BoxRec

ha irish, revolver is an idiot

I list Sullivan at 19th all-time, but it certainly could be argued that he should be higher!

Irish wrote:1. Muhammad Ali
2. Larry Holmes
3. George Foreman
4. Sonny Liston
5. Mike Tyson
6. Joe Frazier
7. Michael Spinx
8. Ken Norton
9. James Douglas
10. Lennox Lewis
11. Riddock Bowe
12. Evander Holyfield
13. Cleveland Williams
14. Ernie Terrell
15. Floyd Patterson
16. Eddie Machen
17. Tim Witherspoon
18. Jack Johnson
19. Rocky Marciano
20. Ingemar Johansson


http://www.boxingnews24.com/forum/viewt ... sc&start=0

Ok, so what is funnier, no Joe Louis in the top 20 or Spinks and Douglas each in the top 10?

barry wrote:I list Sullivan at 19th all-time, but it certainly could be argued that he should be higher!

I think if your rating Sullivan on ability then a top 15 or 20 place is certainly merited... but if you are rating Sullivan on his influence on boxing then I think he is top 5... along with Ali, Johnson, Louis, and Dempsey... all champions whose influence spread through boxing and beyond. Sullivan was probably Americas first 'celebrity' athlete.

silkov wrote:

barry wrote:I list Sullivan at 19th all-time, but it certainly could be argued that he should be higher!

I think if your rating Sullivan on ability then a top 15 or 20 place is certainly merited... but if you are rating Sullivan on his influence on boxing then I think he is top 5... along with Ali, Johnson, Louis, and Dempsey... all champions whose influence spread through boxing and beyond. Sullivan was probably Americas first 'celebrity' athlete.

i would rank john L as top 2, next to ali, on his influence, but the list is talent based and acheivements... i wouldnt rank john L. in the top 15, but i think top 25 is well deserved... somewhere around top 20..i think hes not a really safe pick because of when he fought n all.

should guys like braddock, cooney, shavers be ranked??

umm braddock and shavers yes, im not sure about cooney though

John L Sullivan in terms of influence probably rivals Ali and louis for the top spot, absolutely, no doubt about it. Head to head, as he fought at the time, absolutely a completely different story.
John L. Sullivan would have been dominated by everyone in the top fifty. With his style he would have been a heavy bag with legs agianst them. Marciano and Dempsey would have utterly destroyed him.

Those eyewitness who marveled at his skill couldnt imagine how much better fighters were going to get. And he had no right to be called the "baddest man in the planet" when he was only willing to fight white men. that means he was either a raging racist or a coward and was using racism as an excuse.

If you were to decide on a career basis, then Ali would be number 1 by a mile, his level of competition was by far the best, he had 2 careers really and his longevity was superb, Louis would be number 2, as his competition I feel was not in the same class as Ali's. Foreman number 3 because of him regaining the title at 45

walshb wrote:If you were to decide on a career basis, then Ali would be number 1 by a mile, his level of competition was by far the best, he had 2 careers really and his longevity was superb, Louis would be number 2, as his competition I feel was not in the same class as Ali's. Foreman number 3 because of him regaining the title at 45

Walsh

Before Foreman's win over Moorer I probably wouldn't have had him in my top 10. In his first career he had poor stamina and seemed unwilling to get back up in Zaire. I think the best of George is the physical abilty of the younger version with the mind of the older version. Now he is definitely top 10 no doubt about it. how ould you rate him if he hadn't have had the comeback??