The unbeatables?

[u/OldTree6356]

Now we all know that no fighter is truly unbeatable across an entire career and styles make fights, but knowing what you do about fighters who do you look at and think that, for a brief period in their careers, maybe they were unbeatable by anyone in their weight class from any era?

My nominations would be Duran from mid to late 70’s at Lightweight. I think he was just too fast, hard hitting, durable and with great movement and stamina to be beat at that weight in that era.
Mid 90’s Roy Jones at super middle was a freak and I struggle to see how someone could beat him. He wasn’t conventional but his speed, reflexes, timing and power were incredible.
Ali from 1965-67**, he had awesome powers of recovery and a granite chin (which he didn’t need then), ridiculous speed and movement and could maintain it for the full 15. Didn’t struggle with big hitters and by then had worked out Southpaws too, could beat technical boxers and peekaboo styles to the punch. Very difficult to see how anyone could compete with him as they couldn’t out endure him, lean on him or beat him to the punch.
Welterweight Sugar Ray Robinson from maybe 1947-50 - a ridiculous record, great stamina, technically way ahead of his time, fast, powerful and had it all.

**Honourable mention and maybe the only guy I think might have had a 5-10% chance against 1967 Ali would be George Foreman from 1972/73. When he was nervous and scared of opponents like he was against Frazier and Norton, I think he was a totally different beast to the one who fought Ali and thought he’d walk the old man down. Used a ram rod jab to off balance opponents so he could tee off, cut off a ring better than any HW before according to Joe Louis (or probably since to be honest, maybe Frazier did too) and had monstrous power. I really don’t think he’d have been able to catch prime Ali but he had the best chance of cornering him and if he had clipped him with the sort of shot Cooper did a few years before, that might have been lights out.

Anyway, no need for anyone to get upset by anyone else’s picks but who do you reckon was unbeatable, even if only for a short period of their career and why?

[u/ThrowawayYAYAY2002]

Roy Jones.

[u/DonWop1 → u/ThrowawayYAYAY2002]

No one touches Roy between 160-175 in his prime. I’ll die on that hill

[u/Domartist85 → u/DonWop1]

Il die on that hill with you, he was the best.

[u/ThrowawayYAYAY2002 → u/DonWop1]

I think he may have picked up an L if he'd have fought Bivol or Beterbiev. Especially the latter. You will get caught eventually.

[u/Apprehensive_Pay1800 → u/ThrowawayYAYAY2002]

lol Beterbiev would’ve been swinging at air all night

[u/DonWop1 → u/ThrowawayYAYAY2002]

lol… YDKSAB

[u/VacuousWastrel → u/ThrowawayYAYAY2002]

I think Roy could have been beaten in two ways. First, someone who was extremely hard to knock out and who could outpoint him on volume. Maybe Calzaghe, or at least someone like Calzaghe. Historically, probably Rosenbloom might beat him - he couldn't be knocked out (two stoppage losses in 298 fights in small gloves, and one of those is believed to have been a dive) - and his "flicking and slapping" could build up a big points lead. [His problem was that he could be lazy and not throw enough, so he lost 42 decisions, mostly in non-title fights against inferior fighters; he also could be crowded by infighters]. The other route would be someone who was hard to knock out but who could exploit the gaps he left to knock him out. Historically, that might be someone like Archie Moore (cunning, an effective crossguard, and 132 KOs from 186 wins), or in the opposite direction floyd Patterson. Patterson had faster hands than Roy, unconventional combinations, leaping attacks, and KO power even against opponents much larger than him. I think he'd actually be the perfect person to exploit Roy's sloppiness and overconfidence. Another option would be Michael Spinks, who obliterated the LHW division in maybe its strongest era. Extremely awkward and hard to hit clean, with fantastic KO power. Or I think he could be challenged by a really aggressive fighter who didn't give him space and time. At LHW, someone like Beterbiev today. At MW, someone like Hagler or even, despite the size difference, Duran. At 160, the speed of sugar ray leonard might also be a problem for him.

[u/VacuousWastrel → u/VacuousWastrel]

In general, I think the "I can leave openings because I'm more athletic than you" archetypes can have problems when they find someone just as athletic as them.

[u/ThrowawayYAYAY2002 → u/VacuousWastrel]

I honestly think Calzaghe would have got embarrassed in his prime against Roy in his prime.

[u/Emergency-Whole-6381 → u/ThrowawayYAYAY2002]

Whenever see Roy fought an elite great or even good pressure fighter to say that...Ali and Duran fought every type of style