Top 10 Cruiserweights of All Time

[DrDuke]

A one of the most underrated divisions. Maybe due to its youth, maybe due to being right below the Heavyweights, whatever. Yet it has recently become pretty popular and in many ways because of WBSS tournament, which allows to find out, who is a real top guy there today, and that's an arguable question in numerous categories. But what about the overall cruiserweight rankings?

Here's my rating:

1. Evander Holyfield
2. Carlos De Leon
3. David Haye
4. Oleksandr Usyk
5. Marco Huck
6. Jean-Marc Mormeck
7. Juan Carlos Gomez
8. Vassiliy Jirov
9. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
10. James Toney

And how do you see it?

[gilgamesh]

1. Evander Holyfield
2. Carlos De Leon
3. James Toney
4. Juan Carlos Gomez
5. Marco Huck
6. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
7. David Haye
8. Jean Marc Mormeck
9. Oleksandr Usyk
10. Murat Gassiev

[Kalan]

A one of the most underrated divisions. Maybe due to its youth, maybe due to being right below the Heavyweights, whatever. Yet it has recently become pretty popular and in many ways because of WBSS tournament, which allows to find out, who is a real top guy there today, and that's an arguable question in numerous categories. But what about the overall cruiserweight rankings?

Here's my rating:

1. Evander Holyfield
2. Carlos De Leon
3. David Haye
4. Oleksandr Usyk
5. Marco Huck
6. Jean-Marc Mormeck
7. Juan Carlos Gomez
8. Vassiliy Jirov
9. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
10. James Toney

You can't have James Toney rated beneath Vassily Jirov when he beat a 31-0 Jirov by an aggregate 22-point margin on unanimous scorecards... Especially when Toney very easily outboxed, out punched, knocked down, and basically came within 10 seconds of knocking Jirov out cold... Jirov was also 6 years younger than Toney and fighting at his best weight -- and Toney still took him apart...

We can speculate on who can beat who.... But when 2 fighters meet with a decisive result -- it's a wrap.

[jamamb]

what were de leons and gomezs best wins, i want to know more. records seem filled with softies and like those 2 just attritioned there way really high up

how good were the guys who beat de leon

where would usyk (or gassiev) rate for beating the other and winning the wbss?

uss cunningham had a number of good wins

[jamamb]

the wbss winner will on be undisputed and already will have a better cw record then guys like haye and gomez. and maybe de leon too, who really doesnt have much quality despite all the wins

[gilgamesh]

what were de leons and gomezs best wins, i want to know more. records seem filled with softies and like those 2 just attritioned there way really high up

how good were the guys who beat de leon

where would usyk (or gassiev) rate for beating the other and winning the wbss?

uss cunningham had a number of good wins

The Winner of the WBSS probably shoots up at least a couple of more notches on my list. Both have faced a formidable challenger already to have even made it to the Final round.

If Usyk or Gassiev follow up winning the Tournament with a win over Lebedev or something like that they'd honestly have one of the best Cruiserweight resumes ever already. Hell just by winning the Tournament they'll have that, but one more marquee win in the division afterward puts them basically at the top or 2nd only to Holyfield.

[Bodyshot3]

Cunningham perhaps deserves to be on the reserve list............not Top 10 but there or thereabouts?

He had a very decent run as IBF Champion and for a few rounds had Fury's attention and showed him a bit about prizefighting before Fury realised he was not in with a gimme.

[jamamb]

cunningham actually had better cruiser wins then a few of these guys listed in top tens, like jc gomez, he did take losses but he was always fighting at a high level

[actjac]

1. Rocky Marciano
2. Gene Tunney
3. Jack Dempsey
4. Evander Holyfield
5. Oleksandr Usyk
6. Juan Carlos Gomez
7.. Marco Huck
8. James Toney
9. Vassiliy Jirov
9. Dwight Muhammad Qawi

[gilgamesh]

1. Rocky Marciano
2. Gene Tunney
3. Jack Dempsey
4. Evander Holyfield
5. Oleksandr Usyk
6. Juan Carlos Gomez
7.. Marco Huck
8. James Toney
9. Vassiliy Jirov
9. Dwight Muhammad Qawi

Cruiserweight division didn't even exist for 3 of those guys to compete in, but if you're doing it just to keep David Haye off the list I can appreciate that

[actjac]

1. Rocky Marciano
2. Gene Tunney
3. Jack Dempsey
4. Evander Holyfield
5. Oleksandr Usyk
6. Juan Carlos Gomez
7.. Marco Huck
8. James Toney
9. Vassiliy Jirov
9. Dwight Muhammad Qawi

Cruiserweight division didn't even exist for 3 of those guys to compete in, but if you're doing it just to keep David Haye off the list I can appreciate that

I consider Marciano, Dempsey and Tunney cruisers by today's standards. . . and yes a good by product of their inclusion is keeping Haye off.

[gilgamesh]

1. Rocky Marciano
2. Gene Tunney
3. Jack Dempsey
4. Evander Holyfield
5. Oleksandr Usyk
6. Juan Carlos Gomez
7.. Marco Huck
8. James Toney
9. Vassiliy Jirov
9. Dwight Muhammad Qawi

Cruiserweight division didn't even exist for 3 of those guys to compete in, but if you're doing it just to keep David Haye off the list I can appreciate that

I consider Marciano, Dempsey and Tunney cruisers by today's standards. . . and yes a good by product of their inclusion is keeping Haye off.

By today's standards they would indeed be Cruiserweights, but they didn't fight under today's standards.

[DrDuke]

This is gonna be updated now.

