History LightningBruiser / Sports

* Most people remember UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli for his lightning fast speed, but he was also 6'4, 220 pounds, had an [[MadeOfIron iron chin]], an incredibly durable body and [[HeroicResolve heart]] [[TheDeterminator for days]]. When he first transitioned from Middleweight to Heavyweight, but kept doing his quick jabs and dodge-and-weave rather than alter his style to match the hard slogging leading Heavyweights of the time, conventional wisdom was that he was a FragileSpeedster who didn't have the toughness to hang with the big boys. He showed them.

** UFC Middleweight champ Anderson Silva is a tall, skinny fighter at 185 lbs and is known for his one-punch knockout power as well as his effortless evasion on the feet.

* Most people remember UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli for his lightning fast speed, but he was also 6'4, 220 pounds, had an [[MadeOfIron iron chin]], an incredibly durable body and [[HeroicResolve heart]] [[TheDeterminator for days]].

** In a similar vein, the increasing pace and skill of players in modern football has caused teams to covet defenders with both speed AND power, along with passing ability. Examples of defenders who exemplify this archetype include Virgil van Dijk, Kalidou Koulibaly, Victor Lindelof, Matthijs de Ligt, Simon Kjaer, Davinson Sánchez, and Aymeric Laporte.

** Tight ends have been evolving this way since Kellen Winslow (Sr.), to the point that the best Tight Ends active in the NFL are basically uncoverable one-on-one. Players like Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, and Jordan Reed are too fast for [[MightyGlacier Linebackers]] and too big and strong for [[FragileSpeedster Cornerbacks]], and you can count the number of Safeties who can match them in both categories on one hand.

** The general positions of the two flankers and the Number 8 (also known as the 'back row' of the scrum) need to be Lightning Bruisers. Faster than the front row, and bigger than the backs, they need to be powerful enough to lend their strength to the rucks, scrums, and mauls, as well as fast enough to break off, enter the ball-carrying phases, and make tackles. Good examples of Lightning Bruisers in these positions are All Black openside flanker Richie [=McCaw=] (the sport's all-time leader in international appearances) and Springbok flanker Schalk Burger.

* Sugar Ray Robinson is still considered the greatest boxer of all time by boxing experts. Thanks in part to his blink-or-you'll-miss hand speed and ungodly punching power, he destroyed his opponents with his [[BornWinner unequaled talent]] and the sheer ferocity of his attack. Ringside attendants said it was like watching a [[DanceBattler dancer]] with the killer instincts of a [[TheBerserker tiger]].

* In [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball Soccer/Football/Calcio]], "box-to-box" midfielders are meant to be this, with their combination of attacking power, defensive prowess, physical strength, stamina, and pace. Current examples include Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba, Luka Modrić, Aaron Ramsey, and Yaya Touré. Past examples include Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard, Deco, and Roy Keane.

** In a similar vein, the increasing pace and skill of players in modern football has caused teams to covet defenders with both speed AND power, along with passing ability. Examples of defenders who exemplify this archetype include Virgil van Dijk, Kalidou Koulibaly, Victor Lindelof, Matthias de Ligt, Davinson Sánchez, and Aymeric Laporte.

* Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao. The man started his career at 106 pounds, has advanced all the way to 147 (almost unheard of in Boxing). And his KO percentage has risen, while he retains the same blinding hand speed he had at lower weights. Ricky Hatton got a little taste of that combination earlier this year, as did Miguel Cotto, both men billed as "bigger and stronger" than Pacquiao, until he put a thoroughly one-sided beat down on both of them. [[CurbStompBattle Hatton got knocked out in the second round]], and the ref jumped in to save Cotto in the final round of their fight.

* As a matter of fact, every single professional boxer may count. Some boxers focus on punching power, punching speed, evasion or blow taking, but there's no such a thing as a slow, weak or fragile boxer.

** The "unicorns" of the NBA are insanely fast, athletic and coordinated 7-footers who have led some to believe that the league is trending back towards an era of dominant big men. Most are in their early twenties at the moment: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porziņģis, Joel Embiid, and even the aforementioned Anthony Davis. The man who coined the term himself, Kevin Durant, is also an example of this trope.

** Also of particular note are Safeties: While they're smaller than Linemen or Linebackers, they also have to be tough hitters and strong tacklers, since they're the "last line of defense" against opposing receivers and rushers. Additionally, the threat of pass plays forces most safeties to take up a coverage role, thus requiring them to be fast enough to cover wide receivers (and, occasionally, running backs and tight ends). Notable safeties of the past who fit the "move fast and hit hard" archetype of the Lightning Bruiser include Ronnie Lott, Brian Dawkins, the late Sean Taylor, Steve Atwater, Ryan Clark, Ed Reed, and Troy Polamalu. Active safeties who fill this role well include Kam Chancellor, Landon Collins, Earl Thomas, Eric Reid, and Eric Berry.

