Why didn't these great athletes use more footwork?

[Taeth]

I understand handspeed is great thing to have, but look at this
1. Andre Berto: great handspeed, but he gets hit a lot.
2. Yuriorkis Gamboa: great handspeed, he gets hit a lot
3. Mosley: great handspeed, gets hit a lot
4. Meldrick Taylor: ""
5. Ray Robinson: ""
6. 70's Ali: ""
and the list go's on.

Handspeed, reflexes, even footspeed don't matter defensively if you don't use them. Prime Roy is one guy who got away with it because he amazing power, amazing speed, and he did move more in his prime. Floyd is just a really technically great defensive fighter who used technique along with physical attributes to make himself difficult to hit.

Guys should be looking at young Whitaker, Willie Pep, Hopkins, Oscar in a few fights, a guy I have been mentioning GUillermo Rigondeaux for guys who move, counter, can stop on a dime, etc. Mayweather might have a lower % of being hit, but guys can throw more punches against him because he is there to be hit, and even though he isn't getting hit solidly its still worse than not getting hit at all.

[OumaFan]

Zab is probably the worst offender out of the bunch, he's way too flatfooted for a guy that doesn't have great defensive skill, he can't do what James Toney, Floyd Mayweather do defensively.

Floyd can get away with it. Roy I think at least lately started to lose his legs, there definitely gone now. The first fight I really noticed Roy laying on the ropes too much was David Telesco but he may have started doing it earlier and I just didn't notice.

Its just not Shane's mindset, never has been. Sometimes we assume that because you're fast you're automatically a defense first boxer but Shane didn't just try to outbox you, he tried to out fight you.