1. Evander Holyfield
2. Oleksandr Usyk
3. David Haye
4. Carlos De Leon
5. Marco Huck
6. Jean-Marc Mormeck
7. Juan Carlos Gomez
8. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
9. James Toney
10. Vassiliy Jirov

[Scypion]

Just my opinion, but I think that Floyd Patterson and Jimmy Ellis would have been pretty good Cruiserweights.

[Esquire]

A one of the most underrated divisions. Maybe due to its youth, maybe due to being right below the Heavyweights, whatever. Yet it has recently become pretty popular and in many ways because of WBSS tournament, which allows to find out, who is a real top guy there today, and that's an arguable question in numerous categories. But what about the overall cruiserweight rankings?

Here's my rating:

1. Evander Holyfield
2. Carlos De Leon
3. David Haye
4. Oleksandr Usyk
5. Marco Huck
6. Jean-Marc Mormeck
7. Juan Carlos Gomez
8. Vassiliy Jirov
9. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
10. James Toney

You can't have James Toney rated beneath Vassily Jirov when he beat a 31-0 Jirov by an aggregate 22-point margin on unanimous scorecards... Especially when Toney very easily outboxed, out punched, knocked down, and basically came within 10 seconds of knocking Jirov out cold... Jirov was also 6 years younger than Toney and fighting at his best weight -- and Toney still took him apart...

We can speculate on who can beat who.... But when 2 fighters meet with a decisive result -- it's a wrap.

You logic is sound but this type of formula doesn't always work. If you asked for a list of top ten middleweights of all time I'm quite sure Bernard Hopkins would be on that list and Roy Jones would likely not be. Yet Jones toyed with Hopkins when they met for the middleweight title. My point is there are other things to look at such as overall accomplishments at that weight and longevity at that weight.

In your example Jirov made his career at Cruiserweight and Toney did not. Yet Toney defeated him as you've pointed out.

Just something to think about.

[Esquire]

Just my opinion, but I think that Floyd Patterson and Jimmy Ellis would have been pretty good Cruiserweights.

Michael Spinks would have been an all-time great at cruiserweight had he cared to be.

[the truth]

Johnny Nelson has to be in there ! Most title defences wake up guys !!!

[the truth]

1. Holyfield
2.Usyk
3. Haye
4. Huck
5. De Leon
6. Mormeck
7. Nelson
8. Maccrinelli
9. Toney
10. Jirov

[jamamb]

1 holy
2 usyk

[Seamus]

Makes me sick to have to say it, but everyone's got Toney way too low. Haye above him is just ridiculous.

[DrDuke]

Makes me sick to have to say it, but everyone's got Toney way too low. Haye above him is just ridiculous.

Toney had only one big win there and less titles, so everything is pretty clear.

[jamamb]

Makes me sick to have to say it, but everyone's got Toney way too low. Haye above him is just ridiculous.

not really ridiculous just going by cw careers, obviously toneys full career rates higher overall though

[squiggy]

By the points system I keep track of it goes:
1. Evander Holyfield
2. Oleksandr Usyk
3. Carlos de Leon
4. Vassiliy Jirov
5. Anaclet Wamba
6. Johnny Nelson
7. Marco Huck
8. S.T. Gordon
9. Yoan Pablo Hernandez
10. Adolpho Washington

Gomez gets screwed over because in the '90s there was a championship progression (Wamba -> Washington -> Grant -> Mayfield -> Williams) and he never fought the guy, so I never marked him the champ.
Haye gets screwed over 'cause I only marked him the champ for a year, and I don't rate either of his biggest wins as guys that quite earn him any extra points for beating.

[Ambling Alp II]

A one of the most underrated divisions. Maybe due to its youth, maybe due to being right below the Heavyweights, whatever. Yet it has recently become pretty popular and in many ways because of WBSS tournament, which allows to find out, who is a real top guy there today, and that's an arguable question in numerous categories. But what about the overall cruiserweight rankings?

Here's my rating:

1. Evander Holyfield
2. Carlos De Leon
3. David Haye
4. Oleksandr Usyk
5. Marco Huck
6. Jean-Marc Mormeck
7. Juan Carlos Gomez
8. Vassiliy Jirov
9. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
10. James Toney

You can't have James Toney rated beneath Vassily Jirov when he beat a 31-0 Jirov by an aggregate 22-point margin on unanimous scorecards... Especially when Toney very easily outboxed, out punched, knocked down, and basically came within 10 seconds of knocking Jirov out cold... Jirov was also 6 years younger than Toney and fighting at his best weight -- and Toney still took him apart...

We can speculate on who can beat who.... But when 2 fighters meet with a decisive result -- it's a wrap.

You logic is sound but this type of formula doesn't always work. If you asked for a list of top ten middleweights of all time I'm quite sure Bernard Hopkins would be on that list and Roy Jones would likely not be. Yet Jones toyed with Hopkins when they met for the middleweight title. My point is there are other things to look at such as overall accomplishments at that weight and longevity at that weight.

In your example Jirov made his career at Cruiserweight and Toney did not. Yet Toney defeated him as you've pointed out.

Just something to think about.

See what you are saying that is often a problem with fighters below heavyweight. They move through weight classes and don't spend a great deal of time at a certain one.
I do have to ask: Isn't it way too early to eating Usyk this high?

[jamamb]

why would it be way too early? who are all the guys getting ranked unjustly beneath him and why should they be ahead?

hes a very rare undisputed and lineal cruiser champ (winning all belts in the defending champs backyards) who clearly belongs high up. as an olympic and world amateur champ when he turned pro he moved at a way faster rate then usual and fit in a lot to 15 fights rather then just padding it up

a guy like jc gomez had way more fights but pretty much just beat mediocrity. whereas consensus #1 holyfield had around the same number of fights as usyk and was only at cw for like 3.5 years