman porter yesterday, I was disappointed Thurman didn't use his jab frequently and hes meant to be a high IQ boxer. Maybe he lost confidence in it as Porter was walking through him, couldn't he have shortened it up a bit instead of going for those looping hooks. Obviously I'm not fighting and theres a big difference from just commentating behind a computer screen but I really believe good jab is one of the best thing a boxer can. Obviously footwork is of equal importance but I don't want to write another essay.

Cutman Scabbers wrote:

Lackeos wrote:Fury perplexed Wlad with his jab, so I'd say his is pretty decent.

Definitely Fury -- if we're talking verbal jabs.

He Fury worked it well agaisnt Vlad, a master jabber. He doesn't throw it enough though but I guess he didnt need to in that fight. I'd love to see what happens with Fury, Joshua. If Fury can just move around Joshua and poke him the whole night with that Jab. Heavyweight division is really heating up.

lazboy wrote:I would set up a poll but I'm only paying attention to about 20 fighters and most of them are middleweight and above. Given lower weight classes generally have better boxing skills it will be interesting to see the responses and then find them on youtube.

I think Kovalev has a great long jab at the moment, he puts it out there, he can make it hurt people and can straight right and left hook off it. Obviously Ward is great both short and long jab but I feel its not used frequently enough.

I believe GGG has an underrated jab, that has been kept quiet in his arsenel and that will cause future opponents serious problems ala Lemiex. Abel Sanchez said that before he met Glolovkin his style was similar to that of the Klitchko's....Klitchkos had great long jabs.

Mayweathers jab against Pac and Canelo was very effective although he's "retired".

Who else?

GGG

1 GGG
2 Kovalez
3 Bud Crawford
4 Andre Ward

Lackeos wrote:Fury perplexed Wlad with his jab, so I'd say his is pretty decent.

It's very effective with his other qualities, and he's got great length, but in itself it's not that special.