Quote Originally Posted by mokele
I suppose that I would use the following criteria in judging who the best athletes in boxing have been:

(1) speed of both hand and foot
(2) power: the ability to hurt or knockout an opponent with 1 blow or a short combination
(3) defence: the ability to evade punches without clinching
(4) variety of punches
(5) coordination and balance

Using the above criteria, these would be my choices:

Sugar Ray Robinson
Roy Jones Jr.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Sugar Ray Leonard
Muhammad Ali (a bit short on pure power but has everything else)
Mike Tyson
Evander Holyfield
Thomas Hearns (not the greatest balance or defence but overall he belongs)
Sam Langford (from what I've read and studied he can't be left off)
Terry Norris
Julian Jackson (not great defensively but exceptional in all other ways)
Marvin Hagler (speed was not exceptional but he had everything else)
Michael Nunn
Naseem Hamed

very close but not quite on the same level:

Donald Curry
Pernell Whitaker (not enough power)
Meldrick Taylor (defence was suspect)
Harry Greb (too wild; weak on defence)
Willy Pep (not enough power)
Julio Cesar Chavez (too slow to make the list)
Aaron Pryor (similar to Harry Greb)
Emile Griffith (lacked power after the last Benny Paret fight)
Felix Trinidad (defensive shortcomings)
Lennox Lewis (defence suspect; clinched too much)
Lloyd Honeyghan
Marlon Starling
Sonny Liston
George Foreman (too slow; defensive shortcomings)
Joe Louis (defensive shortcomings)
Alexis Arguello (footspeed not exceptional)
Roberto Duran

That's enough for now. I'm sure I left off some great ones.
No athletic ability goes by the criteria

strength
balance
speed
reflexes

, and with the set up you picked how can you say that Sugar Ray Robinson was a better athlete than ROy JOnes Jr.? He was hit more, he had less power and speed, and Roy hit more angles of punches... not to mention he had as good of balance, and better coordination than anyone else who's ever fought except maybe Floyd Mayweather Jr.