Larry Holmes - Had the most constant and consistent jab through his career. It could be hard and fast, as well as stiff and long. It would seem that in some rounds this was all he threw..and often it was enough, whether a defensive tool or an offensive weapon it got the job done for nearly all of his rounds inside the ropes. Even at 52 years of age, it was enough to defeat younger men.
Riddick Bowe - Had a pulverising hard ram like jab..when he threw it. It was able to set up his big right and powerful combinations. A trump card he possessed that he sometimes abandoned.
Sonny Liston- with his relatively long wing span he would reach out and touch his opponent with this tool. In his day and even today it is still a much talked of and respected weapon.
Muhammad Ali- a fast, almost flicking weapon that would lacerate and stay in his opponent face like a machine gun, combined with good foot speed it was able to make some top men look clumsy and out classed.
Michael Moorer- the awkwardness of a south paw combined with good speed and accuracy Moorer was able to beat his foes to the punch and drill the jab into his opponents jaw and body. He threw a good and tight short jab.
Joe Louis - easily one of the sports most techincally refined fighters, he would seldom punch outside of his arch and nearly always found the right range. More so a punch than a jab, he would fire it at a time when most men would wing punches. Those that felt his jab summed it up as a devastating force of nature.
Mike Tyson - for a few fights he had a fast, and swift jab that set up some of the sports most exciting knock downs and combinations. Under used, but when it was there he had a good one.
George Foreman- not pretty, not clean, but surely effective. Even in his later years it was still a hard battering ram of leather clad fist that wobbled the knees of most men.
Ken Norton - His crab like style and cross defence made his jab seem like it was awkwardly thrown but when he was at his best he could land it with good accuracy. He was able to off set Ali and Holmes with this quick, well timed tool.
Pinklon Thomas - for a brief period of time when he seemed to be filled with so much promise Thomas had a jab that set up a adequate tool box. His jab is considered one of the best of the division, and kept big men at bay.
Carl Williams - able to out jab the master in Holmes, his long reach and tall frame allowed him to punch holes into shorter fighters with a promising jab that seemed to diminish as time past his carreer by.
Buster Douglas - fast and active when he was not lazy, Douglas almost used the jab alone to beat Tyson in his most famous fight. He could set things up well with this good toy of his.
Joe Frazier - though he is always thought of as a one punch fighter, that being his left hook. Frazier for quite a few fights had a jab that set up body attacks and his left hook well. Frazier had the ability to throw a hook of the jab well and used this under-rated and over looked weapon to good effect in some fights.
Lennox Lewis - the big battling Briton won a few fights, well matches, with this rangey tool. His size and reach let him thump it lazily at times and crispily at others, into his opponents. Often he could keep an opponent at bay with this weapon. For many a man struggled to un-ravel Lennox's big jab.
Andrew Golota - this unusual and controversial Pole did have a good, hard jab that for some reason was nearly as in-consistent as he was. In both Bowe fights this was the weapon that set it all up. He would give a bigger Grant trouble with it before he retired from that fight.
Primo Carnera - the tall, awkardly clumsy Italian would throw the long leading left down into his very smal opponents who often had no answer tho this long ugly weapon that he had and used well. At times he almost never threw it, but when he did he was able to keep the smaller men at a safe distance.
Tommy Farr - the game little Welsh fighter was able to frustrate and keep Louis at bay for the 15 rounds they shared in 1940. He threw his jab often and learnt to use it for defence and offence after years of tent boxing and his extensive pro carrer. A good jab especially for his era.
Frank Bruno - The big Briton had wide shoulders and natural ahleticism, which when combined with his long left lead was enough to control and set up his opponents. His jab was hard and long and was enough to spell the end for his foes, along with his powerful right hand.
Kym Robinson, 2006
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