Top ten Heavyweights in the post Ali Era

[Gandalf]

Prime Tyson really was the best Imo and I dont see the point in devaluing him over time. He was great and could beat any fighter in the history of heavyweight boxing.

[Trainer Monkey]

Great thread! tough call but here how I have it:

1- Larry Holmes
2-Lennox Lewis
3- Evander Holyfield
4-Mike Tyson
5-George Foreman
6-Riddick Bowe
7-Wlad Klitschko
8-Michael Moorer
9-Vitali Klitschko
10-Cant think of anyone else worth mention..

Put in Witherspoon at 10 and switch Lewis and Holyfield,and that would be pretty close to my list

[C-Lo]

I think Lewis, Holyfield, and Holmes can all have a case for being #1. Those three are, I believe, above the rest of the heavyweight division post-Ali era by a long shot. With Tyson really close by the three of them.

I'm actually surprised that Holyfield hasn't hit a top spot in anyone's list yet.

[LEGION]

Prime Tyson really was the best Imo and I dont see the point in devaluing him over time. He was great and could beat eat any fighter in the history of heavyweight boxing.

True, true.....

[JonnyFolds]

Coming off the Klitzchko vs Tyson thread, I thought this would be an interesting concept......
The danger, and I'm sure I'll succumb to it, is forgetting someone who belongs.....but here goes....

9. MIchael Moorer - Listening to Teddy Atlas against Foreman, in what was moving towards being his greatest fight, and a little more discipline - or, ok, a lot more could have seen him move way up on this list. First left-handed Heavyweight Champion in forever, and one of the few Light-Heavyweights to make the jump to heavy. Could have been so much more...

Also rans.......all of the WBA and then WBC champs of the 1980s - and a few contenders.....JohnRuiz, Nikolai Valuev, Greg Page, Gerrie Coetzee, Mike Weaver, Gerry Cooney, Chris Byrd, David Tua, etc......too many to remember.....and oh yeah......Buster Douglas......I just hope I didn't forget anyone on the top ten list.....but Bruce Seldon, Frank Bruno, and the like won't crack it, and niether will Michael Spinks......

Love to hear your thoughts.....

I Don't remember if Atlas was in his corner for that fight. But most notable to me was Atlas in his corner against Holyfield urging him on. Atlas, sitting on Moorer's stool telling him to pick up the pace, don't look back, you're gonna regret this o bad if you lose, etc. What a corner-man/trainer. You can see Moorer on the verge of just turning on Atlas and quitting. Probably thinking about how the TV is catching all these antics, and what a trained monkey he must look like!

[Gandalf]

Prime Tyson really was the best Imo and I dont see the point in devaluing him over time. He was great and could beat eat any fighter in the history of heavyweight boxing.

True, true.....

But seriously. Anybody can be a revisionist, it doesnt make it any more true. Tyson has been devalued. If he had retired once in jail he would be rated far higher.

[SweetPea]

Sorry I don't have a full list, but I think Holmes is clearly #1 and Lewis is the clear #2.

[BoomBoom]

Great thread! tough call but here how I have it:

1- Larry Holmes
2-Lennox Lewis
3- Evander Holyfield
4-Mike Tyson
5-George Foreman
6-Riddick Bowe
7-Wlad Klitschko
8-Michael Moorer
9-Vitali Klitschko
10-Cant think of anyone else worth mention..

Put in Witherspoon at 10 and switch Lewis and Holyfield,and that would be pretty close to my list

After some thought i think ill put Ray Mercer at #10. Holyfield at #2 is a good choice. You could really switch Lewis and Holyfield, I think they are both to par as far as greatness, though overall I perfer Holy also.

[VictorCharlie]

I can never decide how I want to rate guys. Best career, Most talented, heads up, mythical prime vs prime fight. Just my short list

Holmes
Holy
Lewis
Tyson
Bowe
Vitali
Wlad
Foreman
Moorer

[WelshDevilRob]

Lewis No.1 for me with Larry at No.2.
He beat better fighters in his career than Holmes did in his.
A points win for Lennox - Larry had a better jab but Lennox brought power and could easily match Larry for boxing skills and ring generalship.

