BoxRec

Nat Fleischer, Founder of Ring Magazine, 1958, 1971.

Jack Johnson

Jim Jeffries

Bob Fitzsimmons

Jack Dempsey

Jim Corbett

Joe Louis

Sam Langford

Gene Tunney

Max Schemling

Rocky Marciano




Charley Rose, 1968

Sam Langford

Jack Johnson

Jack Dempsey

Joe Louis

Jim Jeffries

Gene Tunney

Sam McVey

Rocky Marciano

Jim Corbett

Max Baer




World Boxing 1974 Readers Poll

Joe Louis

Jack Dempsey

Rocky Marciano

Jack Johnson

Muhammad Ali

Joe Frazier

Gene Tunney

Jim Jeffries

Sonny Liston

Ezzard Charles




Nat Loubet, 1975

Joe Louis

Jack Dempsey

Jim Jeffries

Jack Johnson

Rocky Marciano

Gene Tunney

Bob Fitzsimmons

James J. Corbett

Muhammad Ali

Joe Frazier




John Durant -Author of "The Heavyweight Champions" (1976)

Joe Louis

Jack Johnson

Jack Dempsey

Muhammad Ali

Gene Tunney

Joe Frazier

Jim Jeffries

James J. Corbett

Rocky Marciano

Max Schemling




Bill Brennan 1978 (Former President of the WBA)

Muhammad Ali

Joe Louis

Jack Dempsey

Jack Johnson

Gene Tunney

Jim Jeffries

Max Schemeling

Rocky Marciano

James J. Corebett

Bob Fitzsimmons




Big Book of Boxing Reader Poll, 1978

Joe Louis

Muhammad Ali

Rocky Marciano

Jack Dempsey

Jack Johnson

Gene Tunney

Joe Frazier

Jim Jeffries

Ezzard Charles

Sonny Liston




Gilbert Odd, 1985 (Kings of the Ring)

Muhammad Ali

Joe Louis

Jack Johnson

Floyd Patterson

Jack Dempsey

Jim Jeffries

Tommy Burns

Gene Tunney

Jim Corbett

Max Schmeling




Bert Sugar, 1991

Jack Dempsey

Joe Louis

Muhammad Ali

Jack Johnson

Gene Tunney

Rocky Marciano

Joe Frazier

Larry Holmes

Sonny Liston

Mike Tyson




Arthur Harris, 1992 (Nov 1992 Boxing Scene)

Muhammad Ali

Joe Louis

Jack Dempsey

Jack Johnson

Gene Tunney

Rocky Marciano

Larry Holmes

Jersey Joe Walcott

Joe Frazier

Sonny Liston




Nigel Collins, 1997

Muhammad Ali

Joe Louis

Evander Holyfield

Larry Holmes

George Foreman

Jack Johnson

Rocky Marciano

Joe Frazier

Jack Dempsey

Sonny Liston




Herbert Goldman, 1997

Muhammad Ali

Joe Louis

Sonny Liston

Mike Tyson

Larry Holmes

Jack Johnson

Jack Dempsey

George Foreman

Rocky Marciano

Joe Frazier




Steve Farhood, 1997

Muhammad Ali

Joe Louis

Jack Johnson

Larry Holmes

Rocky Marciano

Jack Dempsey

Jim Jeffries

Evander Holyfield

Mike Tyson

George Foreman




BBC Sports, 2004

Muhammad Ali

Joe Louis

Jack Johnson

Larry Holmes

Jack Dempsey

Rocky Marciano

Lennox Lewis

Mike Tyson

George Foreman

Evander Holyfield




IBRO Member Poll, 2005

Joe Louis

Muhammad Ali

Jack Johnson

Jack Dempsey

Rocky Marciano

Larry Holmes

James Jeffries

George Foreman

Sonny Liston

Joe Frazier



ESPN, 2007

Joe Louis

Muhammad Ali

Jack Dempsey

Jack Johnson

Gene Tunney

Rocky Marciano

Ezzard Charles

George Foreman

Joe Frazier

Larry Holmes



Richard O'Brien (SI Senior Editor) 2009

Muhammad Ali

Joe Louis

Sonny Liston

Larry Holmes

Jack Johnson

Jack Dempsey

George Foreman

Joe Frazier

Rocky Marciano

Lennox Lewis

Bazza Deskins wasn't consulted?

Collins2000 wrote:Bazza Deskins wasn't consulted?

Nor Granberry.

I would love to see his list especially if it was confined to the modern era.

It's interesting to watch the evolution of lists, given the passing of time. You can see Ali sort of move up the ranks over the decades, in much the same way as a contender moves up the ranks in real-time over a period of years.

Interesting how things come full circle. That One got his lists from my good friend Monte Cox's website -- and he several of those lists from me (I've been collecting them for years).

