Which heavyweights had the most effective style even if they were old?

[Mike_b]

Lennox Lewis, stay on the back foot, pumping a power jab, closing in with a nice right straight or looping right hand, conserving energy not wasting energy, keeping distance, boring at times, a lot of holding and leaning on the opponents back, sometimes hit and hold (Michael grant) nice high guard, pull the waiste protector up like a chest protector. And knock guys the eff out of there.

What other styles are effective for old hws? I bring this up because wlad Klitschko is sparring again at 45 on twitter. Also, just for the sake of it; which heavyweights had a style suited to a young man's game only?

[Marchegiano]

Joe Walcott and it isn't even close.

I think Joe gets it hard because timing and what he was up against so there's very little honest review over his body of work, but, this dude pioneered the bag of tricks.

I mean, look at how much praise Tunney gets for being one of the first guys to have a guard and movement worth half a ****. If people today boxed like Gene Tunney boxing would be very, very, basic because his pioneering, not so sword fighting, way of boxing is the foundation for the modern hit and don't be hit form. Did he rope-a-dope? Did he shuffle? Shoulder roll? No. So one has to admit Tunney may be a pioneer but Tunney is not the man to call the begining of modern boxing. What do we call a boxer who has a jab, decent feet, and a guard? Amateur? Because it is, it's an amateur style these days you're meant to build on.

Someone did and they are still stacking that someone's pioneering work on Tunney's to form what is the complete picture of the modern boxer.

Who added since Joe? Ali? Made Joe's techniques super famous but you can hardly call Ali a real pioneer given half his bag of tricks comes straight from Walcott and the other half can't be attributed to Joe because they're older.

Shuffle=Joe
Shoulder=Joe
Corkscrew=McCoy
Rope-a-dope=LaStarza

Ali = the mother ****er everyone mimics.


So, imo, the modern boxer, not puncher just boxer, is Tunney+Walcott+McCoy+LaStarza with maybe some of Moore if they shell. Name me a boxer who brought a technique at least one of these cats did not use but is a staple for elite boxing today.


Only one of them added to that tapestry as an old man. Old Joe is smooth like butter dripping off a fresh stack of pancakes and was not out boxed but rather out gunned in his aged prime.


Conversely, what did Foreman do? What did Louis do? Old guys came back and did well but did they become champion(singular) while pioneering techniques that would be passed down from generation to generation? Nope, because that is Joe Walcott and Joe Walcott alone. He needed to be tougher and stronger, not smoother, not trickier, he tricked TF out Charles, Louis, and Marciano....Rocky ain't playing magician though.

You can tell me an old dude did better than Joe, wins and losses, but all thing considered I don't think there has ever or will ever be another old'en who had the impact Joe Walcott had doing nothing but displaying skills so obviously genius even in losing he's the major influence on the next major name to take up being smooth and slick at HW.

Ali has very little Marciano in him. A whole lot of Walcott though....and Walcott lost. Think about that a while. Foreman might have beaten Schultz or whatever....kinda...but who then started boxing like Foreman? No one. B-Hop was excellent as an old man, who took some B-Hop style on? Exactly, Joe Walcott son'd them sons before they even stepped to his category.

Ain't no one aged like Joe aged.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

Would have to say George Foreman based on what he achieved.

[deathofaclown]

Would have to say George Foreman based on what he achieved.

Probably, I mean he did lose plenty of his big fights his comeback, but he was always dangerous because his style revolved around nothing but power basically. He never tried to do anything he couldn’t and it worked.

I think that’s probably the best shout because he was closer to 50 than 40 when he beat Moorer.

People will say the likes of Wlad, But he pretty much kept the same style for about a decade before he started losing again in his late 30s , so I wouldn’t say it was massively effective because he was pretty much doing it in his early thirties too. He just ended up running into a younger and better fighter in Fury. So I would say his style obviously wasn’t that effective late on, Especially when it was heavily reliant on being deceptively quick at taking a back step, which obviously isn’t ideal when you’re getting older.

I wonder if Wilder could be effective when he’s older because of that power, but I would say probably not because his punches are pretty quick and explosive rather than being a plodding thudder like Foreman

[REDEEMER]

James Toney is one , he used very little energy and style was to slip and ride shots. He’s not a true top heavyweight but if we’re talking older he has the style that would let him slide by against many but maybe not the top guys .


Id vote Wlad Klitschko who can still come back and beat 90% of today’s guys .

[REDEEMER]

Probably, I mean he did lose plenty of his big fights his comeback, but he was always dangerous because his style revolved around nothing but power basically. He never tried to do anything he couldn’t and it worked.

I think that’s probably the best shout because he was closer to 50 than 40 when he beat Moorer.

People will say the likes of Wlad, But he pretty much kept the same style for about a decade before he started losing again in his late 30s , so I wouldn’t say it was massively effective because he was pretty much doing it in his early thirties too. He just ended up running into a younger and better fighter in Fury. So I would say his style obviously wasn’t that effective late on, Especially when it was heavily reliant on being deceptively quick at taking a back step, which obviously isn’t ideal when you’re getting older.

