A pugilist’s final line of protection is the sturdiness of his mandible and naturally nobody doubts {that a} key qualification for ring greatness is sheer toughness, the power to soak up heavy blows and battle on. Listed below are the twelve all-time finest chins in boxing historical past, the soldiers who, regardless of prolific careers and battles with actually harmful punchers, seldom went down. And who, with out exception, all the time bought up once they did.
12. Carlos Monzon: One of many hardest of middleweight champs, the Argentinian had 100 professional bouts and visited the canvas in simply two of them, an early loss in 1964 to the extra skilled Felipe Cambeiro, after which to fellow champion Rodrigo Valdez in “Escopeta’s” remaining battle in 1977.
11. William ‘Gorilla’ Jones: In 144 bouts, Jones was off his ft only a single time, courtesy of nice middleweight champion Freddie Steele.
10. Carmen Basilio: The rugged “Onion Farmer” battled among the all-time greats at each welterweight and middleweight and was on the canvas simply as soon as in 79 fights. When he narrowly beat Robinson of their first epic battle, it was reported he “shook off punches that will have knocked down a horse.”
9. Panama Al Brown: This nice bantamweight champion was knocked down on a single event in a grand whole of 168 bouts. ‘Nuff stated.
8. Barney Ross: In a Corridor of Fame profession that includes dozens of matches with quite a few fellow greats, Ross was decked simply as soon as, that knockdown courtesy of the nice Jimmy McLarnin.
7. Pancho Villa: 104 contests within the ultra-competitive 1920’s — by no means knocked down.
6. Muhammad Ali: Lethal bangers resembling Sonny Liston, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Oscar Bonavena, Ken Norton, Ron Lyle, and perhaps the toughest puncher in boxing historical past, Earnie Shavers — all examined Ali’s chin. And “The Biggest” proved greater than their match. As Frazier stated after their third vicious struggle in Manila: “Man, I hit him with punches that’d deliver down the partitions of a metropolis.”
5. Billy Graham: This powerful New York welterweight had no fewer than 126 fights, together with battles with Joey Giardello, Child Gavilan and Carmen Basilio. By no means off his ft.
4. Marvelous Marvin Hagler: Hagler was the world’s finest middleweight for nearly a full decade and a bunch of heavy punchers, together with Thomas Hearns and John Mugabi, couldn’t put him down. Tasted the canvas solely as soon as, on a bogus knockdown to Juan Roldan.
3. Jake LaMotta: In 106 fights, “The Bronx Bull” hit the deck on only one event. Fought the nice Sugar Ray Robinson six instances, and even the Sugarman couldn’t get Jake off his ft.
2. Child Gavilan: Towards the likes of Ralph Jones, Beau Jack, Tommy Bell, Ike Williams, Carmen Basilio, and naturally the nice Sugar Ray Robinson, Gavilan proved his chin rock onerous. Knocked down simply twice in 143 bouts.
1. George Chuvalo: Battling in essentially the most aggressive heavyweight division in historical past, this courageous Canuck slugger took the toughest pictures of Ali, Foreman, Frazier, Patterson, Bonavena, Quarry, Zora Folley, Ernie Terrell, Cleveland Williams, Bob Cleroux, and Yvon Durelle and, amazingly, he was by no means as soon as off his ft.
Honorable Mentions: Rocky Marciano, Julio Cesar Chavez, Randall “Tex” Cobb, Juan LaPorte, Joe Grim, Oliver McCall, Salvador Sanchez, Gene Tunney, Sugar Ray Robinson, Hector Camacho, Marion Wilson, Oscar Bonavena, James Toney, Johnny Risko, Harry Greb, Juan Manuel Marquez, Sugar Ray Leonard, Gennady Golovkin.
