Toughest world-level fighter you've seen?

(Joe Grim doesn't count ;) )

Guys like Rocky Marciano, Marvin Hagler, Steve Collins, Wayne McCullough, Jake LaMotta, Tony Zale, Carmen Basilio, Bobby Chacon, Beau Jack, Battling Nelson and Matthew Saad Muhammad spring to mind.

But for me, Chris Eubank may of been the toughest guy. Afterall, the main focus of his training was learning to absorb punches - so he was beaten up pretty much for 15+ years straight! When we think of Eubank we tend to just remember him posturing his way through contests against what were supposedly no-hopers, barely throwing punches, and being a pompous pain in the ass. But I think the man was the ultimate warrior, in terms of technique he did everything wrong but his chin passed the test every single time (and it was tested all the time!), and if you look back at it now he seemed to be quite super-human how he'd keep going back and defending his title almost every six weeks - struggling for his life in the last few days before the weigh-in (with no food or water).

Eubank says he won an amateur tournament in New York while concussed, he couldn't even remember winning it. He looked back at the handheld video's though. He said he only remembers being hit so hard in his semi-final match that he sensed flickering of white lights, and how it must of been just before his nervous system would be about to seperate itself from his muscles. He had a tough final to get though yet, on concussion mode and at a time when he was so limited in terms of skill that his best hope was all heart!

You later had the Logan fight where he took Logan's best punches and kept fighting back with more, the first Benn fight where he took Benn's best punches and was pissing blood for weeks due to internal damage (and also had a two-inch gash on his tongue, swallowing pints of blood during the fight), the second Watson fight where he took Watson's best punches alnight and came back from the brink of death to produce an uppercut from hell, the Calzaghe fight where he stood in front of Calzaghe and took a battering due to his fractured knee not allowing him to move about, and the Thompson fights two weights up where his eye completely closed both times and he never went down.

That guy was tough. And don't forget that he was pretty much forced to spar four or five times a week when he was in New York for all those years (if he wanted to stay a member of the gym), and that the 'sparring' sessions over there were infact all-out wars (and that Eubank became king of the New York gyms before coming back to England, after incorporating intense stretching into his training and martial arts into his boxing.. and told everybody who would listen when he started taking fights in England that he was a future world champion and prepared to die in the ring trying). Sure, his fighting heart went missing after the Benn 1 and Watson 2 fights but came out again in the end in the Calzaghe, Thompson 1 and Thompson 2 fights. Warrior, and he used to almost kill himself to make weight.

Also consider Eubank's upbringing and teenage years, he was NOT from the silver spoon society - far from it! He struggled on the streets of Peckham, having to steal food to survive. Then he struggled on the streets of the South Bronx, again often having to steal food to survive. He could of caved in as a person, but remained strong and determined.

Roberto Duran

Cooclick DD
nice

I haven't seen that many Chris Eubank's fight but from what I have seen his is pretty tough. And his chin is world class.

I would say Evander Holyfield is up there.

WHAT a fantastic post. Chris Eubank is also my favourite fighter but i could have never have summed it up like you did in them two posts. Eubank was a great boxer but is also a great person!

You dont get fighters like chris eubank, they are as rare as diamonds, he definetly the toughest fighter ever. i aint just saying this cos he's my favourite, most guys who arnt proper boxing fans, say the same.

Eubank had a iron cast chin and a unbreakable resolve! Definetly my choice!

Mickey Ward, never been KO'd once

I remember the first time I saw Chris, in gym under a pub in Streatham. Ripped T shirt sparring Lt heavys and having wars. We had a bit of contact in his career, Chris was a one off, He use to pester me about training all the time, hed just turn up out of nowhere. He was a student of boxing, great individual, good hearted, inteligent person who was a pain in the arse,I use to feel for Ronnie. But having said all that YES he was the hardest bastard Ive ever come across,in Boxing, and a bastard in the nicest possible way, a One Off

Carlos Monzon
CARLOS MONZON became middleweight champion in 1970 when he scored a 12th-round knockout of fellow Hall-of-Famer Nino Benvenuti. Monzon went on to make a division-record 14 title defenses. Among his victims were Benvenuti, Emile Griffith (twice), Denny Moyer, Bennie Briscoe, Jose Napoles, and Rodrigo Valdes (twice). Of his 15 title fights, 10 ended by knockout.
Monzon's two wins over Valdes came at the end of his career and were very close decision. In the first fight, Monzon retained the title by two, two and four points. In the second contest, he climbed off the canvas to win another close decision.

Monzon's life was equally as violent when he left the ring. He was convicted of killing his long-time companion, who was the mother of his young son. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and was elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame during that time.

Monzon died in 1995 when a car he was driving went out of control and tumbled into a ditch. He was returning to prison after a weekend furlough.

Clearly one of the best middleweights ever, Monzon was unbeaten over the last 81 bouts of his career, a span of 13 years.

Foreman was quite a hard man no ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scrap

I remember the first time I saw Chris, in gym under a pub in Streatham. Ripped T shirt sparring Lt heavys and having wars.

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Mate, when was that?

And do you know who he was sparring, man?

88 I think he was sparing with 2 fighters 1 was Keith Bristol pretty even he was weighing 12 st 5lbs then and no visible body fat Ive often wondered what a good Light heavy he would have made. It killed Him making weight.

88 I think he was sparing with 2 fighters 1 was Keith Bristol pretty even he was weighing 12 st 5lbs then and no visible body fat Ive often wondered what a good Light heavy he would have made. It killed Him making weight.