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Started By
Message
Boxing fans: Give me your top 10 all-time heavyweights
Posted on 7/4/25 at 5:17 pm
Posted on 7/4/25 at 5:17 pm
I will start, not going to worry if you downvote or disagree with my opinions, this stuff is supposed to be all in fun not serious business. (I also don't rate athletes in any sport as far as all-time status until they are retired and their hay is completely in the barn.)
1. Muhammad Ali: The Greatest ... had more pop than he was given credit for, go look up the left hook that he absolutely ruined Oscar Bonavena, who had never been knocked out before and was never knocked out again, with in 1970 following a head fake for the ages.
2. Joe Louis: It had to be like watching Death coming toward you. He didn't just knock people out, he messed them up, some of his opponents literally carried the scars to their graves.
3. Larry Holmes: I didn't care for him in real time but I've grown to appreciate him retroactively. Plus I admire him for walking away with his brain and his bank account intact.
4 Jack Johnson: A lot of folks today dismiss him, I don't.
5. Rocky Marciano: I think a lot of people on this list would clobber him in a head-to-head fight because of their sheer physical advantages, although he'd die trying. But the man beat everyone who was across the ring from him in his time and place and that must be acknowledged.
6. George Foreman: IMO if you could stick Old George's brain in Young George's body, you'd have the GOAT.
7. Joe Frazier: The night he beat Ali in the Fight of the Century, he might have beaten any heavyweight who ever lived, including Thanos.
8. Sonny Liston: There was an aroma to his career toward the end but in his prime ... and he won the title after his prime ... he was something to behold, monstrous power plus he actually was an excellent technical boxer.
9. Mike Tyson: People are going to tell me this is too low; I will answer them by saying prime Tyson could have beaten any heavyweight who ever lived on a given night; the problem is that prime was painfully short plus he couldn't escape his demons.
10. Lennox Lewis: A study in excellence.
Honorable mention: Evander Holyfield, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Vladimir Klitschko, Ezzard Charles
1. Muhammad Ali: The Greatest ... had more pop than he was given credit for, go look up the left hook that he absolutely ruined Oscar Bonavena, who had never been knocked out before and was never knocked out again, with in 1970 following a head fake for the ages.
2. Joe Louis: It had to be like watching Death coming toward you. He didn't just knock people out, he messed them up, some of his opponents literally carried the scars to their graves.
3. Larry Holmes: I didn't care for him in real time but I've grown to appreciate him retroactively. Plus I admire him for walking away with his brain and his bank account intact.
4 Jack Johnson: A lot of folks today dismiss him, I don't.
5. Rocky Marciano: I think a lot of people on this list would clobber him in a head-to-head fight because of their sheer physical advantages, although he'd die trying. But the man beat everyone who was across the ring from him in his time and place and that must be acknowledged.
6. George Foreman: IMO if you could stick Old George's brain in Young George's body, you'd have the GOAT.
7. Joe Frazier: The night he beat Ali in the Fight of the Century, he might have beaten any heavyweight who ever lived, including Thanos.
8. Sonny Liston: There was an aroma to his career toward the end but in his prime ... and he won the title after his prime ... he was something to behold, monstrous power plus he actually was an excellent technical boxer.
9. Mike Tyson: People are going to tell me this is too low; I will answer them by saying prime Tyson could have beaten any heavyweight who ever lived on a given night; the problem is that prime was painfully short plus he couldn't escape his demons.
10. Lennox Lewis: A study in excellence.
Honorable mention: Evander Holyfield, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Vladimir Klitschko, Ezzard Charles
This post was edited on 7/4/25 at 5:19 pm
23
Posted on 7/4/25 at 5:22 pm to InkStainedWretch
Seems we do this once a year.
Um, 7. Frazier was never beating Foreman, period. Same reason Tyson never would.
Surprised Dempsey not on the list.
Um, 7. Frazier was never beating Foreman, period. Same reason Tyson never would.
Surprised Dempsey not on the list.
Posted on 7/4/25 at 5:31 pm to prplhze2000
FOTC Frazier would have given a better account of himself and could have made it interesting but the problem is he only existed that one night in history against Ali. I agree a 5-11 straight ahead left hooker is going to have a tough time with George.
I love Dempsey but people have come along after him that pushed him down the list. But 11th or 12th all time is hitting a pretty good lick and he’d be hell for any opponent.
I love Dempsey but people have come along after him that pushed him down the list. But 11th or 12th all time is hitting a pretty good lick and he’d be hell for any opponent.
This post was edited on 7/4/25 at 5:33 pm
Posted on 7/4/25 at 5:55 pm to InkStainedWretch
quote:
InkStainedWretch
That's a great list. I might quibble in two places.
