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Top 5 counter punchers you have ever witnessed in boxing?

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#2 ·
In terms of pure counter-punching ability:

Toney
Marquez
Mayweather
Duran
Jones

Honorable mention to Hopkins.

This list is certainly flawed since my knowledge only stretches back so far. I put Toney on top because he can just roll and slip effortlessly and come back with the most accurate & potent offense, at any range. (Makes me feel kind of bad in retrospect that I didn't include McCallum).

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Marquez lands some of the most damaging counters you'll see from a fighter, and they come after studying an opponent despite often being in exchanges in the eye of the storm.

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Mayweather is probably the most versatile fighter on the list and doesn't just rely on counter-punching, but he's supreme at simply nullifying a fighter with the right punch. A favorite aspect of mine is his "pre-counter", when he anticipates a fighter going for a shot and catches them before they even throw it. And that shoulder roll is just classic.

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Duran obvs deserves a mention and could arguably be on top of the list, depending on what qualifies as a counter. His blend of offense and defense was seamless on the attack, stepping and slipping and countering only to slip again with the momentum of the shot and repeat the process. And against some of the best in history.

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I put Jones because, even though I don't consider him a counter-puncher per se, he had insane instincts for timing and distance, with which he unleashed his raw power and speed. He didn't just steamroll opponents, he feinted and countered them into submission. The braver you were, the quicker it ended. I can't have seen this slip-counter and not consider him an amazing counter-puncher.

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Some may think there are greater fighters missing on my list-Whitaker, Benitez, Pep, Tunney, Moore (crap, should I have put him?)-but I feel these guys are more boxer-types who can employ counter-punching, like every fighter does on some level, but not as well as the ones I listed.
 
#3 ·
Bogotazo said:
In terms of pure counter-punching ability:

Toney
Marquez
Mayweather
Duran
Jones
Click to expand...
Surprised you didn't mention Hagler even once.

But I guess you've finally seen the light that Hagler needed Chong Pal Park.
Right now he's just another Golovkin who spent his career at 160 calling out smaller fighters.
Except the risky ones who didn't bring no money.
Lara-Golovkin is like the 80s McCallum-Hagler.
 
#4 ·
Some of these guys were before my time but I've seen some video of them and know a bit about their styles.

Archie Moore
Willie Pep
Gene Tunney
Benny Leonard
Sugar Ray Robinson

More recent----as of the 60 in my book

Muhammad Ali
Roberto Duran
James Toney
Floyd Mayweather
Juan Manuel Marquez
 
#5 ·
Bogotazo said:
In terms of pure counter-punching ability:

Toney
Marquez
Mayweather
Duran
Jones

Honorable mention to Hopkins.

This list is certainly flawed since my knowledge only stretches back so far. I put Toney on top because he can just roll and slip effortlessly and come back with the most accurate & potent offense, at any range. (Makes me feel kind of bad in retrospect that I didn't include McCallum).

Image


Marquez lands some of the most damaging counters you'll see from a fighter, and they come after studying an opponent despite often being in exchanges in the eye of the storm.

Image


Mayweather is probably the most versatile fighter on the list and doesn't just rely on counter-punching, but he's supreme at simply nullifying a fighter with the right punch. A favorite aspect of mine is his "pre-counter", when he anticipates a fighter going for a shot and catches them before they even throw it. And that shoulder roll is just classic.

Image


Duran obvs deserves a mention and could arguably be on top of the list, depending on what qualifies as a counter. His blend of offense and defense was seamless on the attack, stepping and slipping and countering only to slip again with the momentum of the shot and repeat the process. And against some of the best in history.

Image


I put Jones because, even though I don't consider him a counter-puncher per se, he had insane instincts for timing and distance, with which he unleashed his raw power and speed. He didn't just steamroll opponents, he feinted and countered them into submission. The braver you were, the quicker it ended. I can't have seen this slip-counter and not consider him an amazing counter-puncher.

Image


Some may think there are greater fighters missing on my list-Whitaker, Benitez, Pep, Tunney, Moore (crap, should I have put him?)-but I feel these guys are more boxer-types who can employ counter-punching, like every fighter does on some level, but not as well as the ones I listed.
Click to expand...
Came here to post this exact list. we still got it, B!
 
#8 ·
Bogotazo said:
In terms of pure counter-punching ability:

Toney
Marquez
Mayweather
Duran
Jones

Honorable mention to Hopkins.

This list is certainly flawed since my knowledge only stretches back so far. I put Toney on top because he can just roll and slip effortlessly and come back with the most accurate & potent offense, at any range. (Makes me feel kind of bad in retrospect that I didn't include McCallum).

