Give me your list: Top 7 Heavyweights: All Time

Ali
Holmes
Lewis
Foreman
Frazier
Tyson
Holyfield

Honourable mention: Charles 'Sonny' Liston

 

For the rest of my top 7, I think I'd go with;

Lewis
Dempsey
Foreman
Marciano

Langford doesn't make it because, although I think he's the second-best fighter ever, a lot of his good work was below Heavyweight. Holyfield, Frazier, Liston and Johnson all come close.

 

Peter Okhello
Butterbean
David Haye
Audley Harrison
Kimbo Slice
Kevin Johnson
Primo Carnera

 

Louis
Ali
Johnson
Marciano
Foreman
Jeffries

+ either Lennox, Holmes, or Dempsey.

 

Good call, didn't think of him yet :good

 

In no particular order :


Ali

Louis

Holmes

Fraizer

Foreman

Tyson

Marciano

 

My bad. Frazier out, Solis in.

 

Jack Johnson
Joe Louis
Muhammad Ali
Rocky Marciano
Jack Dempsey
Joe Frazier
Lennox Lewis

 

This is difficult. Comparing fighters from different eras, there really is no way to not be subjective. That plus the mythical "Prime" factor...Tyson fans will claim that a Prime Tyson was unstoppable, but his prime is limited to such a short period of time that it makes you wonder, perhaps it was the opposition at the time that had a role?

Anyhow, based on willpower, physical attributes, punching power, discipline and ring IQ, I'd say:

Ali, Foreman, Wlad/Lennox, Vit, Holyfield, Ike/Mike/Bowe

Like I said, hard to pick. Unfortunately, I wouldn't include Povetkin in that list.

 

Nice list.

For me though, Lewis would be above Vitali and it's hard to argue that prime for prime, Vitali would have bested Lewis.
And I think H2H, Holmes would have likely beat Holyfield had they both been prime.:think

Lewis
Ali
Vitali
Foreman
Tyson
Wladimir
Holmes

 

Holmes is so underrated on this site :-(

 

Louis
Ali
J. Johnson
Dempsey
Marciano
Holmes





Everyone else

 

It's simple

being #1 on that list means that you can beat more top opponents than the other fighters on the list

it doesn't mean you can beat all of them. You could be ranked higher than a fighter, but still lose to him H2H

For example, I think a prime Lewis beats Vitali, but at the same time, I think Vitali would beat more top fighters than Lewis because he has better chin and defense.

Same with Foreman, even if he lost to Ali, I think he'd do better than Ali against a major number of top opponents. And I dont count post Ali Foreman as a prime fighter anymore, he wasn't the same after that

 

based on accomplishments, competition, h2h ability, achievements i.e. titles and longevity alongside intangibles such as impact on the sport:

1. Ali- number one by a wide margin. he fits the bill perfectly in every category: he fought and beat the best, was a nightmare to fight, reigned for 2 decades and is probably the most famous fighter ever

2. Lewis- h2h nightmare, beat them all in a good era, avenged his defeats

3. Louis- better longevity than lewis and had more of an impact and lasting legacy in pop culture but wasn't as sharp h2h or faced as good of a level of competition as the other lewis. that being said it is close for number 2/3

4. Foreman- h2h he is one of the worst match ups for any heavyweight outside of the elite best and holds many distinctions, most notably being the oldest champ at heavyweight ever. This shows amazing longevity also.

5. Holyfield- fearless warrior who fought them all and beat many despite a size disadvantage. also holds the record for most title wins and had an incredible 3 decades on or near the top. controversial draw with lewis and staying around too long hurts him. can also be beaten by many h2h (arguably of course)


6. Marciano- undefeated, retired on top, a hero amongst italian americans the way louis was a hero to african americans. His premature death may help overshadow what some would call a weak era but still has quality wins over moore, walcott and charles not to mention a faded louis. Overall lack of a true adversary hurts him

7. W. Klitschko- like marciano, suffers from a weak era but his h2h prowess, obvious skill set and alarming dominance are hard to dismiss. his numerous title defences, longevity, h2h ability and impact on the sport in europe make him a controversial pick over holmes whom i have at 8 right behind him. His ranking could rise in the next 2 decades

 

People care way too much about chin.

Norton beat Ali.
Tommy beat Foreman
Bruno beat Mccall
Lewis beat Vitali
Etc. etc.