Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

gilgamesh
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by gilgamesh »

keithmoonhangover wrote: 03 Jun 2026, 12:55
Cojimar 1946 wrote: 24 May 2026, 12:22 Id put him just outside the top 10 just too inconsistent for my taste. Maybe 12 or so

The 1990s is an era of missed fights with or without Holyfield
When are you going to reveal your top 20 in order?
What's your Top 20 Keith?
keithmoonhangover
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by keithmoonhangover »

gilgamesh wrote: 03 Jun 2026, 19:54
keithmoonhangover wrote: 03 Jun 2026, 12:55
Cojimar 1946 wrote: 24 May 2026, 12:22 Id put him just outside the top 10 just too inconsistent for my taste. Maybe 12 or so

The 1990s is an era of missed fights with or without Holyfield
When are you going to reveal your top 20 in order?
What's your Top 20 Keith?
God, it's got to be at least 20 years since I've done one.
gilgamesh
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by gilgamesh »

keithmoonhangover wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 03:57
gilgamesh wrote: 03 Jun 2026, 19:54
keithmoonhangover wrote: 03 Jun 2026, 12:55

When are you going to reveal your top 20 in order?
What's your Top 20 Keith?
God, it's got to be at least 20 years since I've done one.
20 years since a Top 20? That seems like a sign to me
keithmoonhangover
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by keithmoonhangover »

gilgamesh wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 04:07
keithmoonhangover wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 03:57
gilgamesh wrote: 03 Jun 2026, 19:54

What's your Top 20 Keith?
God, it's got to be at least 20 years since I've done one.
20 years since a Top 20? That seems like a sign to me
Could be, the problem is I argue with myself for weeks about Jack Johnson's position.
gilgamesh
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by gilgamesh »

keithmoonhangover wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 05:01
gilgamesh wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 04:07
keithmoonhangover wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 03:57

God, it's got to be at least 20 years since I've done one.
20 years since a Top 20? That seems like a sign to me
Could be, the problem is I argue with myself for weeks about Jack Johnson's position.
He's toward the back end of the Top 20 for me.
Cojimar 1946
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by Cojimar 1946 »

keithmoonhangover wrote: 03 Jun 2026, 12:55
Cojimar 1946 wrote: 24 May 2026, 12:22 Id put him just outside the top 10 just too inconsistent for my taste. Maybe 12 or so

The 1990s is an era of missed fights with or without Holyfield
When are you going to reveal your top 20 in order?
Which list? H2H or accomplishments
keithmoonhangover
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by keithmoonhangover »

Cojimar 1946 wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 16:08
keithmoonhangover wrote: 03 Jun 2026, 12:55
Cojimar 1946 wrote: 24 May 2026, 12:22 Id put him just outside the top 10 just too inconsistent for my taste. Maybe 12 or so

The 1990s is an era of missed fights with or without Holyfield
When are you going to reveal your top 20 in order?
Which list? H2H or accomplishments
Accomplishments.
Cojimar 1946
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by Cojimar 1946 »

Here's a tentative top 20
1 Louis
2 Ali
3 Holmes
4 Liston
5. Johnson
6. Klitschko
7. Dempsey
8. Lewis
9. Usyk
10. Charles
11. Marciano
12. Tyson
13. Jeffries
14 Holyfield
15 Foreman
16Tunney
17 Fitzsimmons
18 Frazier
19 Baer
20 Wills
gilgamesh
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by gilgamesh »

Cojimar 1946 wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 19:50 Here's a tentative top 20
1 Louis
2 Ali
3 Holmes
4 Liston
5. Johnson
6. Klitschko
7. Dempsey
8. Lewis
9. Usyk
10. Charles
11. Marciano
12. Tyson
13. Jeffries
14 Holyfield
15 Foreman
16Tunney
17 Fitzsimmons
18 Frazier
19 Baer
20 Wills
Liston 11 spots over Foreman is pretty indefensible, but I agree with 7 of your Top 10 if not always the exact placement.

Baer shouldn't be in the Top 20. Lots of people would come ahead of him.

