Most technically skilled ATG Heavyweight?

This ^ Ali relied a lot on his superb physical gifts.

My picks are Louis, Wlad and Holmes, for different reasons.

But what they all had in common was good balance, great jabs and correct punching technique.

Put a gun to my head and I'll pick Wlad although I can totally see the argument for the other two.

 

Great post.

Holyfield certainly was the complete package. What I didn't like about him was his tendency to go to war with guys that he shouldn't. He didn't always have the best judgement.

 

Ali isn't imo technically sound. No body punching, no inside game its got massive holes in. I agree with you, evander was special and the most complete heavy ive ever seen. He'd of wreaked havoc in the 70's and 80's with the golden bunch, I could see him beating all of them. Its the super heavys he struggled with, and he still won some. Theres no such thing as a combination punching heavyweight anymore

 

Seriously, the most technically gifted is Joe Louis with Lennox Lewis a close second.

 

Cus D'Amato trained Mike Tyson.

I guess people underrate his technical abilities because he also had so much athletic gifts, power and explosiveness, but technique-wise his punches were absolutely perfect. There has never been a HW with such a wide array of perfect technical punches that he could implement in any moment without ever throwing a punch recklessly. Also the way he implemented angles, his offensive footwork and head movement. The way he was always perfectly balanced when moving forward with speed and able to immediately sit on his punches. That's pure boxing technique.

I don't why people associate being technical with some defensive jabbers. You can be technical offensive boxer just as well. I literally can't remember prime Tyson throwing a single punch that wasn't a textbook perfect boxing punch. It's not only about the jab (and Tyson did have a beautiful stiff jab too which was also very technical), how many boxers can throw that perfect short narrow hook with devastating power? Or that beautiful Mike Tyson uppercut where he shifted the weight absolutely perfectly? Furthermore he was able to throw those punches in lighting fast combos without ever flailing around or throwing some looping "windmill" punches. It was beautiful to watch. Watch him in slow motion, literally every punch is technically correct, even when he's going for the kill and throwing punches in bunches.

How the hell can Ali have more votes than Tyson here is beyond me. Ali relied on speed, his chin and unorthodox moves. He didn't even go to the body and his straight punches looked horrible technique wise (they were effective though obviously).

I love Klitschko but come on, he is a two trick pony. Jab, jab, lean back/clinch or jab, jab, right hand. His hooks aren't anything special technique-wise and his uppercuts are non-existent.

Prime Mike Tyson was a sum of complex difficult to master offensive techniques and maneuvers molded into one fluid mechanical style. Maybe that's why people don't look at him as technical boxer because he made everything look so natural and instinctive.

 

Dustin Nichols

 

Louis
Holmes
Ali

 

No idea how Wlad is beating Ali in this. Ali would have boxed the hell out of any version of Wlad. The jab and move would make Wlad look amateur in fact.

 

That's what I said. Best fundamental boxing skill for a Heavyweight, plus "bonus outside-of-the-ring skills" on top.

 

No, you didn't say that, you said

But if by "ANYTHING" fundamentals is what you meant then I will have to respectfully disagree on Ali. I subscribe to the view that Ali's best attributes were physical/mental.