Top 10 greatest heavyweights of all time!!!

[greynotsoold]

In no special order...
1) Marciano: condition and punching power count a lot in a division where the skill level isn't generally as high as in some others. Also, he is pretty underrated defensively, and for his ability to adapt and adjust during fights.
2) Dempsey: very fierce, fought at a quick pace for HWs. Ray Arcel called him the best.
3) Louis: most effective puncher ever, very fast, kill you with any punch. Eddie Futch called him the best.
4) Johnson: huge historical impact. I don't know enough about him to assess his skills, except that he lost to Willard in a fight I think was probably legitimate.
5) Jefferies: very athletic HW and huge for his day. Very widely respected for many years after his reign. (Nat Fleischer rated him very highly, if I recall) People tend to forget that he fought Johnson after a 5 year layoff.
6) Tunney: I guess everybody knows by now that I am a huge Tunney fan, possibly the role model in my life. I always think that a thoughtful guy that can move, box and punch has an edge.
7) Tyson: at his pre-Douglas peak he was really something. Largely, I think, because he fought like a featherweight. His peak was short lived because he stuck with the peek-a-boo style, and as soon as his reflexes slipped a bit he became a target.
Holmes: real good fighter. moved well, sharp straight right, effective right uppercut, great jab. Got hit with right hands and fell down but got up. A better version of Ali.
9) Lewis: pretty good fighter that got to be a very good fighter once somebody taught him to use his attributes and fight smart. But his last fight, man, that was sad. Terrible skill level for a HW world championship fight.
10) Charles: 8 defenses, wasn't it? Great, great fighter. Given his success at MW and LHW, maybe the best of them all. I always try to give him his due. And I think he'd have beaten Frazier (watch his first with Marciano), Patterson, and the rest of that group of "great" heavies. Unless Foreman caught him, or if he couldn't handle Liston's jab.

[jdonaher1]

In no special order...
1) Marciano: condition and punching power count a lot in a division where the skill level isn't generally as high as in some others. Also, he is pretty underrated defensively, and for his ability to adapt and adjust during fights.
2) Dempsey: very fierce, fought at a quick pace for HWs. Ray Arcel called him the best.
3) Louis: most effective puncher ever, very fast, kill you with any punch. Eddie Futch called him the best.
4) Johnson: huge historical impact. I don't know enough about him to assess his skills, except that he lost to Willard in a fight I think was probably legitimate.
5) Jefferies: very athletic HW and huge for his day. Very widely respected for many years after his reign. (Nat Fleischer rated him very highly, if I recall) People tend to forget that he fought Johnson after a 5 year layoff.
6) Tunney: I guess everybody knows by now that I am a huge Tunney fan, possibly the role model in my life. I always think that a thoughtful guy that can move, box and punch has an edge.
7) Tyson: at his pre-Douglas peak he was really something. Largely, I think, because he fought like a featherweight. His peak was short lived because he stuck with the peek-a-boo style, and as soon as his reflexes slipped a bit he became a target.
Holmes: real good fighter. moved well, sharp straight right, effective right uppercut, great jab. Got hit with right hands and fell down but got up. A better version of Ali.
9) Lewis: pretty good fighter that got to be a very good fighter once somebody taught him to use his attributes and fight smart. But his last fight, man, that was sad. Terrible skill level for a HW world championship fight.
10) Charles: 8 defenses, wasn't it? Great, great fighter. Given his success at MW and LHW, maybe the best of them all. I always try to give him his due. And I think he'd have beaten Frazier (watch his first with Marciano), Patterson, and the rest of that group of "great" heavies. Unless Foreman caught him, or if he couldn't handle Liston's jab.

Ali isn't even in the top 10? Bah ha ha

[greynotsoold]

I'm a firm believer in sayin' so don't make it so: Ali saying the he was the greatest countless time doesn't make him "The Greatest." There is a cottage industry that has grown up around this belief...he fought the best opposition...all that.
But, look, he went life and death three times with Kenny Norton who, otherwise, was 4-8-1 against top 10 opposition, usually getting ko'd in 1 or 2 rounds. Frazier was a one handed fighter that couldn't avoid a punch to save his life, and he hit Ali at will with left hooks. "The Greatest" should've, at some point in all those rounds against a guy that had only a left hook, figured out how to block a left hook. Leon Spinks beat him!!! He got a gift against Earnie Shavers, and I thought Jimmy Young beat him.
He threw a flicking jab, no shoulder in it. No left hook to speak of, never hit the body, dropped his hands and left himself wide open (first Frazier fight) when he threw uppercuts, couldn't fight inside. His defense consisted of skipping aound the ring, out of reach of his opponents but too far away to counter, either. In range, he leaned back and got hit, or grabbed behind the head and pulled down, which is illegal.
Ali was a master of self-promotion, and, after his exile, the media bought into it and sold it. He benefitted from an era of mediocre to poor competition- remember, this was after the television era, which saw a huge decline in the skill level of the overall boxing population.