Fury belongs in there somewhere. Especially if he beats Joshua.
elmersalsa
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by elmersalsa »

Cojimar 1946 wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 19:50 Here's a tentative top 20
1 Louis
2 Ali
3 Holmes
4 Liston
5. Johnson
6. Klitschko
7. Dempsey
8. Lewis
9. Usyk
10. Charles
11. Marciano
12. Tyson
13. Jeffries
14 Holyfield
15 Foreman
16Tunney
17 Fitzsimmons
18 Frazier
19 Baer
20 Wills
Smokin' Joe Frazier should be top 10. The first man that beat the Greatest, Muhammad Ali in the most anticipated and historical fight in boxing history.
gilgamesh
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by gilgamesh »

elmersalsa wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 21:24
Cojimar 1946 wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 19:50 Here's a tentative top 20
1 Louis
2 Ali
3 Holmes
4 Liston
5. Johnson
6. Klitschko
7. Dempsey
8. Lewis
9. Usyk
10. Charles
11. Marciano
12. Tyson
13. Jeffries
14 Holyfield
15 Foreman
16Tunney
17 Fitzsimmons
18 Frazier
19 Baer
20 Wills
Smokin' Joe Frazier should be top 10. The first man that beat the Greatest, Muhammad Ali in the most anticipated and historical fight in boxing history.
I got Frazier just barely outside the Top 10 myself, but the margin between the guys i have ranked like 7 through 14 is pretty thin with not a lot of separation any which way you'd want to rate em.
Cojimar 1946
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by Cojimar 1946 »

gilgamesh wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 20:34
Cojimar 1946 wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 19:50 Here's a tentative top 20
1 Louis
2 Ali
3 Holmes
4 Liston
5. Johnson
6. Klitschko
7. Dempsey
8. Lewis
9. Usyk
10. Charles
11. Marciano
12. Tyson
13. Jeffries
14 Holyfield
15 Foreman
16Tunney
17 Fitzsimmons
18 Frazier
19 Baer
20 Wills
Liston 11 spots over Foreman is pretty indefensible, but I agree with 7 of your Top 10 if not always the exact placement.

Baer shouldn't be in the Top 20. Lots of people would come ahead of him.

Fury belongs in there somewhere. Especially if he beats Joshua.
Liston was the best heavyweight in the world for 6/7 years and never lost in his prime. For me that counts for a lot.

Fury has a pretty thin resume and his only claim to being the best is very briefly in 2015 so its hard to see how he gets in the top 20.
Expug
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by Expug »

Cojimar 1946 wrote: 05 Jun 2026, 12:20
gilgamesh wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 20:34
Cojimar 1946 wrote: 04 Jun 2026, 19:50 Here's a tentative top 20
1 Louis
2 Ali
3 Holmes
4 Liston
5. Johnson
6. Klitschko
7. Dempsey
8. Lewis
9. Usyk
10. Charles
11. Marciano
12. Tyson
13. Jeffries
14 Holyfield
15 Foreman
16Tunney
17 Fitzsimmons
18 Frazier
19 Baer
20 Wills
Liston 11 spots over Foreman is pretty indefensible, but I agree with 7 of your Top 10 if not always the exact placement.

Baer shouldn't be in the Top 20. Lots of people would come ahead of him.

Fury belongs in there somewhere. Especially if he beats Joshua.
Liston was the best heavyweight in the world for 6/7 years and never lost in his prime. For me that counts for a lot.

Fury has a pretty thin resume and his only claim to being the best is very briefly in 2015 so its hard to see how he gets in the top 20.
I might throw Jersey Joe in there for Baer or Wills.
elmersalsa
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by elmersalsa »

C'mon, Cojimar! Evander Holyfield at #14 and Smokin' Joe Frazier at #20? No way!
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by elmersalsa »

And Big George at #15? No way!

Evander Holyfield, Smokin' Joe Frazier and Big George Foreman are all top 10 all-time heavyweights. No doubt about that. What position? It depends on each person to rank them. But, they are top 10.
tiny_acres
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by tiny_acres »

elmersalsa wrote: 05 Jun 2026, 21:16 And Big George at #15? No way!

