Boxing's Mount Rushmore

So you have the chance to replace Mount Rushmore with an alternative group of granite chinned men.

You have 4 votes to reconstruct this famous landmark with 4 of the greatest chins in boxing history? Who gets your vote and why? What opponents that they have faced back up your argument?

Marvin Hagler
Chavez
La Motta
Salvador Sanchez

all had a solid chin

McCall
LaMotta
Hagler
Chuvalo

Jeffries had a set of whiskers on him, fought some terrific fighters and punchers such as Sharkey and Fitz and was never over until his ill advised comeback to Johnson and when one considers the length of fights back then this is no mean feat.

Think that Scott's are nearly unimprovable. Those four, with the insanely tough Mexican and one-time featherweight belt-holder Marcos Villasana in reserve, would be my choices.

Scottrf wrote:McCall
LaMotta
Hagler
Chuvalo

Can't argue with that list.

Another name which may be worth consideration is the pocket rocket Wayne McCullough, can't remember him going over and when one considers he faced the likes of Naz and Morales that is impressive, however who of those listed alredy makes way is anyone's guess.

McCall
La Motta
Chuvalo
Gavilian

Note to OP: Perhaps you should close this say Friday night or something and post the top 4 names that came up? Sadly i think Gavilian may get missed off even though with 130+ (what ever it was) fights he was never stopped.

Not sure that I can have Marciano here, coxy. Floored more than once, the last time by a light-heavyweight, albeit a great one. Superb powers of recuperation, but others have had more solid chins.

Chuvalo
Lamotta
Hagler

Those three are near certainties but do like the mentions of Villasana (remember the Hoko fights) and Gavilan who was made of very stern stuff

But will have to go with the consensus and say McCall for my fourth

Villasana was nuts. He was stopped twice in his career, both on cuts, but went 24 rounds with Nelson, 12 with Fenech, 12 with Esparragoza and 20 with Hodkinson, all pretty decent hitters, without ever looking like he could be floored.

captain carrantuohil wrote:Not sure that I can have Marciano here, coxy. Floored more than once, the last time by a light-heavyweight, albeit a great one. Superb powers of recuperation, but others have had more solid chins.

Based on his style he ate shots with alarming frequency yet obviously never stopped. Couldn't fight the way he did and never get stopped without having a great set of whiskers.

But others didn't look like being hurt, let alone down or stopped.

There's a slight suspicion about the Moore fight that the referee helped Rocky get out of jail when Archie decked him and had him extremely unsteady. Nothing corrupt, you understand, just fussing around and getting in the way while Archie was trying to deliver the finisher. A long-winded way of saying that I accept that Rocky's chin was sound, but also maintain that it could be dented, which Chuvalo's, Villasana's and Hagler's apparently couldn't.

Scott, i've given my reasoning. Going by your reasoning someone like Chuvalo should get knowhere near the list as he was stopped on more than one occasion.

Chuvalo was never off his feet in ninety-three fights, coxy. Both stoppages occurred with him on his feet, and he protested about both of them as well. Insane, of course, but arguably THE best chin of them all.

coxy0001 wrote:Scott, i've given my reasoning. Going by your reasoning someone like Chuvalo should get knowhere near the list as he was stopped on more than one occasion.

Frazier broke bones in his face and he didn't go down, the other Foreman was teeing off on him and he didn't go down.

Captain

I know, i was playing on what Scott said. Flip side of the coin is that although not down he was probably hurt as he didn't throw a punch for how long against Foreman (and was staggered prior to the onslaught from memory).

Will amend my list to suit if we're gonna ignore fighting style, Marciano as many punches as he took never got stopped after eating the 2902390th power shot of the fight etc

Might not be a popular choice but Vitali Klitschko surely has to be given consideration? Other than the cuts against lewis nobody's put a dent in the guy, he's made of stone.

McCullough, Hagler and McCall are the best chins I've seen.

They all seemed invulnerable to punches.

