Which boxer was consistently the best conditioned?

[Sweet Science]

These days it saddens me that many top level fighters tend to come to fight woefully ill prepared in terms of their conditioning, James Toney being an extreme example. However, alot of other fighters get to fight night in less than stellar shape especially to tune up fights citing reasons such as lack of motivation, underestimating their opponent etc.

However, on the opposite side of the coin there have been fighters who never underestimate anyone and always come prepared and in tip top condition.

I would say the clear standouts are Hopkins, Marciano and Holyfield who always came to fight in fantastic shape. However, if I had to pick the best consistently conditioned of the three I would pick Marciano. Most agree that he was the best conditioned heavyweight but I would say he was the best conditioned fighter in any weight. He was just plain sadistic in his training regime.

What do you guys think?

[TBooze]

Frank Bruno was never ever out of shape...

Although sometimes his conditioning did not help him.

[Sweet Science]

Frank Bruno was never ever out of shape...

Although sometimes his conditioning did not help him.

Yes you are right TBooze, I can never remember Bruno ever looking out of shape, he had a tremendous physique. I always thought he was muscle bound though.

[McGrain]

Dick Tiger.

He had one fight where he may have been out of condition, V Bob Foster. Other than that he was always in top condition.

Had to be. A natural SMW if ever there was one, he boxed before that division exsisted.

[enquirer]

Are we talking being 'in shape' or stamina? I feel there is a difference...
For instance bruno was in better physical shape than tim witherspoon in their fight,but witherspoon had the better stamina,no?

[pugilist_boyd]

the rock # 1 but i never seen hagler tire in the few bouts i seen him in did he ?

[Sweet Science]

Dick Tiger.

He had one fight where he may have been out of condition, V Bob Foster. Other than that he was always in top condition.

Had to be. A natural SMW if ever there was one, he boxed before that division exsisted.

I've heard a lot about Dick Tiger and his conditioning. I think it was Ron Lipton who always used to say he was the greatest physical specimen he ever saw, on account of his regular sparring sessions with him.

[Sweet Science]

Are we talking being 'in shape' or stamina? I feel there is a difference...
For instance bruno was in better physical shape than tim witherspoon in their fight,but witherspoon had the better stamina,no?

Sorry Enquirer, allow me to clarify, I mean 'in shape'.

[McGrain]

I've heard a lot about Dick Tiger and his conditioning. I think it was Ron Lipton who always used to say he was the greatest physical specimen he ever saw, on account of his regular sparring sessions with him.

Yes, I've heard that too.

Tiger had incredible natural stamina, perhaps second to none.

This contributed to his longevity and made him able to train like an animal to get his thick frame down to 160.

[enquirer]

Ok....I would say marvin hagler of the boxers i saw live. Came in at 158 and a half in his final fight of a long tough career exclusively conducted at middleweight...Never heard of him boxing out of less than optimal shape in his championship reign...
(I wonder if folks know if he ever had to get on the scales more than once in order to make weight?)

[rayrayv123]

RJJ?

Floyd no doubt.

[Darthmage]

Basilio, Marciano, Hagler, Monzon, Floyd, Hopkins... All those guys were or are always in tip-top shape. Im sure I have missed a lot of boxers sharing the same quality.

[Sweet Science]

Basilio, Marciano, Hagler, Monzon, Floyd, Hopkins... All those guys were or are always in tip-top shape. Im sure I have missed a lot of boxers sharing the same quality.

But if you had to pick just one, who would it be?

[josak]

Based on my limited boxing knowledge (compared to some of you) I'd have to go with Tyson. He was an incredible, physical specimen in his prime. Great stamina, great build.

[Vantage_West]

tommy hearns anyone.
he actually over conditioned for hagler and had a casual 4 mile run to warm up which tired out his legs...thats more conditioned than most

and even in light heavy he was still a really toned well develpoed athlete

[Vantage_West]

actauuly can we say whats 'in shape'
i mean we have alot of guys who are overpreparing them selves and we have others who were naturally athletic anyway so they just had to walk in that way. or the constnat wieght which means after inactivety they are still in shape like halger

[JIm Broughton]

The best conditioned fighters were generally of the Marciano,Basilio,Frazier ilk.Guys who had to take three to give one. That way of fighting requires an extra dose of conditioning to stay competitive in any division. How many times did we see Ali mail it in, in poor shape, and still win? How many times did Marciano do that? Or Basilio? Or Frazier? The one time Joe did that he was obliterated by big George! The best conditioned fighters seem to be the type that were'nt born with all the natural physical and athletic ability than say Muhammed Ali or Sugar Ray Robinson or Roy Jones Junior. These fighters had plenty of God given ability honed of course by hours of hard work. But warriors like Rocky et al realized that they needed a little extra something to compete and succeed against thier more gifted brethren, and that was developing thier level of conditiong to a higher plane. In this regard I would say that Marciano comes to mind as the most highly conditioned though that's certainly debateable.

