Great Chins

[Taffturner]

Ricky hatton?!?! Ok he got ko'd by pac but that was one of the best punches ive seen in years!!! I guess my point is rickys best line of defense was fighting by charging forward using is face as a gaurd!! Thats why he normally always looked bust up after fights, i know he got ko'd twice in the end by two of the best, but hatton had alot of prevoius fights and took alot of punishment and always won so must of had a good solid chin, although he was renounwed for been a brawler/big puncher

[roberto duran legend]

Marvin hagler , cast iron chin .Only down once but was a slip .

[JazMerkin]

Demonstrating a great chin is kind of like being a KO puncher. The numbers themselves don't tell one as much as the level of competition does. In other words who DIDN'T knock you out matters a great deal. And let's face it, sooner or later EVERYONE fighting top guys gets hit. EVERYONE gets their chin tested.

Many of the following men are not thought of as having great chins, or at least aren't thought of that way first. These are in no order.

Henry Armstrong-In 180+ fights Armstrong was Ko'd in his first fight and then only once more. That is despite fighting HOFers 19 times and ranked guys over 30 times.

Sugar Ray Robinson-Fought HOFers over 30 times and ranked guys over 40 times yet was only KO'd by the 105 degree heat and the 15 pound weight disadvantage against Joey Maxim. As one fighter put it "you were in big trouble if Robinson was on one knee looking up at you."

Muhammad Ali-Fought the toughest heavyweight schedule in history. Only KO'd long after his prime by Larry Holmes.

Tony Canzoneri-A three division champion, faced HOFers over 20 times and ranked guys over thirty times. KO'd only in his last fight of 175+.

Harry Greb-In over 200 fights he was KO'd only twice. Once by a broken arm and once in his seventh fight. Along the way Greb faced HOFers over thirty times. He fought 70 times with perfect vision in only one eye.

Jack Britton-In 350 fights he was stopped only in his third fight. Along the way the three time undisputed welter king faced HOFers over 30 times. Britton was slcik and didn't punch much. In his career he fought over 3100 rounds. By comparison BHOP has fought 14% of that at 444.

Carlos Monzon-Almost 100 fights, faced HOFers five times and ranked guys 20 times and was only knocked down once, in his last fight. I will note Bennie Briscoe came THIS close to dropping him in Argentina.

Jimmy McLarnin-Faced HOFers twenty four times in sixty eight fights. Think about that for a second. Faced ranked guys over 35 times in sixty eight fights. Knocked out only once.

Kid Gavilan-The Cuban Hawk faced HOFers ten times and ranked men over twenty five times. Never stopped in 150 fights.

Ismael Laguna-Faced HOFers seven times and ranked men over twenty times in seventy fights. Never stopped.

Just sayin'

It's weird some of those guys I'm not sure I would say have great chins based on their record of being stopped. Robinson did not imo have an ATG chin (I know this is basically boxing sacrilege), what he did have was an unparalleled reading of the game which allowed him to avoid taking shots. He was put over more than a couple of times. For me, it's like people going on about Mayweather or Hopkins having a great chin because the rest of their game is so good, it barely ever gets properly tested.

If you're including those guys than you have to include Sugar Ray Leonard (he took prime 147 bombs of Hearns). Also a word for Manny Pacquiao. Body shots aside, I'm not sure he's ever been legitimately dropped by a head shot, as I though the MAB & Mosley ones weren't KD's. Some of the shots he took of Marquez in the 2nd fight should have put him over.

I'm also unsure if facing HoFers necessarily equates to a great chin. Some of the hardest hitting guys are never getting into Canastota.

[marbleheadmaui]

I vote Kid Gavillan, never got knocked out and if I am correct, never went down neither. In over. 150 fights, never going down/getting knocked out, that's quite amazing.

Geeze he was never even off his feet?

Two fights with Robinson, three with Ike Williams, Bobo Olson, two with Beau Jack. That's what 250-300 KO's among them and they never even dropped Gavilan?

Unbelievable!

[marbleheadmaui]

Demonstrating a great chin is kind of like being a KO puncher. The numbers themselves don't tell one as much as the level of competition does. In other words who DIDN'T knock you out matters a great deal. And let's face it, sooner or later EVERYONE fighting top guys gets hit. EVERYONE gets their chin tested.

Many of the following men are not thought of as having great chins, or at least aren't thought of that way first. These are in no order.

Henry Armstrong-In 180+ fights Armstrong was Ko'd in his first fight and then only once more. That is despite fighting HOFers 19 times and ranked guys over 30 times.

Sugar Ray Robinson-Fought HOFers over 30 times and ranked guys over 40 times yet was only KO'd by the 105 degree heat and the 15 pound weight disadvantage against Joey Maxim. As one fighter put it "you were in big trouble if Robinson was on one knee looking up at you."

Muhammad Ali-Fought the toughest heavyweight schedule in history. Only KO'd long after his prime by Larry Holmes.

Tony Canzoneri-A three division champion, faced HOFers over 20 times and ranked guys over thirty times. KO'd only in his last fight of 175+.

Harry Greb-In over 200 fights he was KO'd only twice. Once by a broken arm and once in his seventh fight. Along the way Greb faced HOFers over thirty times. He fought 70 times with perfect vision in only one eye.