4. Jack Johnson. I might exclude him for the simple reason that the film on him, which is pre-WWI, is of such poor quality that it's hard to get a sense of how good he really was. He was clearly the best heavyweight of his day, but his day was so different. All those fighters had jobs; training was primitive, etc. So I don't discount him. It's just hard to fairly evaluate him. But again, he was the best of his day and that counts for something.
6. George Foreman: I'd switch Foreman and Larry Homes. Foreman is # 3 IMO
Posted on 7/4/25 at 5:57 pm to InkStainedWretch
1. Joe Louis
2. Muhammad Ali
3. George Foreman
4.Jack Dempsey
5. Rocky Marciano
6. Jack Johnson
7. Sam Langford
8. Oleksandr Usyk
9. Lennox Lewis
10. Larry Holmes
2. Muhammad Ali
3. George Foreman
4.Jack Dempsey
5. Rocky Marciano
6. Jack Johnson
7. Sam Langford
8. Oleksandr Usyk
9. Lennox Lewis
10. Larry Holmes
Posted on 7/4/25 at 5:59 pm to InkStainedWretch
quote:
Rocky Marciano
Kicked
quote:
Joe Louis
's arse.
Posted on 7/4/25 at 6:06 pm to InkStainedWretch
quote:
Tyson could have beaten any heavyweight who ever lived on a given night
Yet couldn't beat any of his HW contemporaries.
What was his best victory? Razor Ruddick? A washed up Larry Holmes? Michael Spinks?
Posted on 7/4/25 at 6:13 pm to InkStainedWretch
quote:
Evander Holyfield
Shouldn't be ranked below Tyson. He owned Tyson. Whupped him once, then Tyson had to resort to biting when the same thing was happening in the rematch.
Posted on 7/4/25 at 6:13 pm to InkStainedWretch
Nice list.
Good point.
Nah.
Happy 4th.
quote:
George Foreman: IMO if you could stick Old George's brain in Young George's body, you'd have the GOAT.
Good point.
quote:
Tyson could have beaten any heavyweight who ever lived on a given night
Nah.
Happy 4th.
Posted on 7/4/25 at 6:21 pm to Bestbank Tiger
When Joe was 37 years old and shot and only fighting to keep the taxman at bay.
Posted on 7/4/25 at 6:23 pm to InkStainedWretch
quote:
When Joe was 37 years old
He was 137 years old.
Posted on 7/4/25 at 6:24 pm to RD Dawg
You left out the word “peak” Tyson, meaning Tyson at his absolute best, like the night he had Michael Spinks pissing his pants. He had a very short window of being able to reach that level.
Posted on 7/4/25 at 6:34 pm to L.A.
Good points.
Posted on 7/4/25 at 6:36 pm to InkStainedWretch
Marciano
Louis
Ali
Foreman
Frazier
Dempsey
Johnson
Lennox
Fury
Tyson
Louis
Ali
Foreman
Frazier
Dempsey
Johnson
Lennox
Fury
Tyson
Posted on 7/4/25 at 6:37 pm to InkStainedWretch
quote:
When Joe was 37 years old and shot and only fighting to keep the taxman at bay.
Exactly, Marciano looked up to Louis and didn't want that fight. Louis didn't want it either, but he needed it. He was an old 37. It was sad.
If anyone wants to see a great fight between Marciano and an older fighter who still had something left in the tank, check out the first fight between Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott. Walcott was 38 and the new heavyweight champion. Marciano was 29, 42-0 and the top rated challenger. Going into the 13th round, Walcott was ahead on all three official scorecards. It's considered one of the greatest heavyweight fights ever.
This post was edited on 7/4/25 at 6:41 pm
Posted on 7/4/25 at 6:45 pm to L.A.
Yeah, Walcott made the mistake of letting Rocky back him against the ropes and “KAPOW.”
Posted on 7/4/25 at 6:58 pm to InkStainedWretch
No 45 year old will ever win a championship like Foreman did in any major sport.
Posted on 7/4/25 at 7:14 pm to InkStainedWretch
1. Muhammad Ali
2. Lennox Lewis
3. Joe Louis
4. Larry Holmes
5. Vitali Klitschko
6. Wladimir Klitschko
7. George Foreman
8. Mike Tyson
9. Joe Frazier
10. Evander Holyfield
2. Lennox Lewis
3. Joe Louis
4. Larry Holmes
5. Vitali Klitschko
6. Wladimir Klitschko
7. George Foreman
8. Mike Tyson
9. Joe Frazier
10. Evander Holyfield
Posted on 7/4/25 at 7:24 pm to InkStainedWretch
Ali, Tyson, Frazier, Foreman.
I really did not see the others.
There was a Cuban Olympic heavyweight who was really good.
Teófilo Stevenson
I really did not see the others.
There was a Cuban Olympic heavyweight who was really good.
Teófilo Stevenson
Posted on 7/4/25 at 7:26 pm to InkStainedWretch
What could've been with Sonny. Dude was abandoned by his mother, and basically his father, and just kept on climbing up from that mud.
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