Most inteligent heavyweight champions

Lewis and Holmes. Holmes did very well in business and still has all of his money from his career.

Many ways to measure this of course, but I've always held Holmes in high regard just for the fact that he wasn't an idiot with his money.

 

I read somewhere years ago that Calvin Brock was a very intelligent guy....

 

**** all the talk about his commentaries....Lewis just comes across, for all the world, like an articulate, intelligent guy. He's well spoken, and like it's been pointed out already, with none of the stupid, self destructive, thuggish and violent tendencies that so many other fighters have exhibited. He limited his violence to the ring.

 

Oh God, a Klittard escaped the General forum. Apologies gentleman, we will try to ensure it never happens again.

For the record, Ali gets my vote. Smart in the ring and his verbal skills were beyond most orators, and how many Heavyweights could go onto chat shows and discuss politics and current affairs like he did?

 

It's hard for me to consider a 'blind believer' like Ali intelligent, but I'll give him credit for being one of the smartest heavyweights in the ring.

 

You're right about the religion stuff of course, but then if I was born with Ali's skills, I'd probably believe that some higher power had to have made me. I still maintain that he showed enough intelligence outside the ring to blow everyone else away though.

 

Max Schmeling
Gene Tunney
Jack Dempsey
Rocky

Look how they did after boxing

 

Mostly this.
His ring IQ was very high too, especially later in his career.

 

Schmeling, good pick! I forgot him, guy built up a business, became one of richest men in Germany. Was smart in ring, and out of it.

 

I'd say that's down to culture and upbringing. Lennox clearly has a close relationship with a strong mother who instilled strong values, standards and behaviours in him

I like him allot but I'm not sure I'd consider Lennox highly intelligent, he doesn't come across that way to me when listening to him talk or his ring craft either.

Being successful in business and organising your finances doesn't necessarily make you intelligent. It makes you business savy, it requires some intelligence but not a great level of intellect

 

I agree. There have been plenty of boxers more intelligent. Ali was charismatic. Some are quick to point to that as proof of intellectual ability; and it is, after a fashion. But I don't personally feel that he was exceptionally smart. His talent lays in the delivery. His actual word were often extracted from memory, and not improvised.

 

1. Tunney
2. Johnson
3. Schmeling
4. W. Klitschko
5. Lewis
6. Corbett

 

There are different forms of intelligence and the ability to deliver speeches, wit, poetry and eloquently so are certainly a form of intellect. Logic and maths are a form of intellect too but the best mathematical minds tend to have weak communication skills

 

I understand that. Ali was unconventionally gifted, but perhaps not on the level of the six I named above. I credit his incredible wit, but he's not what he's being made out to be. If we broaden the criteria, it would not shock to see even introspective men like Norton or Moore above him.

 

Foreman stands out for me. He comes across as a pretty wise person

Klitschkos, obviously. 4 languages, PhDs and from a business point of view they aren't doing too badly with boxing. When did K2 start? About the right time I imagine. All of their big football stadium fights have been K2 promotions. I don't put them forward as a fanboy either, in this case. These are some of the qualities that earned my respect in the first place

Lewis I'm not so sure about but he's no mug, that's for sure

Didn't he get taken for a ride by those Nation of Islam guys?