[Master]

You are right Ali was technically bad and he got some shady decisions but please you could critique any fighter like that.

Frazer destroyed people with that left hook but could not knockout Ali. Foreman and Liston were beaten by him when others greats would have failed.

The peak years of Ali were taken away and those close fights were when he did not have the legs of the young Ali. His chin and heart are not to be questioned.

[greynotsoold]

I'm not going to deny that Ali was a good fighter, but I just cannot make myself sign off on "The Greatest." Too many things he did wrong.

[Master]

I'm not going to deny that Ali was a good fighter, but I just cannot make myself sign off on "The Greatest." Too many things he did wrong.

But the majority of things he did were great.

[greynotsoold]

You know, Ali is one of those guys that, what he did worked for him, but if you try teaching it to somebody else it will get them killed. RJJ is like that, and so, I think is Willie Pep.

[El Kabong]

For those of you listing Dempsey and Tunney just realize that Dempsey (the first ever heavyweight champ draft dodger) made just a hand full of title defenses and Tunney only had 3 heavyweight fights.

Holyfield was inconsistent, but nevertheless persistent and won the title several times (but also lost it a lot)

Tyson peaked and plummeted fairly quickly, post prison he didn't even have any quality wins (maybe the Ruddock fights thought).

Bowe was prime for the blink of an eye

[MonsonFan]

For those of you listing Dempsey and Tunney just realize that Dempsey (the first ever heavyweight champ draft dodger) made just a hand full of title defenses and Tunney only had 3 heavyweight fights.

Holyfield was inconsistent, but nevertheless persistent and won the title several times (but also lost it a lot)

Tyson peaked and plummeted fairly quickly, post prison he didn't even have any quality wins (maybe the Ruddock fights thought).

Bowe was prime for the blink of an eye

Greatness refers to far more than simply what happens inside the ropes, on the field, on the court, on the diamond. It incorporates how far-reaching and inspirational one has become. Greatest of all time lists consist of men who have transcended their sport and cemented themselves as legends.
1. Ali
2. Louis
3. Foreman
4. Johnson
5. Marciano
6. Dempsey
7. Frazier
8. Lewis
9. Holyfield
10 Tyson

[Spicoli]

Can't for the life of me ever put Tyson ahead of Holyfield on an all time list. No math class here...level of comp for me and outcome and unfolding. Spinks, comebacking and 1 fight in Holmes, Tubbs, Bruno, um...Tucker, Ruddock ? I'll take Holyfields era and facing the best available over Tysons list of belt warmers. Not to mention Holyfield beat & broke Tyson like a day old loaf of French bread when Holyfield was given zero shot to even finish on his feet.

[Master]

Can't for the life of me ever put Tyson ahead of Holyfield on an all time list. No math class here...level of comp for me and outcome and unfolding. Spinks, comebacking and 1 fight in Holmes, Tubbs, Bruno, um...Tucker, Ruddock ? I'll take Holyfields era and facing the best available over Tysons list of belt warmers. Not to mention Holyfield beat & broke Tyson like a day old loaf of French bread when Holyfield was given zero shot to even finish on his feet.

Hate to disagree but Hoyfield was inconsistant after Bowe defeats, he lost to Moorer!

[Mr140]

Tyson lost to fucking Douglas at least Holyfeild avenged his lose also was having health problems.

[Spicoli]

Can't for the life of me ever put Tyson ahead of Holyfield on an all time list. No math class here...level of comp for me and outcome and unfolding. Spinks, comebacking and 1 fight in Holmes, Tubbs, Bruno, um...Tucker, Ruddock ? I'll take Holyfields era and facing the best available over Tysons list of belt warmers. Not to mention Holyfield beat & broke Tyson like a day old loaf of French bread when Holyfield was given zero shot to even finish on his feet.

Hate to disagree but Hoyfield was inconsistent after Bowe defeats, he lost to Moorer!

Inconsistent enough to beat Bowe in the rematch. Or tko Tyson a year after third Bowe fight? Moorer for all his short comings was in top form and working a fierce jab, again level of comp for me and really that fight was set to be called a draw if it were not for one judge (Roth) ruling the 2nd round 10-10....a round in which Moorer was cleanly knocked down. Moorer was destroyed in the rematch. When the best fight the best, its not all easy going. When Tyson fought the best post Ruddock...he lost. I'll spot you Bruno