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P4P Who has the best Handspeed?

Posted: 04 Feb 2007, 02:18
by Victor*KC
Meldrick Taylor gets my Vote anyone else?

Posted: 04 Feb 2007, 02:35
by HomicideHenry
as far as HW's is concerned, I always thought that Floyd Patterson had even faster hands than Muhammad Ali. Guess in a p4p sense Patterson would fit in here as well, considering he went from MW to HW in a matter of a few years.

Posted: 04 Feb 2007, 03:59
by Victor*KC
IrishRufusMurphy wrote:as far as HW's is concerned, I always thought that Floyd Patterson had even faster hands than Muhammad Ali. Guess in a p4p sense Patterson would fit in here as well, considering he went from MW to HW in a matter of a few years.
Since you brought up HW's shouldn't, Roy Jones get a mention..?

Posted: 04 Feb 2007, 06:51
by Evander
Jones Jr or Hearns.

Posted: 04 Feb 2007, 08:27
by theone
Taylor and Camacho always get mentioned in topics like these, and rightly so.
Agree with Dec. They would be 1 and 2, Taylor first, on my list.

Posted: 04 Feb 2007, 18:36
by zuru
Decagon wrote:Taylor and Camacho always get mentioned in topics like these, and rightly so.
Watch Camacho early on in his career,and you will see some of THE fastest puches you have ever seen,
zuru

Posted: 04 Feb 2007, 18:38
by HomicideHenry
I do like Roy Jones, but Jones never really proved to me that he was as great as he said he was. The only time I ever felt that he really took a chance in his entire career was against John Ruiz---and even then I think Jones was given special treatment in that fight with the referee always breaking up the clinches and never really giving Ruiz to get into his game plan. Plus the fact that Ruiz was the worst of the alphabet champions and most limited in ability.

I do say he had great handspeed in that fight, but then again Jones wasn't exactly fighting a man with the ability to get away from punches, as John Ruiz is a stalker/mauler type of boxer. Now had Jones have faced, lets say, Chris Byrd, and beaten Byrd with the ease that he beaten Ruiz, then I'd have to say Jones would have all-time great hand speed.

But I never really considered Jones a HW. It was a one time deal and Jones was below 196 pounds at the weigh in---and that one HW fight drained whatever he had left as a boxer, losing to Tarver, Johnson by knockouts.

As far as HW's are concerned, I'd say Chris Byrd had better p4p handspeed than Jones, considering Byrd also went from MW to HW and out moved much larger men than himself---showing that a small HW of 220 pounds or so could handle the giants of today.

Posted: 05 Feb 2007, 00:29
by Expug
Alberto "Superfly" Sandoval.

Posted: 05 Feb 2007, 10:10
by Ambling Alp
I guess it depends what is meant by pound for pound. Since smaller guys usually have faster handspeed, I assume that if two guys have equal handspeed and one weighs 150 and the other weighs 200, that the 200 pound guy is considered to have pound for pound better handspeed.

Pound for pound it would almost have to be Ali. He certainly was much faster than any other heavyweight.

Posted: 05 Feb 2007, 10:46
by wouter
Ambling Alp wrote:Pound for pound it would almost have to be Ali. He certainly was much faster than any other heavyweight.
Except for Floyd Patterson

Posted: 05 Feb 2007, 11:25
by JC
wouter wrote:
Ambling Alp wrote:Pound for pound it would almost have to be Ali. He certainly was much faster than any other heavyweight.
Except for Floyd Patterson
Even though I'm not his biggest fan, have to say Tyson had some fast hands for HW.

Posted: 05 Feb 2007, 11:32
by Borinken25
For Heavyweights Valuev gets my vote. :lol: Just kidding.
Camacho gets my vote. Taylor, Leonard, Mayweather and even though he is crap Judah deserves a mention when it comes to hand speed.

Posted: 05 Feb 2007, 11:47
by Ambling Alp
wouter wrote:
Ambling Alp wrote:Pound for pound it would almost have to be Ali. He certainly was much faster than any other heavyweight.
Except for Floyd Patterson
It's not even close. Patterson was fast, but Ali in his prime (1964-1967)had much faster handspeed than Patterson. Watch any of Ali's fights in this time period. His opponents simply couldn't deal with it at all. You don't see that in Patterson's fights.
Chuvalo didn't have near the problem dealing with Patterson's hand speed that he he did with Ali.

