He certainly had technical skill but he chose to stop using them when he moved up in weight. I remember watching him at 168 and he was technically perfect, and when he used his jab he seemed unbeatable, actually you couldn't land a punch on him at all. Then he stopped using his jab and started focusing on his power and KOing guys after the Griffin fight. He just did not fight in a technical style, not because he didn't have the ability but because he didn't have the personality type for that. He wanted to put on a show even at the risk of getting knocked out.
It wasn't conventional, but the way he was setting out those knockouts IMO took technical skill. He used his jab to great effect against Ruiz. Also great examples from the modern era. Absolutely. The first half is exactly what I'd show to instruct a newb on the fundamentals of offensive and defensive head movement.
James Toney. He had as much skill as anyone in recent years, he could just stand in front of an opponent, avoid their shots and tear them apart with his counterpunches. Guy just had a TON of game. And of course Ray Robinson (that should go without saying). Watching old tapes of the original Sugar just leaves the viewer in awe. But I guess when you fight 10-12 times a year you have plenty of oportunity to hone your craft! :happy
Off the top of my head - Pep, Lopez, Sanchez, Duran, Whitaker, Arguello, Napoles, Buchanan, Hopkins, Toney, Marquez.
re Jones: Good point. Still, I can't consider any fighter "The best, technically" if he uses the low-arms style, even if he has the speed & reflexes to make it work. BTW: Another technically solid fighter, who flies under the radar because of his lack of both power & speed, is Andy Lee. That guy is beautiful to watch. Again, not slick, not fluid, but that's not what we're discussing here. Boxing 'aint ballet.
I'm not saying this guy was a consistently great technician(in fact he may have only done it once!) but I was reminded today of James Buster Douglas,and although people who weren't old enough at the time don't realise just how formidable Tyson was perceived to be,the KD aside,Buster fought an absolutely perfect technical fight that night,refusing to allow Mike to set his feet and jabbing and moving beautifully. It was possibly the most jaw droppingly perfect performance I've seen,given the circumstances surrounding it. I've seen more technically perfect performances,but that has an aura that makes it stand alone. And don't be fooled by that ridiculous scorecard.Douglas was pitching a near shut-out that night.
Great point. People don't give Buster enough credit. Every punch placement, counter, and shove on the inside had a purpose and found a home. The man knew, or made himself know, how to beat Mike Tyson by design.
He got somewhat lazier later on though (when he got knocked down.) You could really see he was pretty angry with himself for letting his guard down (Punching the ground is the clearest example) I don't think anyone came as close as dominating like Douglas did. In the end the blueprint for Tyson was being a bigger man, having a very strong uppercut and the use of lateral movements.
I'm actually shocked no one has mentioned Jose "Mantequilla" Napoles. One of the best guys to blend offense with defense and was a brilliant combination puncher. Just as his nickname implies he had a boxing style that was smooth as butter. Watch his fight with Curtis Cokes, pure brilliance.