Top Ten lists are made to spark debate and have a bit of fun. Check out my picks for the top ten fastest boxers in history and comment with your thoughts below! 1. Roy Jones Jr There is a strong argument to be made that Roy Jones Jr was the most gifted athlete in any sport in any time in history. If you look at tapes of Jones in the mid to late 90’s, you will see an athlete with incomparable attributes . Jones had speed, power and instinct that left opponents utterly bewildered and usually unconscious. Jones was so quick he barely threw jabs and often led with lead right hands, leaping left hooks or even uppercuts that most fighters would only be able to use in combination. Jones out sped fighters like James Toney, Bernard Hopkins and Mike McCallum, all athletes with world class speed that had never been befuddled the way they were with Jones. At the age of 41, Jones still wields some of the fastest hands in the sport, a testament to just how incredibly quick he was 15 years ago: 2. Sugar Ray leonard Ray Leonard was another supernatural athlete with blazingly fast hands and amazing reflexes. While Leonard was a tad slower than Jones, he had better technique and will most likely be remembered as a greater fighter from a historical perspective. Leonard was one of the best combination punchers in history and was so fast it was actually hard to see his hands move: 3. Meldrick Taylor While Meldrick Taylor’s hand speed was otherworldly, the jr welter weight from Philadelphia’s footspeed was perhaps even more impressive. Taylor could dart in and out so quickly it was impossible for opponents to gauge where he was. The combination of athleticism and brilliant hand eye coordination made Taylor one of the most exciting fighters of his time to watch: 4. Manny Pacquiao The amazing thing about Manny Pacquiao is that he seems to be getting faster as his career progresses. While most fighters decline in speed as they approach their 30’s, Pacquiao seems to be doing the opposite. His speed is breath taking and his foot movement is so swift opponents are rarely able to time him coming in. He is the fastest fighter on the planet right now, and in time, may be up there with Jones and Leonard: 5. Sugar Ray Robinson Ray Robinson is regarded by most people who know about boxing as the greatest fighter to have ever lived. The fighter formerly known as Walker Smith was excellent at every facet of the game, and his speed (along with everything else) was absolutely breath taking: 6. Floyd Mayweather Jr Floyd Mayweather Jr’s speed is up there with the all time greats, and while he may not have the physical attributes of a Ray Leonard or Roy Jones, his timing and technique more than makes up for it. Mayweather thinks faster than most fighters, a key element to speed that gives him a huge advantage: 7. Sugar Shane Mosley Shane Mosley will go down as one of the fastest fighters in history. The Sugar Man slowed down somewhat in recent years, but it is hard to think of a modern fighter other than Pacquiao and Mayweather with as much raw speed and aggression: 8. Joe Calzaghe Super Middleweight Joe Calzaghe’s speed was never really appreciated for most of his career, mostly because people only really saw it as his level of competition got better (he only really fought serious names later on in his career). While Roy Jones was certainly past his best when he fought Calzaghe in 2008, the Welshman largely out sped Jones showing the world just how quick he really was: 9. Muhammed Ali While Ali is low on the top ten list, it must be remembered that he was without a doubt the fastest heavyweight to have ever lived. Ali’s speed for a man over 200lbs was absolutely ridiculous and it is hard to envision anyone equaling it for a very, very long time: 10. Hector Camacho Sr While Hector Camacho Sr couldn’t really punch very hard, he could certainly punch quickly. Camacho possessed the kind of hand speed that would freeze a fighter and prevent him from trying anything. Even Ray Leonard was in awe of Camacho’s speed saying he had rarely seen a fighter with his physical attributes. Camacho was also a south paw which made judging where his punches were coming from extremely difficult: LIST BROUGHT TO YOU BY BEN COHEN
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 11:16:05 +0000