** Tight Ends have been evolving this way since Kellen Winslow (Sr.), to the point that the best Tight Ends active in the NFL are basically uncoverable one-on-one. Players like Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, and Jordan Reed are too fast for [[MightyGlacier Linebackers]] and too big and strong for [[FragileSpeedster Cornerbacks]], and you can count the number of Safeties who can match them in both categories on one hand.

** Junior Dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski, Mirko [=CroCop=] and Alistair Overeem. All of them are heavyweights who strike faster than a lot of lighter guys.

** He was first-team all-state as a sophomore. (He came into the league at 6'8" and wasn't much smaller then than he is now.) Many people speculate to this day on WhatCouldHaveBeen if Lebron had picked football over basketball.

* Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao. The man started his career at 106 pounds, has advanced all the way to 147 (almost unheard of in Boxing). And his KO percentage has risen, while he retains the same blinding handspeed he had at lower weights. Ricky Hatton got a little taste of that combination earlier this year, as did Miguel Cotto, both men billed as "bigger and stronger" than Pacquiao, until he put a thoroughly one-sided beat down on both of them. [[CurbStompBattle Hatton got knocked out in the second round]], and the ref jumped in to save Cotto in the final round of their fight.
* Roy Jones Jr. Possibly the fastest pound for pound fighter in boxing history, Roy Jones also had incredible knockout power for the early part of his career. Watching Roy Jones is an experience in and of itself, he sits back and strikes like a viper. He's like a ninja in the ring...just watch his first knockdown of journeyman Richard Hall. I'm pretty sure he teleports at least once.

* Pro Football Hall of fame Running Back Jim Brown is a great example of this trope. Brown was stronger than many linemen, faster than a lot of defensive backs and he never missed a game. The result was leading the league in rushing yards 8 times in 9 years.

** The Big Dipper Wilt Chamberlain would have to as well. He could run the hundred meters in 10.9 seconds and probably could have been an Olympic Hurdler. He also is in contention for being one of the strongest men in the history of the association with anecdotes of him dunking with smaller players actually just grabbing onto his arms and being taken for a ride.
** Due to the increasingly fast-paced nature of NBA basketball, the best Big men (Power Forwards and Centers) in today's NBA have to be Lightning Bruisers: strong enough to box out opposing centers yet fast and athletic enough to be a factor on motion offenses. Current NBA players who fit this archetype well include Anthony Davis, [=LaMarcus Aldridge=], Blake Griffin, Chris Bosh, Draymond Green, and Al Horford.

** The "unicorns" of the NBA are insanely fast, athletic and coordinated 7-footers who have led some to believe that the league is trending back towards an era of dominant big men. Most are in their early twenties at the moment: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, Joel Embiid, and even the aforementioned Anthony Davis. The man who coined the term himself, Kevin Durant, is also an example of this trope.

* Most people remember Muhammad Ali for his lightning fast speed, but he was also 6'4, 220 pounds, had an [[MadeOfIron iron chin]], an incredibly durable body and [[HeroicResolve heart]] [[TheDeterminator for days]].

** Also of particular note are Safeties: While they're smaller than Linemen or Linebackers, they also have to be tough hitters and strong tacklers, since they're the "Last Line Of Defense" against opposing receivers and rushers. Additionally, the threat of pass plays forces most safeties to take up a coverage role, thus requiring them to be fast enough to cover wide receivers (and, occasionally, running backs and tight ends). Notable safeties of the past who fit the "Move fast and hit hard" archetype of the Lightning Bruiser include Ronnie Lott, Brian Dawkins, the late Sean Taylor, Steve Atwater, Ryan Clark, Ed Reed, and Troy Polamalu. Active safeties who fill this role well include Kam Chancellor, Landon Collins, Earl Thomas, Eric Reid, and Eric Berry.

** Tight Ends have been evolving this way since Kellen Winslow, to the point that the best Tight Ends active in the NFL are basically uncoverable one-on-one. Players like Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, and Jordan Reed are too fast for [[MightyGlacier Linebackers]] and too big and strong for [[FragileSpeedster Cornerbacks]], and you can count the number of Safeties who can match them in both categories on one hand.

** Given the division into weight categories, most fighters are either too small to have real destructive power, or, on the other end of the spectrum, the heavyweights can end careers with a single punch but lack the speed/gas tank to keep it up. In the middleweight (185lbs) and light heavyweight divisions (205lbs), however, there are:

** Junior Dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski, Mirko CroCop and Alistair Overeem. All of them are heavyweights who strike faster than a lot of lighter guys.