I wonder if Wilder could be effective when he’s older because of that power, but I would say probably not because his punches are pretty quick and explosive rather than being a plodding thudder like Foreman

You say Foreman but it wasn’t his style it was his abilities to take a punch ,if someone his age did that they wouldn’t last long at all .

The question is a trick question in itself because a style has to fit the fighter ,Klitschko has more abilities to sustain far less damage then Foreman with his height reach and speed .

[removed]

Larry Holmes comes to mind.

Did really well against a prime Holyfield despite being 42 & chubby. He was clearly past his best but still put up a great fight, the only thing that got Holyfield through that fight was his youth.

[Mike_b]

Joe Walcott and it isn't even close.

I think Joe gets it hard because timing and what he was up against so there's very little honest review over his body of work, but, this dude pioneered the bag of tricks.

I mean, look at how much praise Tunney gets for being one of the first guys to have a guard and movement worth half a ****. If people today boxed like Gene Tunney boxing would be very, very, basic because his pioneering, not so sword fighting, way of boxing is the foundation for the modern hit and don't be hit form. Did he rope-a-dope? Did he shuffle? Shoulder roll? No. So one has to admit Tunney may be a pioneer but Tunney is not the man to call the begining of modern boxing. What do we call a boxer who has a jab, decent feet, and a guard? Amateur? Because it is, it's an amateur style these days you're meant to build on.

Someone did and they are still stacking that someone's pioneering work on Tunney's to form what is the complete picture of the modern boxer.

Who added since Joe? Ali? Made Joe's techniques super famous but you can hardly call Ali a real pioneer given half his bag of tricks comes straight from Walcott and the other half can't be attributed to Joe because they're older.

Shuffle=Joe
Shoulder=Joe
Corkscrew=McCoy
Rope-a-dope=LaStarza

Ali = the mother ****er everyone mimics.


So, imo, the modern boxer, not puncher just boxer, is Tunney+Walcott+McCoy+LaStarza with maybe some of Moore if they shell. Name me a boxer who brought a technique at least one of these cats did not use but is a staple for elite boxing today.


Only one of them added to that tapestry as an old man. Old Joe is smooth like butter dripping off a fresh stack of pancakes and was not out boxed but rather out gunned in his aged prime.


Conversely, what did Foreman do? What did Louis do? Old guys came back and did well but did they become champion(singular) while pioneering techniques that would be passed down from generation to generation? Nope, because that is Joe Walcott and Joe Walcott alone. He needed to be tougher and stronger, not smoother, not trickier, he tricked TF out Charles, Louis, and Marciano....Rocky ain't playing magician though.

You can tell me an old dude did better than Joe, wins and losses, but all thing considered I don't think there has ever or will ever be another old'en who had the impact Joe Walcott had doing nothing but displaying skills so obviously genius even in losing he's the major influence on the next major name to take up being smooth and slick at HW.

Ali has very little Marciano in him. A whole lot of Walcott though....and Walcott lost. Think about that a while. Foreman might have beaten Schultz or whatever....kinda...but who then started boxing like Foreman? No one. B-Hop was excellent as an old man, who took some B-Hop style on? Exactly, Joe Walcott son'd them sons before they even stepped to his category.

Ain't no one aged like Joe aged.

Never had the privilege of watching jersey Joe Walcott. But a nice read btw.

[daggum]

Lennox Lewis, stay on the back foot, pumping a power jab, closing in with a nice right straight or looping right hand, conserving energy not wasting energy, keeping distance, boring at times, a lot of holding and leaning on the opponents back, sometimes hit and hold (Michael grant) nice high guard, pull the waiste protector up like a chest protector. And knock guys the eff out of there.

What other styles are effective for old hws? I bring this up because wlad Klitschko is sparring again at 45 on twitter. Also, just for the sake of it; which heavyweights had a style suited to a young man's game only?

that was a hilarious cheat fest. first knockdown he had his arm behind grants head so he could steady the target for an uppercut and grant couldnt move out of the way. second knockdown he is literally holding the guy behind the head and bashing him with his other arm over and over. the ref even yells break and lennox bashes him again which makes him fall into the ropes. the ref seems to instantly forget he just yelled break and rules it a knockdown even though it clearly came after he yelled break(not to mention was an illegal punch). by this point grant is essentially a walking zombie staggering around the ring and lennox blasts him with the only clean knockdown. then in round 2 lewis clearly once again holds grant behind the head and delivers a huge ko uppercut that ends the fight. its a shame no one knew the rules that night! there was money to be made!

[RoadOfTheGypsy]

Id vote Wlad Klitschko who can still come back and beat 90% of today’s guys .

I say Wlad and George Foreman.
Wlad really could beat most of these guys even today, hell, I give Wladimir a chance against AJ and Fury.

As for the worst style for someone who is in their 40s etc. I'd say the Mike Tyson style, basically brawling/infighting is your enemy in your 40s.

I always think defence first personally. I love boxing, but I also would love to hang it up with braincells. A passion for a hobby isn't worth dying for