Top 20 Heavyweights Of All Time

Enclosed are my top 15 ranked heavyweights by 20 year intervals. The criteria for the ranking as follows.

1 ) Head to head vs. the field, which is strictly my personal opinion. 40%

2 ) Resume of wins and losses, excluding losses that happened when a fighter was past their prime. 30%

3 ) Distinction of the fighter as champion by beating top contenders in title matches if applicable. 20%

4 ) Historians input, which matter most to fighters not on film. 10%
I will try to list each fighter only once, placing him closest to his prime years. I am also open to shifting the ratings as bit, as this is the 1st draft. So constructive feedback with explanations is most welcome.

1885-1905 Pioneer era: The transitional time between bare knuckles and London Prize ring rules to Queensberry rules.

1.Jeffries
2.Fitzsimmons
3A. Jackson
3B. Corbett
5. Sullivan
6. Sharkey
7. Slavin
8. Ruhlin
9. Goddard
10. Griffin
11. Maher
12. Choynski
13. Hart
14. McCoy
15. O’Brien


1906-1925 Black and white filmed era:

1. Dempsey
2. Tunney
3. J Johnson
4. Langford
5. Wills
6. Jeanette
7. McVey
8. Willard
9. Greb
10. Gibbons
11. Burns
12. Miske
13. Godfrey
14. Norfolk
15. Smith

1926-1945 Great Depression to World War II: An era where war and the great depression in the USA hurt boxing. I have trouble with the bottom of this list, as the depth is rather thin.

1. Louis
2. Charles
3. Schmeling
4. Walcott
5. M Baer
6. Carnera
7. Godfrey
8. Moore
9. Bivins
10. Schaff
11. Conn
12. Hamas
13. Pastor
14. Farr
15. Loughran

1946-1965 Golden age era:

1. Liston
2. Marciano
3. Patterson
4. Johansson
5. Ray
6. Terrell
7. Machen
8. Folley
9. Williams
10. H. Johnson
11. Valdes
12. D Jones
13. Chuvalo
14. Layne
15. Cooper


1966-1985: TV expansion to Cable and PPV: This era is loaded with talent.

1. Ali
2. Holmes
3. Foreman
4. Frazier
5. Norton
6. Witherspoon
7. Thomas
8. Quarry
9. Page
10. Coetzee
11. Shavers
12. Lyle
13. C00ney
14. Young
15. Weaver


1986-2003: 12 round era and super heavyweight era. This era had tremendous depth, and a lot of talent.

1. Lewis
2. Holyfield
3. Tyson
4. Bowe
5. Ibeabuchi
6.Byrd
7. Morrer
8. Mercer
9. Douglas
10. Tua
11. Morrison
12. Bruno
13. Rhaman
14 McCall
15. Ruiz.



2003-( ratings are of 2015 ) 2026 – Eastern European dominance era. While this era is only half over, the nations producing the top talent has shifted. Once the iron curtain in Eastern Europe fell both the amateur and professional ranks have been dominated by Eastern Europeans. Only 2 Americans made the top ten. Since many of the below fighters career’s are over, and future talent in the amateurs will arrive, this list will likely look very different after the Klitshcko’s come 2026. It is possible young pros such as Joshua will rate in the next 4 years. Hopefully we will all be here to debate it!

1A. V Klitschko
1B. W Kltischko
3. Povetkin
4. Chagaev
5. Sanders
6. Ibragimov
7. Haye
8. Adamek
9. Chambers
10. Brewster
11. Peter
12. Valuev
13. Gomez
14. Solis
15. Pulev

 

I can't see how you have Eddie Machen over Harold Johnson? Harold beat him.

I also question Roy Harris being rated over Rex Layne? Layne beat Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott before Marciano did. Whom did Harris ever beat?

 

Johnson's HW resume is top 5 worthy from the era specified.

He beat Charles, Henry, Valdes, Machen, Bivins, Godoy, Satterfield, Slade, and even his best LHW scalps like Jones and Pastrano(controversial loss) were decent players at HW.

 

Well, Machen had his moments and lasted the distance with Liston and beat Quarry. Did Johnson beat anyone as good as Quarry? I view Johnson mostly as a Light Heavyweight.

