Most technically skilled heavyweight champion vote?

Joe Louis. Ali was slightly better but unorthodox. He relied more on his physical gifts than on superior technique.

How do you have Rocky Marciano up there but no Larry Holmes?

 

Ezzard Charles would get a vote in the pound for pound most technically skilled boxer ever.
How could you leave Ezzard Charles out ? He would be my number one vote at HW .

 

I'd say Larry Holmes, as far as fundamental and technical skillset goes.

 

Larry Holmes.

You can't do a poll like this without him; you'll have to add him.

 

Hard to say, because technically gifted is a very fluid and subjective term and not always necessarily based on career success.
For example, Patterson was gifted, but too small, and Tyson was gifted, but mentally soft.
Ali, the most gifted of all, was so gifted he didn't follow the basic rules.
Others, like Norton was physically gifted, but had a soft chin.
I guess there is always a trade-off, and the opposition faced will reveal the trade-off over time.

 

Yeah a tall mans fight plan isnt too difficult to grasp compared to a shorter heavyweight. Takes a lot of fitness just bobin, weaving and chasing, let alone dishing out and receiving punches. 20 year old Tyson was technically sound given the difficulty in how he won fights, IMO way harder than what some others did.

 

Prime Muhammad Ali and nobody else comes close.

 

Who is second? Holmes Louis, Lewis, Tyson or Holyfield. Probably Louis.

 

Probably Ali lol.

 

Tyson was a freak and very skilled at what he did, but he didn't have a wide skill set because he was VERY physically limited, yet that is a contradiction too. He developed into that freak of nature because that was the best use of his deep yet limited frame and Cus saw that and sharpened the hell out of it. I voted Ali, I don't see any HW with his combo of wide skills, knowledge of the fight game, and self sacrifice.

 

In what way was Ali unorthodox?

 

Yep...hard to argue against the young Ali who walked the talk. Defintely a technician and somewhat a pioneer of what we see in todays boxing.