Posted: 05 Feb 2007, 14:51
by Eric the Viking
IrishRufusMurphy wrote:I do like Roy Jones, but Jones never really proved to me that he was as great as he said he was.
That's not what the thread starter asked about.

Agree that it's gotta be weight-class dependent.

Also, I think we should focus on guys who had fast but also *effective* handspeed - Leonard undoubtedly had blazingly fast hands at welter, but I don't base that on the shoeshine crap, because that was all show and never did any real damage. It's the handspeed equivalent of "aggression" versus "effective aggression."

That having been said, here's my first go at the major weight classes from welter up:

Welter: (tie) The 2 Sugar Rays

Middle: SRR, RJJ

Light-Heavy: RJJ, Conn a close 2nd

Cruiser: (Need to think about this one some more)

Heavyweight: (tie) Ali/Patterson (but Ali definitely more speed*power)

Posted: 06 Feb 2007, 02:33
by Senya13
Pound for pound, it's Roy Jones Jr. I'm sure if there was a way to reduce him to light welterweight, he'd be slightly faster than Meldrick.

Posted: 06 Feb 2007, 08:10
by Ezzard
In recent times...

Leonard's hands were a blur. I think it's between him and M. Taylor.

One guy who gets forgotten but who was lightning is Bernard Taylor the 80s Feather.

Camacho should be up there too.

Posted: 06 Feb 2007, 11:38
by The Durable Dane
Muhammad Ali... :box:

Posted: 07 Feb 2007, 12:55
by elmersalsa
At heavyweight, the fastet hands are between Ali and Ezzard Charles

But the fastest hands that I have ever seen were of Roy Jones Jr. He was faster than Sugar Ray Robinson, faster than Sugar Ray Leonard, Hector Camacho, you name it...The scary part about Jones speed was that, even when he was moving up in weight, his speed was still intact and still got power.

Leonard nor Robinson nor Camacho going up in weight, were not faster than Jones. Jones speed was unbelievable. Leonard when he went up lost that some of the speed. The same I could say of Camacho and Robinson. But Jones??? no matter what weight class he was in, in his prime, he was extremely fast.

But even though that Jones was the fastest that I have ever seen, he was not more complete as a boxer than Camacho, Robinson and Leonard in their primes.

Posted: 07 Feb 2007, 17:06
by dempseyfire
Talking about strictly handspeed, PFP, I'd probably (as much as I hate to) have to put Jones Jr up there. There are other guys in his league but I just don't know a guy who showed that kind of speed as consistently. Other notables are both Suger Rays, lightweight Mosley, Joe Louis (the best combination of handspeed AND power ever at Heavyweight), Camacho, Ike Williams . . . Benny Paret had very fast hands.

Posted: 07 Feb 2007, 21:05
by stujones
I think the three at Heavyweight that stick out are Ali, Patterson and Tyson.

Roy Jones Jnr also had tremendous speed as did the three Sugar Ray's. Floyd Mayweather has to be in there, and at times Marco Antonio Barerra has shown tremendous hand speed.


I have to say if I labelled it down though and just said one it has to be Sugar Shane Mosley. I think if DLH had never fought Mosley then he would be mentioned as he has/had glaring handspeed especially in the lower weights (watch his fights with Chavez) - but he was outspeeded by Mosley, something I didn't think I would see when he was in his prime and it was quite considerable the difference in Speed.

Mosley didn't sustain it for a long period, when he really came into the publics (vs DLH) attention he was 28 so maybe the label that he burnt out at a very young age is not that accurate. However, on that one fight he was special.

Posted: 07 Feb 2007, 22:05
by Diamond WEAPON
One fighter who hasn't been mentioned but I believe should be is Joan Guzman, his hands seem to fly faster than any other fighter in the lower weight classes which is where a lot of his KOs have come from since the ones you don't see are the ones that hurt.

Posted: 08 Feb 2007, 01:01
by JAHamilton77
How about Ezzard Charles especially early on

Posted: 08 Feb 2007, 18:36
by zuru
JAHamilton77 wrote:How about Ezzard Charles especially early on
I notice nobody included Howard Davis Jr,who was very quick fisted.
zuru

Posted: 08 Feb 2007, 18:38
by AndreWardFan2006
Where does Mayweather Jr. rank among the fastest hands P4P of all time?

Posted: 08 Feb 2007, 18:54
by JAHamilton77
AndreWardFan2006 wrote:Where does Mayweather Jr. rank among the fastest hands P4P of all time?
He has fast hands, but as far as pure speed I think Knuckle-Head Judah has him beat today.