[Duodenum]

the rock # 1 but i never seen hagler tire in the few bouts i seen him in did he ?Yes, in his first attempt to win the MW Title, Marv did tire late in a 15 round draw against a good candidate for this distinction, Vito Antuofermo. Vito ran five miles a day, even when not training for a match.

Sometimes, there's no correlation between conditioning and endurance, and the classic example of this is Earnie Shavers. While a contender, Earnie was actually the best conditioned heavyweight in boxing, but the weight of his arms, the force he put into his haymakers, and his complete inability to pace himself always made him notorious for running out of gas quickly. Nothing he did could have improved his performance in that regard, although he tried to cultivate his staying power diligently.

SRL maintained top physical conditioning. Jeffries was a freak in that respect. Sweet Saoul Mamby sustained an incredibly long career with his dedication to skipping rope and disciplined training. Emile Griffith was no slouch in that regard either.

Over the last 30 years, it's hard for me to go against Vito. In back-to-back-to-back 15 rounders, he tired out veterans Hugo Corro (RIP), Hagler and Alan Minter (another noted strong endurance performer). Vito could be stopped on cuts, but good luck wearing him out.

Sal Sanchez wore down and stopped Danny Lopez late twice. Little Red was known for his staying power as well as his punch.


I'm omitting Aaron Pryor and Henry Armstrong on purpose. They were both physiological freaks of nature who possessed extreme endurance as an accident of birth. (At Armstrong's autopsy, it was found that his heart was larger than usual, and he had an abnormally slow heart rate by nature. I suspect the same quirk applies to his friend Pryor.)

[rekcutnevets]

Modern guys come to mind. Mosley, Mayweather Jr., Hatton, Jones Jr., Morales, Barrera, Marquez, Paquiao, T. Norris, and Bernard Hopkins. I don't remember ever thinking these guys lost because of fatigue.

[hdog]

Marciano, Basilio, Sal Sanchez.

[salsanchezfan]

Based on my limited boxing knowledge (compared to some of you) I'd have to go with Tyson. He was an incredible, physical specimen in his prime. Great stamina, great build.


:barf


..............I'm sorry. I wish I could think of something more to say.

[rekcutnevets]

I will help you salsanchezfan.

Mike Tyson's stamina was very much evident in his bought with Douglas. The way he just went on.

His first fight with Holyfield was another example. Didn't you see how he finished on his feet?

I remember watching him lay into the ropes with joy against Danny Williams.

The McBride fights says the rest.

[salsanchezfan]

I will help you salsanchezfan.

Mike Tyson's stamina was very much evident in his bought with Douglas. The way he just went on.

His first fight with Holyfield was another example. Didn't you see how he finished on his feet?

I remember watching him lay into the ropes with joy against Danny Williams.

The McBride fights says the rest.


............I see I've been remiss. :think


I see what you mean; why, he was every bit as intense and ferocious in the second round of the Tubbs fight as he was in the first!

[rekcutnevets]

The way Tyson was able to continue going after Spinks after the first knock down.

:kois all I have to say.

[rekcutnevets]

I'm going to stop now. Just kidding around Josak. Keep posting, it's only jokes. You have a little bit of a point. Mike Tyson never showed up grossly overweight. I have always read he normally trained hard. It was really focus, dedication, and a strong will to win that usually missing.

Has anyone seen viciousboxer around after the avatar thing started?

[salsanchezfan]

Beat me to it, Rek; sorry Josak, I'll stop being a dick. :lol: Pop a beer and have a seat, man. :good

[Mohak]

Consistently conditioned has to be Sanchez, Hopkins and Mayweather. Everyone else's conditioning deteriates as time goes by, it's natural. But I'm kind of cheating by saying Sanchez since he died in his prime and Mayweather hasn't really retired yet and seems to be in his prime. I don't even know what to say about Hopkins, the guys a freak! A motherfucking freak!!!!

[fernando4cv3]

Id have to say hagler based on the fighters ive seen. i train at his old gym. Ive heard what his conditioning regime as. it was no k\joke. the man went running for miles and miles

[young griffo]

Jeff Fenech trained with the same intensity with which he fought and as a result was always in great shape,despite problems with asthma and allergies.
Hopkins and Hagler are like peas in a pod when it comes to conditioning,always looking great physically and never gassing out.
Wayne McCullough was always prepared come fight time,as were Alexis Arguello,Mike McCallum and prime Julio Cesar Chavez.

