Who are most stylistically unorthodox heavyweights?

I think prime Ali is a pretty unanimous example of a fighter with a very unique and expressive style that only a master could pull off with the effectiveness he did. I don't know if more or less vanity would make the style work better though...

Who are some heavyweights that have abandoned many fundamentals or staples of fighting in the interest of developing a much more unorthodox style?

 

TIGER JACK FOX!

 

Ken Norton's style was a nightmare for boxers,

 

I have never heard of this guy but his name is hard, can you tell me about him or provide any good fights to watch?

 

Jack Sharkey and Tony Galento

 

There's no footage of him as far as I know

He beat Jersey Joe Walcott twice in his first career. Walcott spoke very highly of him.

From what I recall he was a big puncher and fought with his hands low.

 

Chris Byrd I think qualifies

 

Baer.

Also just about everybody pre-1914 or so. They look weird on film, and you also get the sense from the accounts of fighter so-and-so learning a trick punch from another guy that they were a bunch of gimmick collectors who built their styles far more individually than people do today. For better or worse. Probably more regional variation back then as well.

 

Roy Jones
Vitali Klitschko
John Ruiz
Hunter Sr

 

who is Hunter Sr?

 

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I think Michael Spinks fits the bill perfectly here, very awkward style.

 

John Ruiz

 

Tommy “Hurricane” Jackson, he of the double uppercut (both hands at the same time) … it might honesty be said that he didn’t really have a style. Kind of windmilled and threw unpredictable punches from unpredictable angles. He was inconsistent but beat a few good men and took Floyd Patterson to a split decision in a title eliminator before Patterson beat Archie Moore. (He also stood between rounds and either hopped around, ran in place or did calisthenics.)

Ossie Ocasio — just had an odd rhythm and some people found it difficult to deal with while others seemed to solve it fairly easily … or decided not to play his game and try to solve it but rather just ignore his style and pour on the punches. Jimmy Young was completely flummoxed twice, but Larry Holmes treated him like a sparring partner.

Renaldo Snipes — spent a lot of time looking at the floor or off to the side. Odd angles and off-cadence punches but one helluva sneaky right hand that came on a very narrow inside angle across his chest sometimes but others he’d loop it overhand. Another guy best approached without trying to actually figure him out.

 

You are usually much more intelligent than that.