If Lewis, Holyfield, Bowe, Tyson, & Foreman are the Top 5 HW's in the 90's, who's #6?

[Master]

I think Mercer could beat AJ if he fought him around the time he took on Lewis - under those conditions which were a fight in New York, small ring and the crowd all supporting him.

[El Kabong]

Nothing against Frank of course. I just find it funny how 'today's heavyweights are a joke.....couldn't live with the one's of the 90's' What they mean of course is they couldn't beat a prime Lewis, Tyson, Holyfield.

You hear it all the time, and it's nonsense.

And every old "expert" back in the 90s confidently predicted Lewis and Tyson and Holyfield would've never lived with past heavyweight greats. It's all rose tinted bollocks.

Not just would AJ/Fury/Wilder slot in amongst the wins and losses of ANY top heavyweight from the 90s you can also throw in the Povetkin's and Whyte's and Ortiz and Parker's.

These guys would have beat some and lost to others, it just depends on who matched up best stylistically.

I agree, styles make fights....Lennox Lewis, known to start slow or be poorly motivated in certain fights (cough, cough BRUNO) put him in with a free swinging Deontay Wilder and hell who knows. Wilder has seemed to be able to connect and follow up vs damned near everyone...HOWEVER what about Wilder vs Chris Byrd? Swing and a miss, swing and a miss, swing and a miss a much smaller target than Tyson Fury it would be tough. Mike Tyson would eat Deontay Wilder alive, I think Tyson Fury would have been very difficult for Mike Tyson to beat just given the size and style of the guy. Evander Holyfield IMO is other than Joe Louis the most difficult matchup for ANY heavyweight of ANY era....I think Holyfield vs Ali Prime vs Prime would have ended with 1 fighter dying just due to their styles being absolutely awful for each other.

You're absolutely right though, it's a case by case basis. Styles make fights.

I think Mercer could beat AJ if he fought him around the time he took on Lewis - under those conditions which were a fight in New York, small ring and the crowd all supporting him.

Oh absolutely, Ray Mercer on his night was tough for anyone. He gave Lewis and Holyfield hell....too bad he struggled with Hepatitis B. Ray was supposed to fight Bruno (what a brawl that would have been!) at one point in time.

[Syntax Error]

If you factor in the decade as a whole, then Ike Ibeabuchi is certainly the most dangerous HW outside of those top 5 guys, but he was late 90s, whereas those top 5 guys were, Lewis excepted were largely done by the late 90s.

Only Lewis maintained prime form into the late 90s & into the next decade.