One I always found interesting was this one:

Experts Poll (1962)
"The Ring" (December 1962, pp. 6-12)

1-Jack Dempsey (13)
2-Joe Louis (10)
3-Jack Johnson (9)
4-Gene Tunney (3)
5-Jim Jeffries, Sam Langford (2 each)
7-Rocky Marciano (1)

Vote named greatest heavyweight, only.

Panel. Jack Dempsey votes: Elmer Ferguson, Jack Cuddy, Ned Brown, Frank Graham, Dink Carroll, Sam Cohen, Harry Grayson, Jersey Jones, Jack Koford, Dan Walton, Max Kase, Hugh Bradley, Al Buck. Joe Louis votes: Dan Parker, Nat Loubet, Murray Rose, Lew Eskin, Dan Daniel, Johnny McDonald, George Whiting, Ted Carroll, Ray Grody, Al DelGreco. Jack Johnson votes: Nat Fleischer, Willie Ratner, Dick Cullum, George A. Barton, Dick Young, Anthony Marenghi, Harry Keck, Arthur Daley, Johnny Sharpe. Gene Tunney votes: Warren Brown, Chris Dundee, Jack Fried. Jim Jeffries votes: Willie Ritchie, Sam Taub. Sam Langford votes: Charley Rose, Bill McCormick. Rocky Marciano vote: Lloyd Larson.

Fascinating. Thanks for these lists, ThatOne. And the extra one from Mr E.

Ali wins 8
Louis 6
Dempsey 2
Johnson 1
Langford 1

I myself have studied this train of though in the past.

Instead of just asking anybodies... "Who is your top 10 Heavyweights"... I decided to explore the thought and opinions of the respected boxing veterans and pundits...

My findings were detailled, but I can give you a brief account:

Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis are ALWAYS (99%) of the time included in peoples top 10.

You will find that Rocky Marciano will be included in there somewhere...

Jack Dempsey and Jack Johnson are also in there, though both fighters do shoot up-and-down the list.

Joe Frazier and George Foreman are also usually named in veterans 10.

Mike Tyson is almost a certainty.
****
These were the top 8, in most boxing pundits books... It was rare that any of these 8 weren't included in the 10.

Other notable names which are mentioned are:
Lennox Lewis,
Larry Holmes,
Evander Holyfield,
Sam Langford,
John L. Sullivan,
Jersey Joe Walcott,
Ezzard Charles,
Floyd Patterson,
Sonny Liston

Then you have some names which occasionally creep into the 10.
Such as,
James J. Braddock, Jim Jeffries, Ken Norton, Riddick Bowe, Gene Tunney,

Finally, there would be some names who are only mentioned the once if you asked 15/20 people for their top 10s...

These names would include:
Leon Spinks, Jess Willard, Archie Moore, Vitali Klitchsko and Tommy Burns.

Crease wrote:I myself have studied this train of though in the past.

Instead of just asking anybodies... "Who is your top 10 Heavyweights"... I decided to explore the thought and opinions of the respected boxing veterans and pundits...

...

Finally, there would be some names who are only mentioned the once if you asked 15/20 people for their top 10s...

These names would include:
Leon Spinks, Jess Willard, Archie Moore, Vitali Klitchsko and Tommy Burns.

Can you tell me which "respected boxing veterans and pundits" included Leon Spinks amongst the Top 10 heavyweights ever.

Collins2000 wrote: Can you tell me who included Leon Spinks amongst the Top 10 heavyweights ever.

No problem, Collins, give me a few days to dig up my file on it.

I got all of my information from the Internet so you could look it up for yourself.

But I will get back to you.

Crease wrote:I got all of my information from the Internet so you could look it up for yourself.

But I will get back to you.

Looking forward to seeing who it was.

The June 1927 issue of RING magazine lists Jack Johnson as"The Greatest Fighter of all Time".

It would be intersting to know of all of these compilers.
Who was the heavyweight champion of the world when they were say 24 years old?
One has to account for some bias as to that,their own generation.

Also the winner of the Murray Woroner radio broadcasts of 1967.
(all those radio broadcasts can be heard on the extras of the DVD SUPERFIGHT,
Marciano-vrs-Muhammad Ali)

Collins2000 wrote:

Crease wrote:I myself have studied this train of though in the past.

Instead of just asking anybodies... "Who is your top 10 Heavyweights"... I decided to explore the thought and opinions of the respected boxing veterans and pundits...

...

Finally, there would be some names who are only mentioned the once if you asked 15/20 people for their top 10s...

These names would include:
Leon Spinks, Jess Willard, Archie Moore, Vitali Klitchsko and Tommy Burns.

Can you tell me which "respected boxing veterans and pundits" included Leon Spinks amongst the Top 10 heavyweights ever.

I'd like to know whic "respected boxing veterands an pundits include Vital Klitschko in there.

In my files, Leon Spinks is my mentioned and his name is under Don King's name.

So, Don King put Leon Spinks in hsi top 10 Heavyweights.