Top 20 Heavyweights of All Time

[DrDuke]

Some off-topic on this subject in the Current Scene section has made me to create this thread. That's the thing to discuss. Here's the list of gilgamesh, which has inspired me to make the topic:

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

11. Wladimir Klitschko
12. Jack Dempsey
13. Sonny Liston
14. Gene Tunney
15. Ken Norton
16. Vitali Klitschko
17. Jim Jeffries
18. Floyd Patterson
19. Riddick Bowe
20. Ezzard Charles

I like this list in general, I've thought on it and found out, that my list would have exactly the same 20 names, but I have hesitations about the order, so maybe I fix it later. So, guys, post your lists here.

[DrDuke]

Updated:

1. Lennox Lewis
2. Evander Holyfield
3. Muhammad Ali
4. Joe Frazier
5. George Foreman
6. Larry Holmes
7. Joe Louis
8. Rocky Marciano
9. Mike Tyson
10. Riddick Bowe
11. Ken Norton
12. Wladimir Klitschko
13. Gene Tunney
14. Jack Dempsey
15. Sonny Liston
16. Floyd Patterson
17. Ingemar Johansson
18. Jack Johnson
19. James J. Jeffries
20. Vitali Klitschko

[Kalan]

Ike Ibeabuchi would eat many of those guys for lunch, assuming the condition he was in for Chris Byrd at 19-0.

Ken Norton for instance... He'd get ripped out so fast it would make your head spin. Rocky and Smokin' as well.

[Boxing Writer]

Some off-topic on this subject in the Current Scene section has made me to create this thread. That's the thing to discuss. Here's the list of gilgamesh, which has inspired me to make the topic:

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

11. Wladimir Klitschko
12. Jack Dempsey
13. Sonny Liston
14. Gene Tunney
15. Ken Norton
16. Vitali Klitschko
17. Jim Jeffries
18. Floyd Patterson
19. Riddick Bowe
20. Ezzard Charles

I like this list in general, I've thought on it and found out, that my list would have exactly the same 20 names, but I have hesitations about the order, so maybe I fix it later. So, guys, post your lists here.

Not a bad list. My top-10 looks almost exactly like this with the exception of Mike Tyson (I have Wladimir Klitschko in my top-10 instead). It has to be said though that I'd put Lewis, Wlad, Liston, Vitali, Tyson, Frazier and Bowe ahead of Rocky Marciano in my H2H list.

[jas80s]

Ike Ibeabuchi would eat many of those guys for lunch, assuming the condition he was in for Chris Byrd at 19-0.

Ken Norton for instance... He'd get ripped out so fast it would make your head spin. Rocky and Smokin' as well.

Ibeabuchi was an exciting prospect, but how much do we know? A victory of Chris Byrd is impressive, but a few guys beat Chris Byrd. Byrd was very tricky, but not exactly a dominating heavyweight....

I think Norton is a very tough fighter to rate. He had the great performances against ATG competition, but was also stopped decisively and early a couple of times as well. One of the toughest guys to position on a list, so much in the eye of the beholder.

[tiny_acres]

Ike Ibeabuchi would eat many of those guys for lunch, assuming the condition he was in for Chris Byrd at 19-0.

Ken Norton for instance... He'd get ripped out so fast it would make your head spin. Rocky and Smokin' as well.

Ibeabuchi was an exciting prospect, but how much do we know? A victory of Chris Byrd is impressive, but a few guys beat Chris Byrd. Byrd was very tricky, but not exactly a dominating heavyweight....

I think Norton is a very tough fighter to rate. He had the great performances against ATG competition, but was also stopped decisively and early a couple of times as well. One of the toughest guys to position on a list, so much in the eye of the beholder.

Norton is next to impossible to rank.
You can argue for or against his rank in history.

[elmersalsa]

My top 20 all time heavyweights:
1. Muhammad Ali
2. Joe Louis
3. Jack Johnson
4. Rocky Marciano
5. Jack Dempsey
6. Larry Holmes
7. Evander Holyfield
8. George Foreman
9. Joe Frazier
10. Lennox Lewis
11. Peter Jackson
12. Sonny Liston
13. Mike Tyson
14. Wladimir Klitschko
15. Ezzard Charles
16. Jersey Joe Walcott
17. Vitali Klitschko
18. John L. Sullivan
19. Riddick Bowe
20. Sam Langford

[gilgamesh]

Ike Ibeabuchi would eat many of those guys for lunch, assuming the condition he was in for Chris Byrd at 19-0.

Ken Norton for instance... He'd get ripped out so fast it would make your head spin. Rocky and Smokin' as well.

Ibeabuchi was an exciting prospect, but how much do we know? A victory of Chris Byrd is impressive, but a few guys beat Chris Byrd. Byrd was very tricky, but not exactly a dominating heavyweight....

I think Norton is a very tough fighter to rate. He had the great performances against ATG competition, but was also stopped decisively and early a couple of times as well. One of the toughest guys to position on a list, so much in the eye of the beholder.

Also. I personally thought David Tua deserved the decision over Ibeabuchi in their fight. I had it 115-113 for David. Very close and exciting fight, but Tua's shots were heavier.

[gilgamesh]

Some off-topic on this subject in the Current Scene section has made me to create this thread. That's the thing to discuss. Here's the list of gilgamesh, which has inspired me to make the topic:

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

11. Wladimir Klitschko
12. Jack Dempsey
13. Sonny Liston
14. Gene Tunney
15. Ken Norton
16. Vitali Klitschko
17. Jim Jeffries
18. Floyd Patterson
19. Riddick Bowe
20. Ezzard Charles

I like this list in general, I've thought on it and found out, that my list would have exactly the same 20 names, but I have hesitations about the order, so maybe I fix it later. So, guys, post your lists here.