Jack Britton-In 350 fights he was stopped only in his third fight. Along the way the three time undisputed welter king faced HOFers over 30 times. Britton was slcik and didn't punch much. In his career he fought over 3100 rounds. By comparison BHOP has fought 14% of that at 444.

Carlos Monzon-Almost 100 fights, faced HOFers five times and ranked guys 20 times and was only knocked down once, in his last fight. I will note Bennie Briscoe came THIS close to dropping him in Argentina.

Jimmy McLarnin-Faced HOFers twenty four times in sixty eight fights. Think about that for a second. Faced ranked guys over 35 times in sixty eight fights. Knocked out only once.

Kid Gavilan-The Cuban Hawk faced HOFers ten times and ranked men over twenty five times. Never stopped in 150 fights.

Ismael Laguna-Faced HOFers seven times and ranked men over twenty times in seventy fights. Never stopped.

Just sayin'

It's weird some of those guys I'm not sure I would say have great chins based on their record of being stopped. Robinson did not imo have an ATG chin (I know this is basically boxing sacrilege), what he did have was an unparalleled reading of the game which allowed him to avoid taking shots. He was put over more than a couple of times. For me, it's like people going on about Mayweather or Hopkins having a great chin because the rest of their game is so good, it barely ever gets properly tested.

If you're including those guys than you have to include Sugar Ray Leonard (he took prime 147 bombs of Hearns). Also a word for Manny Pacquiao. Body shots aside, I'm not sure he's ever been legitimately dropped by a head shot, as I though the MAB & Mosley ones weren't KD's. Some of the shots he took of Marquez in the 2nd fight should have put him over.

I'm also unsure if facing HoFers necessarily equates to a great chin. Some of the hardest hitting guys are never getting into Canastota.

Leonard is an excellent call. And what Manny is doing is just startling.

I used HOFers as shorthand because to name every puncher they faced would have had the post running until tomorrow

As for Robinson, sure he got knocked down occasionally, but look at the schedule he was fighting and the way he reacted to those knockdowns. The only time he was ever really rattled outside of the Maxim fight was by Artie Levine. Levine scrambled Robby's brains for several rounds and Artie Levine was a notoriously hard puncher. I saw Jake LaMotta go on and on about Levine's power in an interview. I also think that after his comeback, Robby, like Ali later would, took a LOT more punches.

[Dark Lord Al]

Mo Wilson

[Spicoli]

Shoot. Chavez Sr. The one who could actually fight

What, dropped by Randall and shook in the 2nd. Mayweather rocked him way back. What else?

[Mctaggert]

I'd like to give a shout out to Ray Mercer, the guy had a weird one with Shannon Briggs and he was shot later on against the Klithchko's. But christ could he take a shot!

Leonard was a weird one you could hurt him but no one ever really finished him off he had quick powers of recovery. Evander Holyfield also could take sickening punches, from people much bigger than him.

[superheavyrhun]

I'm shocked and appalled that Amir Khan hasn't received a mentioned yet. Between him and Audley Harrison I'm almost certain that there might be a reasonable chin.

On a more realistic note, I think some of the journeymen that are on the circuit are very good at avoiding stoppages, but I'm not sure if that makes them fighters with great chins though.

I've been impressed with the chin of Margarito, as he does tend to ship a lot of shots, and Cotto too.

Thinking back to early vids I've seen of Joe Calzaghe, I remember one american dude getting stopped for not throwing anything back, even though he was coherent and taking the piss out of Calzaghe's punching at the time. That was a pretty good chin too.

[generalbulldog]

Naseem Hamed. Sure he got knock down quite a few times but it's more of due to his unorthodox style and being off balance than having a suspect chin. I could be wrong but I don't remember him being hurt at all from being knocked down from a head shot.

[Nameless]

I vote Kid Gavillan, never got knocked out and if I am correct, never went down neither. In over. 150 fights, never going down/getting knocked out, that's quite amazing.

Geeze he was never even off his feet?

Two fights with Robinson, three with Ike Williams, Bobo Olson, two with Beau Jack. That's what 250-300 KO's among them and they never even dropped Gavilan?

Unbelievable!

Correction, knocked down... only twice. Which is indeed extraordinary and still why I think he had the most awesome jaw ever.

Kid Gavilan Boxer | Kid Gavilan, 77; Flashy Boxer Held World Welterweight Crown in '50s - Los Angeles Times

[Spicoli]

I'm shocked and appalled that Amir Khan hasn't received a mentioned yet. Between him and Audley Harrison I'm almost certain that there might be a reasonable chin.

On a more realistic note, I think some of the journeymen that are on the circuit are very good at avoiding stoppages, but I'm not sure if that makes them fighters with great chins though.

I've been impressed with the chin of Margarito, as he does tend to ship a lot of shots, and Cotto too.

Thinking back to early vids I've seen of Joe Calzaghe, I remember one american dude getting stopped for not throwing anything back, even though he was coherent and taking the piss out of Calzaghe's punching at the time. That was a pretty good chin too.

Manfredo was a monster for his weight

[Riggs]

Eubank - chin of steel and could bang! Benn as well. Holyfield always impressed me too. Marciano could take a thwack.

[Majesty]

Kid Thunder isnt on the list i presume ?

Because he just got stopped for the first time in forever

[dcR-Reckless]

You guys are forgetting Homer Jay Simpson.