Most Skilled Combination Punchers in Boxing Today?

Kovalev's "Man Bag"

Kovalev's "Man Bag"

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Name the guys that, in your opinion, exemplify combination punching at its finest from today's crop of fighters. They don't necessarily have to be rated in order. Which active/semi-active fighters have impressed you most with their combination punching skill over the last several years? There is no wrong answer here as long as the fighters, regardless of style, are generally viewed as proficient when punching in combination. Having fundamentally sound technique and a respectable degree of accuracy in their combos is already assumed.

Consider some/all of the following before answering
  • How well do they mix up their shots to the head & body and vice versa?
  • How well does each shot serve to setup the next?
  • How much variety is found in their combos from their punch selection?
  • How fluid are their combos?
  • How much thought is put into their combos when they're thrown?
  • How dynamic or creative are they? Can they generate random (different) punching sequences spontaneously or are they mostly thrown out of repetition as static textbook combinations?
  • Do they stay defensively responsible while throwing so that they can complete their combos without them being disrupted or broken by counter-punching attempts?
  • Are they versatile enough to be able to both lead & counter with their combos?
  • Can they still throw in combination comfortably when put on the back foot?
  • Have they shown the ability to fire off a combo & seamlessly chain it into another?
  • Is the speed & power of the punches in their combos typically thrown at the same tempo & intensity or does it vary so that it's mixed up?
  • Do they punch in combination well from any range or are they mostly limited to one in particular?
 
Canelo.
 
Off the top of my head I think of Canelo, Loma, Chocolatito, the Cotto, Pacquiao (less on display in recent years), Linares (he and Marquez are the best in recent memory at incorporating the uppercut into their sequences) and Spence

Honorable mentions to Amir Khan (too reliant on speed), LSC (deliberate but too slow), Golovkin (used to put them together more but can't pounce on the openings the way he used to), GRJ (again too reliant on the speed), Gamboa (sadly too faded and too much rust), Inoue (good but needs time to mature)
 
UnicornNinjas said:
Off the top of my head I think of Canelo, Loma, Chocolatito, the Cotto, Pacquiao (less on display in recent years), Linares (he and Marquez are the best in recent memory at incorporating the uppercut into their sequences) and Spence

Honorable mentions to Amir Khan (too reliant on speed), LSC (deliberate but too slow), Golovkin (used to put them together more but can't pounce on the openings the way he used to), GRJ (again too reliant on the speed), Gamboa (sadly too faded and too much rust), Inoue (good but needs time to mature)
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Canelo and Loma are the two that I had off the top of my head that have impressed me most recently. I like that you took the time to explain your picks and avoided the one pitfall that many would fall into in choosing fighters that rely too heavily on their hand speed to get off their combos. Khan and Russell Jr. are glaring examples of that.
 
UnicornNinjas said:
Off the top of my head I think of Canelo, Loma, Chocolatito, the Cotto, Pacquiao (less on display in recent years), Linares (he and Marquez are the best in recent memory at incorporating the uppercut into their sequences) and Spence

Honorable mentions to Amir Khan (too reliant on speed), LSC (deliberate but too slow), Golovkin (used to put them together more but can't pounce on the openings the way he used to), GRJ (again too reliant on the speed), Gamboa (sadly too faded and too much rust), Inoue (good but needs time to mature)
Click to expand...
Thats a damn good post.
 
God damn it @UnicornNinjas you took all the good answers.

Now what am I supposed to do, post yeeks? Try to make a joke that probably bombs? Try to come up with somebody you didn't already cover? Just leave it alone? Alright I'm leaving it alone. Good job, know it all. Jeez.
 
For want of some better answers being taken, Josh Taylor. he's still pretty untested but works well to the body as well as the head and very defensively minded once he's done his work.
 
I like the way David Benavidez puts his punches together

DeGale is also a great combination puncher, but he gets lazy sometimes
 
Canelo is a good combination puncher, but when we're talking about the best we're talking about: Lomachenko, Eubank Jr. and David Benavidez.
 
^ I'd have to agree. I'd put Canelo up there but I think Lomachenko is better because he throws light shots mixed up with harder shots which Canelo doens't seem to do. Eubank Jr is pretty good too. As is Benavidez. I think for HW I've already seen AJ's name mentioned which I'd also agree with.
 
I'll take thoughtful (to use Unicorn's word deliberate) combination punching with a purpose over flurries and shoeshines any day. Benavidez can do this but his recent combination KO of Medina was more flash than scientific substance back in May. It was a spectacular finish though.


 
For me, at HW..........Ali.
The pre-ban Ali.

The man used to throw double digit combos, on the regular, as a freaking Heavyweight and on the move !

Watching him throw those reminds of Roman Gonzales sometimes. If Chocolotito was twice his current size.
 
cuban23 said:
Canelo is a good combination puncher, but when we're talking about the best we're talking about: Lomachenko, Eubank Jr. and David Benavidez.
Click to expand...
how do you see DeGale/Benavidez going down? I know you're relatively high on both
 
ironfist05 said:
how do you see DeGale/Benavidez going down? I know you're relatively high on both
Click to expand...

DeGale is the most Jekyll and Hyde fighter in the sport. There are moments in a fight where he looks unstoppable, then there are moments where he looks like he's about to get KOed. He hasn't shown enough consistency.

But at the same time, I don't think Benavidez is ready for that type of step up in competition. I'd like to see that fight in 2-3 years.

Right now, I'd probably take DeGale.
 
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