Top 10 combination punchers in heavyweight history

Don't get me wrong, Tyson had excellent combo punching in spurts when younger, though he did do quite a bit of lunging in with one punch, too. Also, the head movement was awesome but again, in spurts. He didn't do these things consistently enough.

Tyson also became predictable while still prime - instead of growing & learning, he became a head hunting, two-beat fighter with not much adaptability. It's very sad to me that he couldn't keep it together, he could have achieved so much more if he'd have had a more 'normal' career.

I always loved watching Tyson, don't mean to sound like I'm downing him. I think he is a genuine ATG.

 

You beat me to Patterson! The one thing though, is he was often very much off balance when throwing combinations. Balance in general was a huge issue for Patterson, and imo accounted for the majority of his knock downs, rather than a bad chin.

 

I didn't even catch the username before I started reading this and I still knew it was a BoxedEars comment lmao

 

Liston, for instance, had that third arm though.

 

Out of the ones not mentioned often enough:

a) Andrew Golota had beautiful, accurate, whipping up-and-down combinations when he wanted to.

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b) Ken Norton. Threw every punch invented when is suited him, could really explode into two handed combinations, and often shelled into the crossguard in between the beats. Nasty body puncher.

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Jerry Quarry fight was a good example, with Jerry being one hell of a combination puncher in his own right. Credit to the fantastic HaNZAgod.

Andrew in particular is criminally underrated. He was lavished with praise by Holyfield and Byrd. Big, extremely talented, skilled. Evander noted that he could never stand in front of Riddick and fight him like that. Bowe-Golota I and II really examplified how insane Bowe's recuperative powers were. He was one of those men who take inhuman punishment, delaying its effects until senior years when they take their toll.

Golota destroyed Bowe, but Bowe definitely took something out of Andrew, showing him how much lashing punishment you have to go through to truly triumph against the hardest men of the 90's. Tua-Ibeabuchi and the Golota-Bowe wars would mentally destroy many fighters.

 

Holyfield should be at the top. By far the best combination puncher and timed counter puncher in HW history.
You could shrink Holyfield to flyweight and hed still be good.

Obviously his output slowed as he bulked up and aged but at his best it was masterful.

Then Tyson and Louis
Those guys really picked and placed their punches in a combination. Circumvented defenses like picking a lock.

Ali also put his punches together well but it was more of a flurry

 

1.Joe Louis
2.Mike Tyson
3.Muhammad Ali
4.Evander Holyfield
5.Sonny Liston
6.Jack Dempsey
7.George Foreman
8.Floyd Patterson
9.Larry Holmes
10.Riddick Bowe

 

Riddick Bowe threw excellent combinations for a large man. He looked awesome putting them together against Dokes and Ferguson. Very fluid

 

Defo Holy.

See: Holyfield-Foreman and then: what was left of THAT -Holyfield vs. Tyson (of all people).

Holyfield was a shell of that vs. Tyson.. but still..

 

Holyfield was in no way a shell. He looked shot due to his "medical problems" but his reflexes were still there and so was his timing on counters, exquisite, 100% on point, even against a fearsome explosive puncher. He himself stated that he never took Tysons shots clean in that fight(when asked about tysons power) and he countered Tysons overhand right to death. His output and workrate had declined with the added muscle but he had become much smarter, more wily and crafty. His defensive reflexes and legs declined after that, as seen vs Ruiz when the same type of lunging one at a time power shots hit him clean.
Tyson 1 and Bowe 2 are the best overall versions of Holyfield, he thrived on being an underdog, it morivated him, not to mention he was obsessed with Tyson, which probably raised his game another 10%

But in terms of combination punching, the younger lighter version was more impressive

 

Bowe looking awesome against Dokes and Ferguson is like a guy from a local bar looking awesome against the heavy bag.
Disgraceful title defenses.

 

Marquez.

 

Rocky Marciano had a good left right combination, something Archie Moore had no answer for lol.