Top 10 greatest heavyweights of all time!!!

[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.

[Cressa121]

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.

Very true, his attributes meant he could fight in such an unorthodox way. Not a textbook style, it was very flawed in many aspects but his athleticism and physical gifts meant he could fight effectively that way. You're right in that no coach would try and teach their guy to fight that way - it just wouldn't work for 9 out of 10 fighters

I'll have to give my top 10 some more thought before I post it. I've got an idea of who I'd have in it, but the order is kind of jumbled up.

[nikola_ganchev]

Ali was a showman. We need one of this in every era to keep the fire of the sport
The problem is that Ali didn't go KO when he is hit and he got hit alot. I think it was much better for him to got punch drunk with 25 and quit boxing. Now he is spending half of his life like vegetable! When someone is boxing that way he must know the prise that he is going to pay and for magority of us it doesn't worth it!

[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

[Mr140]

Marble i am confused you put Liston and you put weight on people who dominated eras. as for Langford never seen him fight at all and did he not lose most of big fights at heavy. I think Tyson and Holyfield both had a most dominate period as champs and both better wins then Liston did as well it seems you favor the old quite some as well nothing wrong with that. Quick question what would you rank the brothers since i can't think of time were a champ was as dominate as those guys are.

[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.

[greynotsoold]

I've always had a thought that his biggest, or, maybe, "realest", health problem in that first Moorer fight was moorer's right jab.

[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