Could have been much better with just a few of the decent historians and cut the rest out..waters down the poll with guys whose knowledge is limited
Corbett would not make my top 20 in terms of resume, or head to head. Fitzsimmons might just squeak into my top 20 for resume. I wouldn't even attempt to rank Sullivan head to head, but you could make a strong case for a top ten ranking based on resume. He was a very dominant champion. In Sullivan's case it is often best to leave him off these lists. A rank in the lower end of the top 20 would almost certainly be selling him short, but a higher ranking would be a lot to commit to base on the available evidence.
Johnson's resume has the Larry Holmes factor. Consistency against a lot of good but not great fighters, over a considerable period of time.
Please explain. Holmes was never KOd or knocked down by smaller men, out boxed by smaller men, coasted to draws, ect...until his 35th birthday. Holmes had far more title defenses, and beat much better opposition and never needed an excuse to his performance. Johnson's best consistency as champion was picking the small, the old/inactive, and skipping the best 3-4 challengers until Willard was selected for his title defenses. I would say Burns is Johnson best win, and he would not be in Holmes top 5 wins.
If I asked Joe average boxing fan to create a list of the most popular heavyweight champions today, I think this list is close to what he might say. I think people should ponder that a bit. This is Why Johnson is so high. This is why Marciano is so high. This is why Frazier is so high. Names like this are on TV, and sell books! Tyson is ranked over Lewis and Holyfield ( both of whom beat him badly and beat better fighters ) is a bit of a joke. Sullivan at #14 to me is a real shocker as very few historians who saw them from Corbett to say Marciano had him ranked above Corbett, Fitzsimmons or Jeffries. My best guess is someone had him at #1 or #2.
Between 1902 and 1915 Johnson was consistently fighting contenders. That is a period of 13 years. During this period he fought 57 times, with his only meaningful loss being a controversial loss to Marvin Hart. That is a remarkable run of form, whatever spin you try to put on it.
I think you will find that almost everybody who actually saw Sullivan fight had him above Corbett and Fitzsimmons. Some had him above Jeffries and Johnson as well.