Floyd Patterson 2x Cleveland Williams 2x Eddie Machen Zora Folley Nino Valdes Mike DeJohn Roy Harris Johnny Summerlin 2x Wayne Bethea Henry Clark Billy Hunter Marty Marshall 2x
I am not the foremost expert, but based on a mix of ratings and circumstances.... Patterson 1 Patterson 2 Machon Foley Williams 1 Williams 2 Clark Valdez Harris DeJohn Bethea Summerline 1 Summerline 2 Marty Marshall Marty Marshall 2 NOTE: I make the case that Foley was the better man over Machon, but, Machon was ranked higher when Liston beat him, and he had been #1 for like a year and a half under Patterson, whereas Foley only had it for six months or so, so I give Machon the edge. Since foley won the head to head, either way, really. Also, I have ranked Cleve' considerably higher than his ratings, and that is because he has developed a sort of legend about him. Narrative is part of a fighter's legacy, and the legacy of everyone who fights him, and that is what it is.
It could be. I have Foley #3 and Machon #2, but there are only quarterly ratings archived, so when I made my list of Liston's best, there was a little estimation involved. That is according to the NBA. Ring magazine had Foley #1 and Machon #3, so there is another reason I could have had Foley on top, but I go by NBA primarily. NYSAC rankings are not available that I have found.