Also Laporte and Camacho need to remembered. Camacho may have been a bit flakey, but there was no quit in the man and he could take it on the chin.

I'd not include Chuvalo as he was badly hurt by Frazier and Foreman.

I was thinking about Vitali as well but then again, he has only really been tagged by Lewis.

That uppercut was incredible, and he is clearly made of iron but untill he gets whacked by another brutal puncher and stays on his feet, then he will have to be a reserve!

Vitali Klitschko??????????

Jake LaMotta

Of the guys fighting at the moment a young Mexican named Rodrigo Guerrero is worth looking at for best chin. He had Vic Darchinyan hitting him flush in the face for 12 rounds last year and never looked in trouble, it was insane to watch. Also Mosley and De La Hoya are made out of strong stuff.

Dennis Andries?

mike mccallum

Not sure about that, bhb! Immensely resilient, for sure, but lost count of the number of times he went down against Hearns, and was put down for keeps by Jeff Harding, of course, as well.

james toney too

George Foreman could take some ridiculous shots without flinching, I watched the Foreman Vs Holyfield fight from 91 this weekend and man george takes some huge shots in that fight. Though he is not in my top 4 definatley worth a mention.

Think Scott had it right with Chuvalo, La Motta, Hagler and McCall. A few other suggestions from me; Gaspar Ortega and Billy Graham. Emile Griffith described Ortega as the toughest opponent he ever faced, and was only one of two men to stop him, I believe. The last was in Ortega's final fight (I think he had something like two hundred in total) and as well as Griffith he also fought Benvenuti, Basilio, De Marco and Gavilan.

Graham mixed it with Gavilan, Basilio and Joey Giardello many times over and, if my memory serves me correctly, never tasted the canvas once.

Pretty sure that Duilio Loi was never stopped in over one hundred bouts, too.

Whilst he probably doesn't deserve a place Freddie Welsh deserves a mention. Only stopped once and as that was to Benny Leonard we can perhaps let him off with that one.

Oliver McCall - a must never even blinks when tagged!

Wayne McCullugh - took a good hiding a few time without flinching!

Chris Eubank - Think of the wars he was in then think when did he look like he was really hurt? never! So he was tired against Watson, not even a knockdown against Collins and Calzaghe, off balance but never hurt!

Marvin Hagler - oooh if Hearns had that chin he'd have been unstoppable!

For all his daft antics and gimmickry, Hector Camacho had one of the most phenomenal chins in boxing history. Over eighty fights and not a single opponent has been able to put him away inside the distance. Chavez, Limon, Rosario, Trinidad, De la Hoya, Boza-Edwards, Mancini, Duran (and I'm sure one or two other good names which I've missed) all tried and failed.

Good shout. One of the quickest and most powerful too, can't help but view him as a wasted talent.

I'd personally save time on getting 4 in and just use Valuev.

Strange thing about Camacho was that it was during the closing stages with Rosario that he really got tagged for the first time in his life, and he seriously didn't like it. As a result, he became a touch gun-shy, as best displayed in his non-performance against Chavez. He took the decision against Rosario, but that fight cost him something more intangible and possibly more important. Fine chin, fine talent, first-class bozo.

Indeed, Camacho could have been one of the modern greats. His gloves were a blur when he was in full flow; oddly enough, he was one of the very, very few men who decked Ramirez, who must be another contender or at least honourable mention for this topic.

Captain, sorry to digress, but get yourself over to the Guerrero vs Maidana thread, we require a prediction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUsnYFHW6Ts
4:59 Pryor could be in with a shout

Pryor could be in with a shout

good shout, i feel if he had gone after hearns more than he did leonard he'd have a better chance of getting the fight and a better chance of winning despite the height difference

He beat Tommy as an amature but he was a skinny kid without too much dig back then, I feel Pryor would be trading on his chin abit too often against a primed, pro Hitman. It would've been explosive while it lasted is all I'd garauntee.

Johnny Tapia had a decent chin,