Which heavyweight champions fought the best fighter on the planet most often.

Not who fought the best available opponents the most often; not who fought a top five contender the most ofetn; who fought the number one ranked fighter or lineal champion most often? Which fought the best fighter in the world except themselves the most often?

To achieve this i've used TBRB when available, Ring pre-TBRB and when neither are available (Dempsey and Johnson) i've made some guesses. I'm very very up for being corrected here, wade in.

I'm only looking at people who have held the title who also made my top 16 at the weight. Note that i'm respecting the sanctity of the lineal title, like a total wank, so none of this is even true, but hopefully you've picked up the gist by now.

James J Jeffries: 1-1
Bob FItzsimmons (W),
Jack Johnson (L)

Jack Johnson: 1-0
Tommy Burns (W).

Jack Dempsey:1-2
Jess Willard (W),
Gene Tunney (L),
Gene Tunney (L).

Joe Louis:9-1
James Braddock (W)
Max Schmeling (W)
Tony Galento (W)
Bob Pastor (W)
Billy Conn (W)
Billy Conn (W)
Tami Mauriello (W)
Joe Walcott (W)
Joe Walcott (W)
Ezzard Charles (L).

Rocky Marciano:4-0
Joe Walcott (W),
Joe Walcott (W),
Ezzard Charles (W),
Archie Moore (W).

Sonny Liston:2-2
Floyd Patterson (W)
Floyd Patterson (W)
Muhammad Ali (L)
Muhammad Ali (L)

Muhammad Ali:8-2
Sonny Liston (W)
Sonny Liston (W)
Floyd Patterson (W)
Ernie Terrell (W)
Zora Folley (W)
Joe Frazier (L)
George Foreman (W)
Ken Norton (W)
Leon Spinks (W)
Larry Holmes (L)

Joe Frazier:2-3
Jimmy Ellis (W)
Muhammad Ali (W)
George Foreman (L)
Muhammad Ali (L)
Muhammad Ali (L)

George Foreman:2-2
Joe Frazier (W)
Muhammad Ali (L)
Evander Holyfield (L)
Mike Moorer (W)

Larry Holmes:1-1
Muhammad Ali (W)
Michael Spinks (L)

Mike Tyson:1-1
Michael Spinks (W)
Lennox Lewis (L)

Evander Holyfield:2-2-1
James Douglas (W)
Riddick Bowe (L)
Riddick Bowe (W)
Lennox Lewis (D)
Lennox Lewis (L)

Lennox Lewis:4-0-1
Shannon Briggs (W)
Evander Holyfield (D)
Evander Holyfield (W)
Hasim Rahman (W)
Vitali Klitschko (W)

Wladimir Klitschko:3-1
Chris Byrd (W)
Alexander Povetkin (W)
Kubrat Pulev (W)
Anthony Joshua (L)

 

Some questions:

1 - Who is missing?
2- Who should be added to the lists? Any #1 contenders I left off?
3 - Was Fitz really the best fighter for the entire Jeffries reign? Or did Johnson start to edge him out and if so, when?

 

I don't think so is the answer to all of these questions, but if you know different i'm all ears.

 

Although Ali and Liston are in there.

 

I think i might have added them after i put the main post up. I did do some things so that makes the most sense.

 

It counts if the man doing the fighting was the number one contender, yes.

 

They didn't really have official rankings, no, although sometimes a newspaper would take a top 5 or 6 from a boxing celebrity for a certain division.