What's the highest we can reasonably rank Evander Holyfield at heavywieght?

Nah. Holyfield has the larger resume and mixed it up witih more top opponents in the 90s. Even in the 00s, Ruiz acutally turned out to be the better scalp than Grant.

H2H, Evander was old and slipping when he fought Lewis, turning in two completely different erratic performances. Holyfield was thought to be washed up all the way back in 94.

You could make an argument for Lewis, but not "clearly"

 

I really liked Holyfield too i admired the way he carried himself outside the ring, and was very professional, and he was impossible to discourage inside the ring..

It's really hard to compare fighters of different eras, i feel that the 1991 Holyfied would have beaten a prime 2010 Wlad Klitchko, but 2 dozen guy's on here would argue on that:huh

I think top 10 Heavy of all time would be reasonable, and he in my opinion was the greatest Cruiser of all time...

 

Actually accomplishment get put through analysis and they end up not factoring all that much when it comes to head to head fighting.

No one in Louis's 11 year reign can prepare him for 1963 Cassius Clay. Yet, Joe has 25 titles defenses over 11 years. Seriously, Joe Louis was the champion for someones entire childhood up to preteen.

I rank Louis a little lower because I think that the best Ali, which is Clay would eke out a victory over late 30's Joe Louis.

So on and so forth.

 

I don't know what others are saying,

but I think Holyfield could be rated #1, if given the benefit of the doubt.

After all, most of his losses came after he was 37.

The one fly in the ointment is Bowe.

 

He has been ranked as high as 3, and while I don’t agree with this assessment, I don’t think it is indefensible.

 

Not sure what else to say other than throw me your top ten if you got em. I would like to do a comparision of mine to yours and see how the accomplishment of each fighter holds up.

 

I place Holyfield outside of the top 10. Arguments can be made either way for him. Name wise his resume is incredible. But many of his wins come when fighters were on downside.
He is 1-4 against the two best heavies he faced in Lewis and Bowe. Also stayed to long racking up a lot of losses he shouldn't have. Great fighter and always in exciting fights. Small heavyweight with the biggest heart.

 

probably 8 or 9 id have him

 

You got to include Tyson in there. 3-3-1. Also have to consider the Lewis and Tyson fights happened well after he himself was considered to be on the downside.

 

3-3-1 is the official record if you include Tyson but really should be 3-4. Everyone knows Lewis handily won his first fight with Evander. Tyson to me was already in serious decline and Evander was just the first to expose him. He was nothing like pre-prison Mike. And his feasting on stiffs like McNeely, Mathis jr and scared Bruno did nothing to prepare him for Holyfield. Who was also viewed to be finished and is he reason the fight was made by King. I don't rate Lewis's win over Tyson in Lewis's top 5 because that version of Mike was dreadful.

 

That's seriously underrating Holyfield's wins over Tyson.

 

At the time they were viewed as a monumental achievement, which would be overrating those wins. It was a good quality win, but who did Tyson defeat after prison to consider on the level of Lewis or Prime Bowe? Part of what made the fight so special, was how washed up Holyfield was viewed as, going into he fight. He was coming off a knockout loss to Bowe where he couldn't pull the trigger when he had Bowe hurt, and a very unimpressive effort against bobby Czyz where Evander looked awful. I think as years pass the victory is put into better perspective. It's the defining fight of Holyfield's career because it captures everything that is right about him but it's not his best win. Bowe 2 is.

 

Lewis was overrated. Evander isn't. Lewis had his trunks up to his chest. A body shot on him was ruled low blow.

In his next outing Holyfield was almost stopped by Ruiz in fight 2.

Lewis never came close to staggering past it Holyfield in 24 rounds and the secend fight could of gone either way.

 

Lol Lewis trunks were insanely high. I always felt that was bush league move.