Johnson edged Machen 5-4-1 in a 10 round match. It was close.

After further review, I think Layne belongs and Harris does not.

Will update. Thanks for the feedback.

 

1. muhammed "ali palli" -highest acheivements, bizarre style
2. lovely Louis - longest records, consummate skills, not at fault for bum of month since he'd ripped the real contenders apart long before he started it.
3. lummox lewy, complete skills and assets let down by slight concentration issues
4. larry "no holmo" holmes -great skillset, unbeaten till old, magnificent run let down by a few stiff opps.
5. The Rock - blindingly perfect record and excellent physical attributes let down by the possibility of mafia setup fights, some weak opps, limited skills and a late start.


6. Jack "UnforgivableBlackness" Johnson - in reality a much longer unbeaten title streak than the one that began with his demolition of li'l tommy, though marred by his avoidance of black fighters once he got the title. The first full undisputed world champion, since most of the others previous drew the fictitious colour line.

7. ol Georgie Foreman - one early excellent reign plus an unbelievable fortysomething reign, still unprecendented, mark out a clear pedigree from the day he put on gloves till the day he hung them up.

8. Iron Mickey Tyson - unprecendeted early start, unification and established undisputability almost fresh out of high school and offensive skillset let down by poor character and inevitable slide relatively early in life.

9. John L Sully - ruled for an unprecedented time given his poor training methods, but marred by his being in reality only a partial titlist given the color line he used to remain unbeaten for so long/

10. Jack "kid blackie" Dempsey - great physical attributes, early start and unbeaten record let down by a tailing off of his career as it morphed into a near prima donnas to the point where he became slow, clubfooted and readily beatable.

11. Smoking Joe - almost unprecedented early start, but crashed and burned due to his style.

12. Evander the Holyman - outstandingly dizzying heights reached for a LHW and CW, but marred by drug use.

13. Wlad K - outstanding longevity let down by the eurobum level of competition for so long to maintain his narrow skillsets wins and appalling H2H losses, easily the worst of a HW champion.


to be continued.

 

You've made the case here for ranking Frazier higher alltime than Foreman.

I don't agree, but I understand the rationale.

This bit is harder to understand. :huh

 

Yes, he beat Machen who beat Quarry. He also edged Charles prior to the Marciano fights.

 

Ali
Louis
Lewis
Foreman
Holmes
Marciano
Frazier
Liston
Johnson
Dempsey
Holyfield
Wlad
Tyson
Wills
Jeffries
Vitali
Charles
Walcott
Patterson
Schmeling

 

Young [emoji38]

 

Yes, Ezzard Charles. Charles is better than Quarry.

You also have Eddie Machen over Zora Folley. He had two opportunities against Folley and couldn't come away with a W either time. Folley very clearly outboxed him in the rematch.

 

I love it

1. Joe Louis
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Rocky Marciano
4. Lennox Lewis
5. George Foreman
6. Joe Frazier
7. Jack Johnson
8. Evander Holyfield
9. Mike Tyson
10. Jack Dempsey
11. Larry Holmes
12. Jim Jeffries
13. Sonny Liston
14. Harry Wills
15. Wladimir Klitschko (slightly reluctant to put him in)
16. Langford
17. Charles
18. Patterson
19. Schmelling
20. Walcott

 

1. Joe Louis
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Larry Holmes
4. Jack Johnson
5. Rocky Marciano
6. Mike Tyson
7. Lennox Lewis
8. George Foreman
9. Jack Dempsey
10. Joe Frazier
11. Evander Holyfield
12. Sonny Liston
13. Wladimir Klitschko
14. James J. Jeffries
15. Ezzard Charles
16. John L. Sullivan
17. Floyd Patterson
18. Gene Tunney
19. Max Schmeling
20. Jersey Joe Walcott
21. Ridd1ck Bowe
22. Vitali Klitschko
23. Ken Norton
24. Sam Langford
25. Michael Spinks

 

Is this just based on rosy visioned nostalgia or something slightly more rigorous in the intellectual department.

If you are putting Dempsey in front of Tyson or Waldo, it is surely the former.