Carlos Palomino - " The best I've faced "

Following on from the Mosley article, here are Palomino's choices of the best opponents he faced :

Best overall:

“It has to be Roberto Duran. I always had the idea that he was just a brawler. What surprised me was that the guy could really box –- going in and out, the feints, it was just a surprise to me. It impressed me how quick his shots were and how much power he had. And his movement surprised me.”

Best boxer:

“It would have to be Andy Price. I fought him when I was like (10-0-1) and he was like (12-1-3). I lost a split decision to him (in 1974). He was very much like Sugar Ray Leonard, very quick. I think from a boxing standpoint he was the best I faced. He was also a good puncher. You had to worry about that. He later beat Pipino Cuevas.” Leonard stopped Price (33-8-3, 13 KOs) in the first round in 1979.

Hardest puncher:

I fought this guy in the amateurs, Norman Goins from Minnesota. He did pretty well as a pro. He was a tremendous puncher. I fought him the finals of the Pan American (Games) trials and was knocked down three times, once in each round. I still won the fight -- it was the amateurs -– but I got dropped three times. I’ll never forget that.”

Fastest hands:

“It would be a tie between Benitez and Price. Wilfredo was just so cagey. He could hit you from different angles and very quickly, especially his jab. Most of the punches he landed against me were jabs.”

Fastest feet:

“Duran. Watch him in his prime, with Ray Leonard or my fight with him. Watch him as a lightweight. He had the ability to move in and out so quickly. I’ve said that Manny Pacquiao reminds me a lot of Duran.”

Best jab:

Benitez. It was a very quick, snapping jab, a lot like (Muhammad) Ali’s jab.”

Best chin:

Armando Muniz. You could hit him with a ring poll and nothing would happen. [Laughs.] I nailed him all night long and hurt him. He had a chin.”

Smartest:

Benitez or Duran. Maybe Benitez was natural boxer. It was almost like he had a sixth sense. I don’t think I caught him solid in my fight with him. It seemed like he knew what was coming all the time.”

Strongest:

Muniz. He would just walk in, walk you down. He was a wrestler in high school so his head was attached to his shoulders. He had no neck. He was that kind of guy. Strong.”

Best defense:

I would say Benitez and Duran (tie) again. As I said, it was like Benitez had a sixth sense, like he knew what was coming. Duran was hard to catch also. I was trying to counter what he was doing but I couldn’t because of his quickness. They were both good defensive fighters.

Love these. Can you find/interview one for every boxer?

Can't help but feel you are wumming though because of the last sentence on fastest feet.

Nice one Windy, i love to hear great boxers talk about these things and you will find that the answers are not what your expecting, such as the hardest puncher he faced was some little known guy he fought in the amatuers, brilliant.

Scottrf wrote:Love these. Can you find/interview one for every boxer?

Can't help but feel you are wumming though because of the last sentence on fastest feet.

It's on the level, Scott - straight from Ring magazine.

The Galveston Giant wrote:Nice one Windy, i love to hear great boxers talk about these things and you will find that the answers are not what your expecting, such as the hardest puncher he faced was some little known guy he fought in the amatuers, brilliant.

That's what I like about them, Galveston.

Interesting stuff again, Windy, from a man who shared the ring with his fair share of world class fighters. Duran and Benitez were certainly the two best he squared off against though, and his answers seem to bear that out. Another testament to how underrated Duran's defence and boxing skills were in his pomp, too.

Oddly enough, Palomino has always been a bit of a favourite of mine, and one match up which would have been a treat (but, inexplicably, never happened) would have been him versus his fellow Mexican Pipino Cuevas. They both dominated the Welterweight division in the second half of the seventies (Palomino as WBC champion, Cuevas with the WBA) but never met. Would have had all the ingredients to be a barnstormer; two Mexicans, a chance to unify one of the greatest divisions and a lovely match up of styles, with Palomino's coolness under pressure and rounded boxing skills against the non-stop aggression and left hooking of Cuevas.

Shame the world never got to see it.

This months? Stopped buying it but heard there's been a makeover - for better or worse? Tend to read BM before it's on the shelves, might start picking up The Ring again.

Scottrf wrote:This months? Stopped buying it but heard there's been a makeover - for better or worse? Tend to read BM before it's on the shelves, might start picking up The Ring again.

Older ones, mate.

Chris - great input, thanks. Nice fantasy match up, too. I'll see if I can find a couple more of these.