[salsanchezfan]

I never read Danny Lopez's name in stamina threads, and he should be mentioned. You never saw that guy take a deep breath, and he fought in a very taxing fashion.

[josak]

:barf


..............I'm sorry. I wish I could think of something more to say.

Actually, Tyson had good stamina in his prime. I've seen all of his fights several times, I've only seen him gas out later in his career.

Watch the Jose Ribalta fight to see what I mean.

[josak]

I will help you salsanchezfan.

Mike Tyson's stamina was very much evident in his bought with Douglas. The way he just went on.

His first fight with Holyfield was another example. Didn't you see how he finished on his feet?

I remember watching him lay into the ropes with joy against Danny Williams.

The McBride fights says the rest.

I said in his prime; you're using examples of later in his career.

Fact is, you have to be a very well conditioned fighter to use Mike's style. This was one of the main reasons he failed later in his career -- he just didn't have the stamina to sustain his style for more than a few rounds.

[C. M. Clay II]

I said in his prime; you're using examples of later in his career.

Fact is, you have to be a very well conditioned fighter to use Mike's style. This was one of the main reasons he failed later in his career -- he just didn't have the stamina to sustain his style for more than a few rounds.

Also weight training post-prison took away much of Mike's stamina as well.

[jyuza]

Marvin Hagler definitely.
Rocky Marciano too.
And Jimmy Carter.

but I had to pick one I would say Marvelous.

[Holmes' Jab]

Marciano.

[janitor]

Bob Fitzsimmons was prety fanatical about his training as was Peter Maher.

[heerko koois]

Rocky Balboa........

[mcvey]

These days it saddens me that many top level fighters tend to come to fight woefully ill prepared in terms of their conditioning, James Toney being an extreme example. However, alot of other fighters get to fight night in less than stellar shape especially to tune up fights citing reasons such as lack of motivation, underestimating their opponent etc.

However, on the opposite side of the coin there have been fighters who never underestimate anyone and always come prepared and in tip top condition.

I would say the clear standouts are Hopkins, Marciano and Holyfield who always came to fight in fantastic shape. However, if I had to pick the best consistently conditioned of the three I would pick Marciano. Most agree that he was the best conditioned heavyweight but I would say he was the best conditioned fighter in any weight. He was just plain sadistic in his training regime.

What do you guys think?
Marciano,Tunney,Griffith,Mayweather,Jones .

[mcvey]

Marciano,Tunney,Griffith,Mayweather,Jones .
Ill add the usual Hopkins ,Hagler,and one not often mentioned Sandy Saddler.

[Duodenum]

I never read Danny Lopez's name in stamina threads, and he should be mentioned. You never saw that guy take a deep breath, and he fought in a very taxing fashion.Check my earlier post in this thread. I did mention Little Red's reputation in this regard. (I watched his 15 round classic with Mike Ayala, and was stunned by what Sanchez was ablto do to Danny. Sal's handspeed was the key to their matches, not a lack of power on Little Red's part.)

[Pat_Lowe]

I never read Danny Lopez's name in stamina threads, and he should be mentioned. You never saw that guy take a deep breath, and he fought in a very taxing fashion.

You know, I can't remember which fight it was, but Danny Lopez once threw 200 punches in a single round. Thats a phenomonal amount.

Lopez had a very strange style, he had good power and could take out an opponent but he had a very high workrate. Those 2 normally contradict each other

[mcvey]

Bob Fitzsimmons was prety fanatical about his training as was Peter Maher.
Fitz was a prodigious drinker by all accounts so I dont know how religiously he trained ,the night before he fought Jeffries ,in defence of his title he was on a bender,and hungover in the morning when he had a well known altercation with Jeffries about the meaning of a "clean break",the up shot being Jim grabbed Fitz and bodily threw him backwards ,visibly shaking him out of his complacency.

[Raggamuffin]

Yes you are right TBooze, I can never remember Bruno ever looking out of shape, he had a tremendous physique. I always thought he was muscle bound though.

Tight as a virgins pussy that Big Ol' Frank

[salsanchezfan]

Check my earlier post in this thread. I did mention Little Red's reputation in this regard. (I watched his 15 round classic with Mike Ayala, and was stunned by what Sanchez was ablto do to Danny. Sal's handspeed was the key to their matches, not a lack of power on Little Red's part.)


...............My bad; I missed it. And kudos for mentioning an oft-ignored fighter here. :good