Image


Marquez lands some of the most damaging counters you'll see from a fighter, and they come after studying an opponent despite often being in exchanges in the eye of the storm.

Image


Mayweather is probably the most versatile fighter on the list and doesn't just rely on counter-punching, but he's supreme at simply nullifying a fighter with the right punch. A favorite aspect of mine is his "pre-counter", when he anticipates a fighter going for a shot and catches them before they even throw it. And that shoulder roll is just classic.

Image


Duran obvs deserves a mention and could arguably be on top of the list, depending on what qualifies as a counter. His blend of offense and defense was seamless on the attack, stepping and slipping and countering only to slip again with the momentum of the shot and repeat the process. And against some of the best in history.

Image


I put Jones because, even though I don't consider him a counter-puncher per se, he had insane instincts for timing and distance, with which he unleashed his raw power and speed. He didn't just steamroll opponents, he feinted and countered them into submission. The braver you were, the quicker it ended. I can't have seen this slip-counter and not consider him an amazing counter-puncher.

Image


Some may think there are greater fighters missing on my list-Whitaker, Benitez, Pep, Tunney, Moore (crap, should I have put him?)-but I feel these guys are more boxer-types who can employ counter-punching, like every fighter does on some level, but not as well as the ones I listed.
Click to expand...
Well this just shut down the whole dam thread.
 
#9 ·
I'm not sur eif Mayweather is that great of a pure counterpuncher. Well he is but only if his shoulder roll works. He is a great counterpuncher but top 5?

I think with Floyd it's thje entirety of his game he's both an outfighter and a counterpuncher and usses elements of both to succeed plus great defence and fight IQ but I think with him it's the whol package.

I think there are better pure defensive fighters than Floyd and I think there are better pure counterpunchers.

And Whitaker was clearly a better pure counterpuncher than Floyd so i would replace Floyd with Whitaker.
 
#11 ·
PivotPunch said:
I'm not sur eif Mayweather is that great of a pure counterpuncher. Well he is but only if his shoulder roll works. He is a great counterpuncher but top 5?

I think with Floyd it's thje entirety of his game he's both an outfighter and a counterpuncher and usses elements of both to succeed plus great defence and fight IQ but I think with him it's the whol package.

I think there are better pure defensive fighters than Floyd and I think there are better pure counterpunchers.

And Whitaker was clearly a better pure counterpuncher than Floyd so i would replace Floyd with Whitaker.
Click to expand...
I get what you're saying since he has so much to his game, he's less of a specialist, but I think because he bases his game around waiting and baiting an opponent to fire so he can capitalize, he's a better candidate than Whitaker. Whitaker was much more of a mover and used his jab a ton. His defensive head movement is godly but a lot of times it was an end in itself, rather than a necessary aspect for his offense. He could easily be on the list though. I just think Floyd is more of a counter-puncher, his whole defensive style is designed for it.

Just think of how many memorable counters Floyd has, which he often relied on for victory:

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#13 ·
Bogotazo said:
I get what you're saying since he has so much to his game, he's less of a specialist, but I think because he bases his game around waiting and baiting an opponent to fire so he can capitalize, he's a better candidate than Whitaker. Whitaker was much more of a mover and used his jab a ton. His defensive head movement is godly but a lot of times it was an end in itself, rather than a necessary aspect for his offense. He could easily be on the list though. I just think Floyd is more of a counter-puncher, his whole defensive style is designed for it.

Just think of how many memorable counters Floyd has, which he often relied on for victory:

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Click to expand...
I don't see much of countering by Floyd here. Maybe I have a different idea to what a counter is. I definitely don't think fighters throwing at the same time count. The term counter is a reaction to an action, and yes he does do that but not on a scale like JMM, Duran, Toney RJJ nor Ali.
That shoulder roll really is something to behold though
 
#16 ·
godsavethequeen said:
I don't see much of countering by Floyd here. Maybe I have a different idea to what a counter is. I definitely don't think fighters throwing at the same time count. The term counter is a reaction to an action, and yes he does do that but not on a scale like JMM, Duran, Toney RJJ nor Ali.
That shoulder roll really is something to behold though
Click to expand...
Well at least half of the gifs are conventional counters. I see what you're saying with fighters throwing at the same time, but I think in boxing counters often are instantaneous. There's not often enough time to take a whole move to defend and then another whole move to come back, especially at the top level. A check hook (like Floyd's) or overhand right (like JMM's) timed in anticipation of a fighter throwing qualifies as a counter IMO.

I would also put Ali in the boxer category myself but no doubt he had some sick counters.

 
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Bogotazo
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