Who is your Top 5 with World-Class chins?

Question

Who is your Top 5 with World-Class chins?

Answer 1

Interesting question.  Picking just 5  is near impossible.  History is full of guys with strong chins.  I could name a few but the list (esp. if its only 5) would mean little because others would surely be left out.  So instead, I will just compare two champions and let everyone draw their own conclusion.

I will say one thing.  I imagine Mike Tyson would not show up on any lists here.  But if we limit the list to just Heavyweights, can you name 5 who had better chins?  Not likely.  This is even including those who never won the title,  like Cobb and Chavalho.  

Another thing to consider.  Rocky Marciano will always rightfully be given credit for having a good chin.  However, it wasnt his chin that kept him undefeated.  It was his Will, Heart and Conditioning.  By contract,  it wasnt Tyson's chin that failed him in his losses.  In fact, it was his chin that prolonged his defeats.  

Now before you have me committed,  lets examine.

Rocky Marciano never lost.  He hit the deck only twice, once each against Walcott and Moore.   Both are known for their power.  But how do they compare with History's heavyweight punchers?  How do they compare with those who stopped Tyson?  Moore still holds the record in number of KOs in a career (143).  But how many of them were heavyweights?

Tyson has lost 5 times, twice to Holyfield, once each to Douglas, Lewis and McBride.  Given the numbers, it would be easy to say Marciano has the better chin,  but does he?

Lets compare.  Marciano's knockdowns at the hands of Moore and Walcott were each the clear results of single punches.  He bounced back up and went on to defeat both by KO.  

Tyson was dropped once by Holyfield.  However, the knockdown had nothing to do with Mike's ability to take a punch.  Mike was caught with a body shot, while standing straight up.  He never had good balance to begin with.  I've always wondered why he never developed his calves better.  It would certainly have helped.   Take a look when you have time.  

Mike was also dropped by Lewis, Douglas and McBride.  However, again, none of these knockdowns were the result of Mike's chin failing him.  Lewis,  one of the hardest punchers in division history, hit Mike Several times and wore him down.  It was never any single punch.  The same holds true for Douglas.  Poor conditioning was the clear reason Mike was stopped by McBride.  

People also point to the fact that Mike was shook by Tony Tucker.  Watch the fight and you will see, once again, that it was Mike's poor balance, not his chin, that allowed that to happen.  

Want to examine Tyson's chin some more?  WHO can take the punches he took from Razor Ruddock.  Not many.  He could hold his own with the 70s contenders, the best in history.  Most dont like to admit but Ruddock is in the same league with the best punchers in history.  Forman and Shavers are at top.  But if you make a list of the rest,  you must consider Ruddock.   He nearly killed Mike Dokes.  But he never toppled Mike Tyson.

For two fighters with so much in common,  Tyson and Marciano are SO different in some ways.   One was everything that the other wasnt.  

Rocky Marciano certainly had a great chin.  One could argue that the two knockdowns he suffered were partially due to balance.   Not entirely the case.   ITs his Conditioning,  Will and Heart that allowed him to rise.  

Of the three,  I used to think Mike Tyson lacked all of the above.  However,  I have to give Mike credit for ONE of them.  He has heart.  He's not in Rocky's class.  Not many are.  

Mike certainly didnt have the Conditioning and Stamina or Will Power that Rocky had.  But I stand by my belief that his chin was among the best in division history.  I dont know many who took a better punch.

Answer 2

Its tough to pick a top 5.  I'm assuming all time and not just current.  In no particular order:

Jake Lamotta

George Chuvalo

Marvin Hagler

Randall "Tex" Cobb

Rocky Marciano

Lamotta was down only once in his career and he was never counted out.

George Chuvalo was never down in his entire career.

Hagler was down once, but he was more off-balance.

Cobb was the reason Howard Cosell stopped announcing boxing: he took so many shots from Larry Holmes and never went down, and the ref never stopped the fight.

Marciano never lost and was down only twice against Jersey Joe Walcott (another legend) and Archie Moore (another legend) and in both cases he came back to knock them out.

There are others that could be included as well such as Muhammad Ali, Oliver McCall, David Tua, Ike Ibeabuchi, James Toney, Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, Harry Greb, Gene Fullmer, Carmen Basilio, and the list goes on...

Answer 3

Wayne McCullogh

Mickey Ward

Marvin Hagler

David Tua

James Toney

Answer 4

after watching ibragimov, and seeing him take those punches from klitschko, and not go down(except when he got saved by ropes) he has a good chin. also taking that huge right hook in the 11th round was unreal how he didnt go down.

some other big chins: librado andrade (after taking all that from kessler, and not going down) pacqiuao, M. A. barrera, and the valuev of course (hes too big.)

Answer 5

It is too hard to narrow it down to five, but if I had to pick one I would say Jay Leno. I bet he could take a punch.

Answer 6

Tua, Baldomir, ...