How Do You Rank These Smaller Heavyweight Champions?

[gilgamesh]

You haven't said anything to refute my point about Holyfields inability to cement himself as the best at any point in time. He lost the Bowe trilogy and Bowe was ranked through both of his reigns. He also lost when he faced Lewis who again was ranked years prior to Holyfield facing him. These are facts not opinions.

And you've said nothing to refute the point of Tyson's inability to cement himself as the best at any point, since Douglas was always around.

And about Wlad since he never beat the #1 contender in Vitali.

I agree with you on Wladimir though. He cant claim to be the best during the years in which his brother was also fighting. I think he was only the clear number 1 in 2006 and 2007. By the time Vitali retired Tyson Fury has emerged as a dangerous rival.

Tyson Fury became a threat to Wladimir right around the time he won the fight. He was the underdog coming in, and not exactly looked at as a potential great. His ability since beating Wlad has been a tremendous surprise to me honestly.

[HomicideHenry]

[Ambling Alp II]

Marciano was always held in high esteem for a long time, well into the 2000s. Most people who were into boxing history didn't have him number 1, but almost everyone had him up there.

[p4p1]

Marciano was always held in high esteem for a long time, well into the 2000s. Most people who were into boxing history didn't have him number 1, but almost everyone had him up there.

But we have also had 70 or so years of HWs to overtake his spot historically, which plenty have.

[yancey]

Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier, Evander Holyfield, Gene Tunney, Ezzard Charles, Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano.

Seven greats, in which order do you rank them?

1. Frazier
2. Louis
2a. Holyfield
3. Patterson
4. Charles
5. Marciano
6. Tunney


If Louis did not get Frazier out early, Joe would have worn down the Brown Bomber and taken him out anywhere from rounds 6-9. The Brown Bomber did not like pressure. The Frazier of '69-'71 was a real beast.

[Ambling Alp II]

Marciano was always held in high esteem for a long time, well into the 2000s. Most people who were into boxing history didn't have him number 1, but almost everyone had him up there.

But we have also had 70 or so years of HWs to overtake his spot historically, which plenty have.

Not that many since he retired.
And he was still considered very highly well into the 2000s. More than 50 years after he retired. Rarely was his size mentioned, even though most were bigger than him. Now guys that he was rated higher than for decades are being rated higher than him. Part of the problem is Mythical fights. People would go by what a fighter actually did in the real world, not by what supposedly would happen in mythical fights.

[elmersalsa]

My top 10 all-time heavyweight rankings:
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