Would have been nice if Larry fought some of his peers like Tubbs, Thomas, Tucker, Coetzee, Tate, Page regardless of whether he would have beaten them how come he never fought them. A 15-0 Witherspoon beat him on many cards - maybe just a bad day at the office for Larry.

The rest are a pick and mix but Tysons reign was much more impressive than Holyfields or Bowes and in his prime I would have favoured him to beat them.

[Bomp]

Lewis No.1 for me with Larry at No.2.
He beat better fighters in his career than Holmes did in his.
A points win for Lennox - Larry had a better jab but Lennox brought power and could easily match Larry for boxing skills and ring generalship.

Would have been nice if Larry fought some of his peers like Tubbs, Thomas, Tucker, Coetzee, Tate, Page regardless of whether he would have beaten them how come he never fought them. A 15-0 Witherspoon beat him on many cards - maybe just a bad day at the office for Larry.

The rest are a pick and mix but Tysons reign was much more impressive than Holyfields or Bowes and in his prime I would have favoured him to beat them.

Tyson's a toughie, he gets way overrated by some, and way under by others. The thread starter asked who did he beat, but who the hell did Larry beat? And just like you said here, his actual reign was better than Bowe/Evander, yet of course Evander did beat Mike which makes them difficult to rank.

It's this mythical unbeatable in his prime bollocks that comes up every time, and which will make this thread eventually 10 pages long.

He was a special fighter in his prime, and would have been a handful for ANYBODY, but there is also plenty of evidence that if you could push him close then he'd be the one to crack.

[rjj tszyu]

Good list! Only thing is. Are you talking about prime Foreman who was fighting during Ali's era or the fat shadow that came back and won an alphabet title with one punch in a fight he lost ever other second of? If the latter then a fair positioning but if we are talking about primes then Foreman is head and shoulders above the rest!

[Trainer Monkey]

Great thread! tough call but here how I have it:

1- Larry Holmes
2-Lennox Lewis
3- Evander Holyfield
4-Mike Tyson
5-George Foreman
6-Riddick Bowe
7-Wlad Klitschko
8-Michael Moorer
9-Vitali Klitschko
10-Cant think of anyone else worth mention..

Put in Witherspoon at 10 and switch Lewis and Holyfield,and that would be pretty close to my list

After some thought i think ill put Ray Mercer at #10. Holyfield at #2 is a good choice. You could really switch Lewis and Holyfield, I think they are both to par as far as greatness, though overall I perfer Holy also.

Im not a huge fan of Holyfield because,and Im saying this as a Hopkins fan,he's too dirty,but I cant deny what he accomplished. He owned the division for years after Tysons fall from grace.

[HattonTheHammer]

Put in Witherspoon at 10 and switch Lewis and Holyfield,and that would be pretty close to my list

After some thought i think ill put Ray Mercer at #10. Holyfield at #2 is a good choice. You could really switch Lewis and Holyfield, I think they are both to par as far as greatness, though overall I perfer Holy also.

Im not a huge fan of Holyfield because,and Im saying this as a Hopkins fan,he's too dirty,but I cant deny what he accomplished. He owned the division for years after Tysons fall from grace.

How the hell does one actually justify putting arguably the greatest heavyweight of the last 20 years behind a man who just got out pointed by nikolay valuev

[Lance Uppercut]

Good list! Only thing is. Are you talking about prime Foreman who was fighting during Ali's era or the fat shadow that came back and won an alphabet title with one punch in a fight he lost ever other second of? If the latter then a fair positioning but if we are talking about primes then Foreman is head and shoulders above the rest!

Foreman was THE WORLD Heavyweight Champion after knocking out Moorer. Your selling him short by referring to it as an alphabet title.