Top ten Heavyweights in the post Ali Era

[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.

[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.

[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

[Trainer Monkey]

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

Because that was like beating your grandfathers ass,back in the day he might of torched you,but he still needs a walker now