A strong neck helps, but the big thing is to not be regid, always able to take the steam off their punches. It's awesome to watch a fighter that knows how to to really roll with the punches, Lucia Ryker landed an awesome punch while previously rolling with her opponent's punch.

Look at Hopkin's role models, Archie Moore was very clever, he knew the shifts, shoulder rolls, Dempsey's bobbing-and-weaving, he was also skilled with his hands as he was an expert at blocking and parrying. Jersey Joe Walcott was very cagey and hard to hit himself, he had fast feet which gave him no problem taking a few side-steps, or steps backwards and timing you with a wicked hook or cross. They may have kept their hands lower, but more often than not they knew what was coming and showed us it's better not to get hit (at least not cleanly) and be in position to counter effectively. Bernard Hopkins learned their lessons well.