Thanks for the Shout out in the Original Post Dr. Duke, I was thinking to myself "Hey I just made up this list the other day I'll have to find that post" when I saw the thread title, and then I open it and you already used my list so thanks for that

Glad it sparked the conversation

[tiny_acres]

I don't think any 2 people will agree on this topic.
I guess it's why it's my favorite topic

[BitPlayer]

When you consider that the average person worldwide is 5' 9" and 160 lbs in weight, why the fukk would any normal human being give a toss about Heavyweights anyway?

They are. by their very nature circus freaks. Screw fat Muricans, or any other kind of weirdo's. The world is NOT made up of huge lumps of nothingness.

If we are going by the criteria of big is better, please feel free to explain to me how the Arch De Triumphe, ain't worth a cup of cold piss compared The Colosseum?

When the average person runs 100m in 15s (or something), who gives a fornicate about freaks running 100m in under 10s?

We care about them because they are exceptional

[paddy chavez]

I'm a holyfield fan but I don't really see how he makes the top 5 ,he went 2-1 with bowe 1-1 with moorer take away his wins over Tyson and you have 2 fights Vs ancient foreman and Holmes getting wobbled by copper .on his day he was a beast but he never had a dominant run like Ali, Louis, Holmes,Lewis,wladimir.

[DrDuke]

I'm a holyfield fan but I don't really see how he makes the top 5 ,he went 2-1 with bowe 1-1 with moorer take away his wins over Tyson and you have 2 fights Vs ancient foreman and Holmes getting wobbled by copper .on his day he was a beast but he never had a dominant run like Ali, Louis, Holmes,Lewis,wladimir.

Bowe fights were competitive and Bowe himself was a fighter worthy to be in the top-20. In Moorer fight #1 Holyfield was injured (and robbed, I'd say). Cooper - yes, he was tough journeymen, but no more. Anyway Holyfield had been a one of the division's main forces for the long time, he had won the title for the record amount of times. And the main evidence will come when you overview his skillset. So I rate him very high.

[Ambling Alp II]

The heavyweit lists always get attention, don't theY?
anyway, ali and Louis have to be 1 and 2. Not even worth arguing for anyone else. After that it gets interesting. To me it goes down to the usual suspects, foreman, Johnson, Frazier, Holyfield, Lewis, Holmes, Marciano, Dempsey. The order is certainly argualbe. I have Liston, Tyson, and Jeffries just outside the Top 10, though I can see someone having them just inside it.

That is the Top 13. There is no one else that really has a a decent case being before these guys.

Then there are several really close.
Tunney and Bowe are very difficult to rate. Just going by film they would probably be next. However, they simply didn't have enough major fights.
You have the middle level champions -like Charles, Walcott, Patterson and Norton who I rate closely with four who great but never got a shot -Langford, Wills, Jeannette, and McVey. I rate them these 8 slightly higher than mid-level champs Schmeling, Sharkey, and Baer, but I can see where people would argue against that.

For the rest of the Top 20 comes down to picking 7 out of these 13 guys:
Tunney
Bowe
Langford
Wills
Jeannette
McVey
Charles,
Walcott
Patterson
Norton
Schmeling
Sharkey
Baer

[gilgamesh]

When you consider that the average person worldwide is 5' 9" and 160 lbs in weight, why the fukk would any normal human being give a toss about Heavyweights anyway?

They are. by their very nature circus freaks. Screw fat Muricans, or any other kind of weirdo's. The world is NOT made up of huge lumps of nothingness.

If we are going by the criteria of big is better, please feel free to explain to me how the Arch De Triumphe, ain't worth a cup of cold piss compared The Colosseum?

When the average person runs 100m in 15s (or something), who gives a eff about freaks running 100m in under 10s?

We care about them because they are exceptional

You said it!!!!

Apart from size there is NOTHING exceptional about Heavyweight boxers, compared to a Mayweather, Hagler, Leonard, Hearns, Duran, a Robinson or a Jones Jr in their hey day,

And lets at least try to be honest here. There are rugby players, and what Muricans call footballers bigger than Heavyweight fighters, so they are not particularly " exceptional " at all.

How about the Power? People like knockouts, and nobody can provide bigger KO's than Heavyweights.

But more importantly. How about you stop insulting Heavyweights and either provide a Top 20 list or get out of this conversation. Nobody asked you what you think of the Heavyweights.

[Cojimar 1946]

Wouldn't Jeffries rank ahead of Foreman based on dominance and consistency? Jeffries managed more title defenses and was regarded as the best of his era.

[gilgamesh]

Wouldn't Jeffries rank ahead of Foreman based on dominance and consistency? Jeffries managed more title defenses and was regarded as the best of his era.

Foreman had twice as many fights before he ever even won the title than Jeffries had total.

Jeffries had a great career, but his most significant wins IMO are over Fitzsimmons who weighed around 165 or 170 pounds in those bouts.

Jeffries was a good fighter, but I kinda doubt his success would've been the same in any other era. He was in the right place at the right time to have the career he did.

[gilgamesh]

Mods don't decide opinions I'll have you know.

Just seems silly to rant about your distaste for Heavyweights when people are discussing who are the best Heavyweights. If you think the other divisions are more exciting then fine, but how is that relevant to the conversation. Even if the division is boring to you there would still be 20 Heavyweights who rank as the best at Heavyweight so it's still a worthwhile conversation.