* Mario Williams, the defensive end for the Buffalo Bills. He's 6 foot 7, close to 300 pounds, and he runs the 40 yard dash in under 5 seconds. (4.65, to be exact). Or Albert Haynesworth. 6'6", 350 pounds, runs the 40 in 4.93... before he got fat and lazy.
* A lot of the good heavy-weights in "Amateur" Wrestling (e.g. College, High School, and Olympic) tend to be like this. They're big, beefy, but they can go about as quickly as a 105 pounder if they've trained right.

* Mike Tyson was not a large heavyweight, but he punched extremely fast and extremely hard, dispatching many of his opponents with almost insulting ease.
* As a matter of fact, every single professional boxer may count. Some boxers focus on punch power, punching speed, evasion or blow taking, but there's no such a thing as a slow, weak or fragile boxer.
* Many power forwards in the sport of hockey are this. I don't think anyone ever accused Cam Neely or Jarome Iginla of being slow. Most players 6'3 and over are somewhat slower than others but there have been (and are) multiple exceptions to this.

** The general positions of the two flankers and the Number 8 (also known as the 'back row' of the scrum) need to be Lightning Bruisers. Faster than the front row, and bigger than the backs, they need to be powerful enough to lend their strength to the rucks, scrums, and mauls, as well as fast enough to break off, enter the ball-carrying phases, and make tackles. Good examples of Lightning Bruisers in these positions are All-Black openside flanker Richie McCaw and Springbok flanker Schalk Burger.

** All Black winger Jonah Lomu. Powered through those in his path, and outran everyone else.

* The most well known example in Australian Football is Barry Hall. Built like a brick shit house and incredibly strong but faster than any tall defender.

* Roy Jones, Jr. Possibly the fastest pound for pound fighter in boxing history, Roy Jones also had incredible knockout power for the early part of his career. Watching Roy Jones is an experience in and of itself, he sits back and strikes like a viper. He's like a ninja in the ring...just watch his first knockdown of journeyman Richard Hall. I'm pretty sure he teleports at least once.

** Rafael Nadal, one of the greatest current and all-time tennis players, is incredibly fast, strong and has plenty of endurance. This is one of the reasons why he was able to challenge Roger Federer's skills. His one main drawback is that he tends to be injury-prone; of the Big Four, he is the only one who regularly taps out of Grand Slams, and tennis commentators speculate that his career might be cut short because of it.
** Novak Djokovic, in the past, was [[GlassCannon skillful]] and [[FragileSpeedster fast]] enough to challenge Federer and Nadal. But he was mostly [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed by them]] partially due to his body not having enough stamina. Come 2011 and Djokovic [[TheDogBitesBack overshadowed]] ''everybody'', very mostly thanks to him becoming more skillful, ''stronger'', ''faster'' and ''tougher''. His increased endurance rivaled even that of Nadal's. Djokovic even managed to beat Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open final which lasted 5 hours and 53 minutes (which is the record for longest final for any Grand Slam).
* In [[AssociationFootball Soccer/Football/Calcio]], Box-to-box midfielders are meant to be this, with their combination of attacking power, defensive prowess, physical strength, stamina, and pace. Current examples include Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba, Luka Modric, Aaron Ramsey, and Yaya Toure. Past examples include Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard, Deco, and Roy Keane.
** In a similar vein, the increasing pace and skill of players in modern football has caused teams to covet defenders with both speed AND power, along with passing ability. Examples of defenders who exemplify this archetype include Virgil Van Dijk, Kalidou Koulibaly, Victor Lindelof, Matthias De Ligt, Davinson Sanchez, and Aymeric Laporte.

* Lebron James. 6'8", about 250 pounds (most guys his height in the NBA are about 10-30 pounds lighter), also one of the quickest, most agile players in the NBA. It was said of him that while Magic Johnson was the first "point forward", James was the first "point linebacker". Apparently he was an absolute monster as a high school wide receiver.

* Lebron James. 6'8", about 270 pounds (most guys his height in the NBA are about 30-50 pounds lighter), also one of the quickest, most agile players in the NBA. It was said of him that while Magic Johnson was the first "point forward", James was the first "point linebacker". Apparently he was an absolute monster as a high school wide receiver.

** Cain Velasquez, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nY6Pb2x1D0: he outpowered and outspeeded Brock Lesnar on his way to UFC Heavyweight title]] and can push insane pace for the entire duration of a fight.

* Jonah Lomu of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team. Powered through those in his path, and outran everyone else.
*

* MixedMartialArts
** UFC Featherweight champ Jose Aldo fights at 145 lbs and is known for his amazing knockout power in his hands, feet and knees.
** UFC Middleweight champ Anderson Silva is a tall, skinny fighter at 185 lbs and is known for his one-punch knockout power as well as his effortless evasion on the feet. He's [[FunnyAneurysmMoment broken]] UFC records for winning streaks and title defenses.

* Jonah Lomu of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team. Faster than a wide receiver, built like a linebacker. At full speed, he simply powered through defenders like a truck knocks over traffic cones.