Almost every ATG in the top 10, had a style never before seen. These boxers had styles no one has emulated before or since. Duran - Aggression and Defense all at one time. Leonard - Speed and showmanship. J Johnson - Unflappable confidence / Generalship Marciano - Unparalleled stamina and power. Willie Pep - Greatest defensive wizard ever, won a round without throwing a punch. Can you name any others , and describe the things that they had that made them special/unique ?
Ezzard Charles - impeccable balance and footwork. Roy Jones- super human reflexes and hand speed. George Foreman- raw natural power. Pernell Whitiker - defensive genius. Ability to take away opponents game plan.
There is some truth to this indeed! I love the old mongoose, his style and that cross armed defense, as a matter a fact. I cannot remember who may have used it prior to him?.... Just looked up....... He indeed created it !!! Foreman is unique because of his lack of amateur time, and that crushing power, no one quite did it like him. Good picks
Thomas Hearns was one of a kind. 6'1 welterweight with phenomenal skills. That flicking jab, chopping right hand, the way he stalked his opponents, and the wide grin (Qawi-esque). Hearns was a unique fighter imo. I can watch Hearns throwing a 1-2 a million times. Aesthetic. Ali had his own style. Ray Robinson didn't move the way Ali did. Ali was literally floating around the ring. Marvellous footwork. A recent one would be Manny Pacquiao (edit: Hearns/Pacquiao aren't top 10 but ATGs nonetheless).
My last post was more related to skillset instead of unique styles. My bad, I misunderstood. How about Qawi who was really short for a light heavy let alone a Cruserweight at 5'6. Yet he had a 71" reach which is the reach of a 5'10 man.
I've seen Battling Nelson and Max Baer using cross armed defences before Archie. It's also mentioned as a mistake in a treatise from the 1700's. Though his style is obviously still very different.
Maybe not an ATG but Riddick Bowe was arguably the first 6’5” 230+ heavyweight who could fight as well on the inside as when fighting from range. A short stocky near 220Ib heavyweight with knockout power in both hands might not seem too unique but until Mike Tyson came along, no one had that power being delivered with the blazing fast handspeed that could be comparable to the likes of Muhammad Ali and Floyd Patterson who were fighters with totally different physical builds.
I agree with the handspeed of Mike...but sorry (and no offense), watch Ali in the 60s....he was blindingly faster.
I wouldn’t say blindingly faster, That seems a slight exaggeration. In fact there are many that believe that Patterson was faster than Ali but anyway I didn’t actually state that Tyson’s hand speed was faster than either but that it was comparable which IMO, it certainly was.
Late response I apologize Archie unfortunately didn't create the stance he probably made the most use of it he is the first i associate the style personally also George's "Mummy" fighting style wasn't because he was an uneducated brute with limited amateur career it was taught to him by saddler to make the most out of his long arms and freakish strength.
