Top Ten Heavyweight Champs of All-Time

[jakeameyers]

Hard to argue too much with your first nine...while there would be some debate, no one would fault you for listing those nine.

Bowe, however, doesn't even make the top twenty -- IMHO. Off the top of my head, people who definitely belong over Bowe include Gene Tunney (who is one of only three heavies, I think, to beat everyone he faced -- Marciano and Lennox Lewis were the others), Vitali Klitschko and probably Wladimir Klitschko -- assuming he doesn't lose any more fights by the end of his career. The Klitschko bros. are the Larry Holmes of their day. They won't garner the respect they deserve until they retire.

Just my opinion, take it or leave it. Fun stuff.

[anderzon]

1 tyson
2 ali
3 foreman
4 marciano
5 cooper
6 louis
7 holmes
8 lewis
9 holyfield
10 dempsey

The iron was the greatest heavy weight if not for those ear biting he made.

[BIG H]

1 tyson
2 ali
3 foreman
4 marciano
5 cooper
6 louis
7 holmes
8 lewis
9 holyfield
10 dempsey

The iron was the greatest heavy weight if not for those ear biting he made.

Having Henry Cooper at number 5 in the all time greatest heavyweights, negates anything else you say from now on


Joking aside, welcome to the forum

[armyash]

Just had a lot of fun reading through this entire thread.

There seems to be a lot of debating where people such as tyson and lewis stand. Someone said that lewis deserves to be high as he has beaten everyone he has faced albeit in rematches after losing when he should have won first time round. Lewis is in most peoples top 10's so had he not lost to mcall and rahman he would be even higher and probably top a few lists. He was a dominant champ but who sometimes fought too cautiosly for a lot of peoples taste but in fighting cautiously he showed his superior skills and won lopsided decisions.

My opinion on Tyson is that a lot of people judge him on the potential he should have lived up to. He achieved a hell of a lot at a very young age but started to self destruct. I believe had he not gone off the rails he would have dominated a lot longer than he did. It would have been good to see tyson come through real tough fights where he didn't have it all his own way but still pull out the win. In the fights that were tough for him (douglas, holyfield and lewis) he lost through lack of focus self control and preparation. I wont even disrespect tyson by taking in to account the losses to williams and mcbride. That wasn't tyson. To be honest i sometimes feel like dismissing the lewis loss as those 2 should have met 10 yrs sooner, lewis may have still won but it would have been a good close tough fight if tyson could hold it together. I remember his trainer for the lewis fight saying that he wasnt doing a lot of road work but was doing a lot of walking along the beach etc wtf?? i don't care how far you walk it can't substitute good running lol

I will decide my top 10 after some thought but i'm pretty confident both should be in top 10, well lewis definitely. Tyson gets on most lists for reasons i have said, potential (that was never truly reached) and also just for the love of him and the ferocity he brought to the sport. I honestly can't see how anyone can pick 10 heavyweight champs who were better than lewis.