Quality list, Ezzard.Ezzard wrote:Like how you did this...Mr E wrote:Nowadays, I break it up by era-- and I go by who I think would have beaten whom, head-to-head.
Old-Timers (1882-1915): I see it as being between Jim Jeffries and Jack Johnson, and I don't think either guy could have beaten the other even 7 times out of 10.
Golden Age (1916-1956): I see it as being between Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis. However, I think Gene Tunney and Rocky Marciano are real close and so have no strong argument to someone putting those guys in there.
Modern Era (1957-1987): Muhammad Ali, no question. Battle for 2nd place would be between George Foreman and Larry Holmes, with Sonny Liston and Joe Frazier being close honorable mentions.
Steroid/P.E.D. Era (1988-present): I need to go back and take a hard look at the early fights of Mike Tyson's reign, which I have not seen since I saw them live, to determine how much he'd lost by the time of the Buster Douglas and Evander Holyfield fights. My instinct is that he lost a lot, and that the best of this era comes down to Mike Tyson v. Lennox Lewis. That said, Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, and the Klitschko brothers are definitely in the conversation.
My two cents, anyway.
Old Timers: Johnson, Jeffries, Langford
Golden Age: Louis, Dempsey, Tunney
Modern: Ali, Frazier, Holmes
PED: Holyfield, Lewis, Tyson (probably)
Your Top Ten HWs all time?
Re: Your Top Ten HWs all time?
Re: Your Top Ten HWs all time?
1. Joe Louis
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Jack Johnson
4. Rocky Marciano
5. Larry Holmes
6. Gene Tunney
7. Jack Dempsey
8. Harry Wills
9. George Foreman
10. Joe Frazier
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Jack Johnson
4. Rocky Marciano
5. Larry Holmes
6. Gene Tunney
7. Jack Dempsey
8. Harry Wills
9. George Foreman
10. Joe Frazier