Evander Holyfield, Smokin' Joe Frazier and Big George Foreman are all top 10 all-time heavyweights. No doubt about that. What position? It depends on each person to rank them. But, they are top 10.
Foreman should be in everyone's top 5 in my opinion.
But i do not have a problem with people having Frazier, Holyfield and Tyson just outside the top 10. Say 11-15th. It is very subjective.
But Foreman earned a top 5 spot winning the belt back after his first tile win 21 years earlier. That is an unreal accomplishment that will probably never be accomplished again
gilgamesh
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by gilgamesh »

tiny_acres wrote: 05 Jun 2026, 21:28
elmersalsa wrote: 05 Jun 2026, 21:16 And Big George at #15? No way!

Evander Holyfield, Smokin' Joe Frazier and Big George Foreman are all top 10 all-time heavyweights. No doubt about that. What position? It depends on each person to rank them. But, they are top 10.
Foreman should be in everyone's top 5 in my opinion.
But i do not have a problem with people having Frazier, Holyfield and Tyson just outside the top 10. Say 11-15th. It is very subjective.
But Foreman earned a top 5 spot winning the belt back after his first tile win 21 years earlier. That is an unreal accomplishment that will probably never be accomplished again
Frazier, Tyson and Liston all rank in and around the same area for me. Foreman is well above those 3 in my opinion. Holyfield could reasonably go anywhere from 6 to 13 to me though I personally have him at 7
gilgamesh
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by gilgamesh »

Remember that Foreman has more KO wins than Liston has wins period. He also has less losses. He also won more Championship fights.
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by tiny_acres »

gilgamesh wrote: 06 Jun 2026, 04:19
tiny_acres wrote: 05 Jun 2026, 21:28
elmersalsa wrote: 05 Jun 2026, 21:16 And Big George at #15? No way!

Evander Holyfield, Smokin' Joe Frazier and Big George Foreman are all top 10 all-time heavyweights. No doubt about that. What position? It depends on each person to rank them. But, they are top 10.
Foreman should be in everyone's top 5 in my opinion.
But i do not have a problem with people having Frazier, Holyfield and Tyson just outside the top 10. Say 11-15th. It is very subjective.
But Foreman earned a top 5 spot winning the belt back after his first tile win 21 years earlier. That is an unreal accomplishment that will probably never be accomplished again
Frazier, Tyson and Liston all rank in and around the same area for me. Foreman is well above those 3 in my opinion. Holyfield could reasonably go anywhere from 6 to 13 to me though I personally have him at 7
I should of added Liston to my statement. Thank you for including him. My mind doesn't work like it used too :lol:
Cojimar 1946
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by Cojimar 1946 »

gilgamesh wrote: 06 Jun 2026, 05:01 Remember that Foreman has more KO wins than Liston has wins period. He also has less losses. He also won more Championship fights.
He has more losses actually. Liston would have far more championship wins had he received a title shot earlier
gilgamesh
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by gilgamesh »

Cojimar 1946 wrote: 07 Jun 2026, 16:14
gilgamesh wrote: 06 Jun 2026, 05:01 Remember that Foreman has more KO wins than Liston has wins period. He also has less losses. He also won more Championship fights.
He has more losses actually. Liston would have far more championship wins had he received a title shot earlier
You're right Foreman does have more losses. I had forgotten Liston's loss count was 4, I was thinking 6. I get his and Tyson's record mixed up in my mind sometimes because they're similar.

I agree that Liston was the top guy well before getting his title shot, and he has a lot of top notch wins as a Top contender, but nothing on his record is as good as Foreman's destruction of Frazier.

George was also able to come back and regain his title. 20 years after losing it. Sonny Liston was not able to regain it at all, and he had his shot to do so, which we all remember for him infamously flopping around like a fish and pretending to be KO'd.
Cojimar 1946
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by Cojimar 1946 »

Tyson is up to 7 losses I think with the Jake Paul debacle
gilgamesh
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Re: Where does Evander Holyfield rank among all time great Heavyweights?

Post by gilgamesh »

Cojimar 1946 wrote: 07 Jun 2026, 22:00 Tyson is up to 7 losses I think with the Jake Paul debacle
Yeah that's true. I don't think most take the Jake Paul bout seriously though. Not even that it was fake or anything it was just a ridiculous match in the first place.
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