Top Ten Heavyweight Champs of All-Time

[VictorCharlie]

I hate ranking all time particularly at HW considering the change in HW sizes over the years and that most eras didn't have very good competition. Even if one thinks Marciano is a more talented fighter than Lewis do you really believe he would beat him with the size difference? I'll break them into two 5 man groups

Top 5 in no particular order
Ali, Johnson, Holmes, Louis, Foreman

Bottom 5 in no particular order
Frazier, Lewis, Holy, Tyson, Marciano

Honorable Mention in no particular order
Liston, Dempsey, Charles, Bowe, Vitali

[BIG H]

I love top HW lists. My top 5 are always the same, but 5-20 change all the time. It's just too hard to figure out. One thing I used to do was include the original heavies like John L Sullivan and Jim Jeffries, but the sport has evolved so much that I really couldn't see them living with the super heavyeights of the last 15-20 years.

My Top 5 (not necessarily in order)

Ali
Louis
Foreman
Holmes
Tyson (Prime Tyson i.e a Tyson that any fight after Spinks is forgotten)

After that I would have the likes of Lewis, Frazier and Holyfield. Liston has question marks as does Marciano (woud've been mauled by a Super heavy of today)

If Vitali Klitchko had've been a round in an era where there were any real challengers could quite possibly of got close to a top ten list

[X]

1. John Ruiz
2. Gerry Coetzee
3. Marvin Hart
4. Primo Carnera
5. Leon Spinks
6. Frank Bruno
7. Sergei Liakovitch
8. Bruce Seldon
9. James J Braddock
10. Trevor Berbick

and let's not forget the great Nikolai Valuev.

And, yes, I know that some of these were heavyweight 'Title holders' and not world champs. But an illustrious list nevertheless.

I'm pretty sure they would all beat thse guys up:

Joe Louis
Jack Johnson
Muhammad Ali
Sonny Liston
George Foreman
Mike Tyson
Jack Dempsey
Sam Langford
Joe Frazier
Rocky Marciano

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

If I'm basing my rankings on each fighther purely as a champion? Then my rankings will look something like this:

1. Joe Louis
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Rocky Marciano
4. Larry Holmes
5. Lennox Lewis
6. Jack Johnson
7. George Foreman
8. Joe Friazer
9. Evander Holyfield
10. Mike Tyson

11. Wladimir Klitschko (I did have him at #10 for unifying some belts but still doesn't quite match being UNDISPUTED. Not untill he either fights his brother (in which case I'd put him in at #8 ) or stops David Haye (in which case I'd have him back at #10)

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3, 4 & 5 could all interchange but I went for that order on the principle that Marciano was undefeated and while Holmes faced slightly better opposition, he never achieved this. Lennox Lewis faced by far the better opposition but he was usually a much bigger opponent. Marciano usually faced guys of equal size and arguably greater ability.

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If my rankings were ranking the best 10 heavyweights of al time then of course they would look a lot different.