Which HW would beat every other HW?

[jamesmcdonnell]

None probably, but I'd give Lennox the best chance. Not too impressed with the list though. Vitali gets too much respect. He never beat anything close to a formidable opponenet, and Lewis was turning the fight around when it was stopped.

I'd say this though, vitali would have been a hard night's work even in the ones he lost. Great volume puncher in his prime, impossible to intimidate and tough as anything. Him and foreman would have been a great fight.

[drunkenpiper36]

I don’t think there is one to be honest. I think even the very greatest of all heavyweights could lose to somebody due to a stylistic issue or physical disadvantage. I would apply this same principle to great champions in any other weight class as well.

[drunkenpiper36]

None probably, but I'd give Lennox the best chance. Not too impressed with the list though. Vitali gets too much respect. He never beat anything close to a formidable opponenet, and Lewis was turning the fight around when it was stopped.

I'd say this though, vitali would have been a hard night's work even in the ones he lost. Great volume puncher in his prime, impossible to intimidate and tough as anything. Him and foreman would have been a great fight.

Agreed. He wouldn’t beat everyone but would have been a tough fight for just about anyone.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I actually think vitali had a very interesting style, fought a lot like old timers, weight on the rear foot, with both hands forward, leaning back slightly. With his height and reach that meant you had to close the gap to get to him, Lewis struggled first 3 rounds to make a dent, until he decided to go decide to eat a few to get his own heavier shots through.

[Onetimeonly]

Vitali certainly posed problems, he really lacked variety and big power on offense and that would prove problematic, as you said, against fast guys with great chins like Ali and Holmes. Not that they would find him easy to hit.

[gilgamesh]

Nobody beats everybody.

[ewenhay]

Nobody beats everybody.

Nobody can even be bothered to fight everybody these days

[Duran1970]

Best heavyweight ever.

He wasnt hard to hit though, and with such a size disparity he'd have struggled.

Name me a heavyweight that wasn't "hittable"..and he was plenty big enough as he was a much more skilled than these modern day giants

[polecateddy]

Lewis is a solid choice, although I half suspect Tyson at his very best would have been hard for Lennox to cope with. Bowe should be in the mix too.

[siablo14]

Lewis and Foreman.

[squiggy]

I meant more sturdy,could take more punishment

Oh, yeah agree there. Though the only top guy he ever faced beat the dog poo out of him, he took it well.

He ate some gargantuan shots from Lewis late in that fight and wanted to keep going.

[Onetimeonly]

Oh, yeah agree there. Though the only top guy he ever faced beat the dog poo out of him, he took it well.

He ate some gargantuan shots from Lewis late in that fight and wanted to keep going.

Agreed, I think he would have been stopped but that was definitely a redemption after bowing out against Byrd. No issues with people rating him high in mythical fight threads like this, just bothers me when people pretend he has a resume because his brother does

[Jeff_lacy_ko]

Tyson and Lewis both rate holyfield as the best they have faced

Lewis could beat anyone. So could Ali. Lewis could lose to anyone too

[squiggy]

Really a better question is who would emerge with the best record if you put them all in a big round robin. None of them is going to go unbeaten.

[RonnyJ]

If Tyson Fury was stopped in hes fight against Otto Wallin because of that cut he had would that then mean that Otto was always better boxer than Fury?

Vitali was winning the fight against Lennox but unfortunately the fight had to be stopped due to freak injury.

Vitali would be hard night for anyone in boxing history. That chin, skill and work rate would be hard to beat. I don't know how hes style would mix up with some of the other old greats but he was never down or behind in score cards in a boxing match. Also that 87.23% KO percentage in 47 fights is pretty good indicator that he had at least decent power.

Good informative post.

I also believe that Vitali Klitschko was the best 'modern day' heavyweight - since Mike Tyson of course.

However I also believe that Vitali would have had little chance in that most difficult of fights for any heavyweight before or since - Muhammad Ali of 66/67.


Of course if Anthony Joshua walks through Andy Ruiz next month, no doubt we'll see a revival of the Joshua is the greatest of all-time. Too big - too strong.

On the other hand if Andy Ruiz was to win again and then take out Wilder too...

Exactly. Joshua same as wlad or lewis ruled the hw div because they were too big too strong.

Thats why it is important to rate those
super heavyweights against each other.

Fury and wilder should be out of discussion. Wilder simply limited and was behind on scorecards against fury and ortiz, got lucky both times. Fury is just not that good, slow sluggish, not a hard puncher, someone with equal size and more power would crush him, someone like vitaly.

[RonnyJ]

Tyson and Lewis both rate holyfield as the best they have faced

Lewis could beat anyone. So could Ali. Lewis could lose to anyone too

Which is nonsense since lewis always easily won rds against holyfield, the vitaly fight wasnt this easy.

As for tyson, holmes or holyfield.

[RonnyJ]

Why keep people forgeting that ali lost to norton and had a lots of problems with foreman. Ali was small compared to josh, lewis and klitschkos.

[Onetimeonly]

Norton was better than the Klitschko's.

[RonnyJ]

Norton was better than the Klitschko's.

Hell no

[ewenhay]

Good informative post.

I also believe that Vitali Klitschko was the best 'modern day' heavyweight - since Mike Tyson of course.

However I also believe that Vitali would have had little chance in that most difficult of fights for any heavyweight before or since - Muhammad Ali of 66/67.


Of course if Anthony Joshua walks through Andy Ruiz next month, no doubt we'll see a revival of the Joshua is the greatest of all-time. Too big - too strong.

On the other hand if Andy Ruiz was to win again and then take out Wilder too...

Exactly. Joshua same as wlad or lewis ruled the hw div because they were too big too strong.

Thats why it is important to rate those
super heavyweights against each other.

Fury and wilder should be out of discussion. Wilder simply limited and was behind on scorecards against fury and ortiz, got lucky both times. Fury is just not that good, slow sluggish, not a hard puncher, someone with equal size and more power would crush him, someone like vitaly.

Joshua never 'ruled' the division.

Behave

[jamesmcdonnell]

Norton was better than the Klitschko's.

Hell no

Technically. Yes he was. Better defence and range of punches.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Why keep people forgeting that ali lost to norton and had a lots of problems with foreman. Ali was small compared to josh, lewis and klitschkos.

Ali would have run rings around Joshua and knocked him sparko.

[RonnyJ]

Why keep people forgeting that ali lost to norton and had a lots of problems with foreman. Ali was small compared to josh, lewis and klitschkos.

Ali would have run rings around Joshua and knocked him sparko.

Like he rans rings around norton and foreman


It is not even alis fault. He was a better boxer. Just 2 different weight levels. Hw and super hw. Too small

[Onetimeonly]

Lol, Ali was bigger than Andy minus the flab.

[lillywhite14]

None.

At the very highest level, which some of these names aren’t anywhere near by the way, it’s very close and thing slike, on the night, niggly injuries etc would make a difference.

One thing for sure is, both Klits and the new breed don’t win any except against each other. Clear level below the others, even Tyson included.