OK, so, let's imagine a world where your top ten, whatever it is, doesn't exist. No Ali, no Louis, no Holmes etc...what does this alternate universe top ten look like? 1. Wlad 2. Vitali 3. Usyk 4. Foreman 5. Tunney 6. Sullivan 7. Marciano 8. Fury 9. Dempsey 10. AJ....maybe....? It's just a game, every answer will be as wrong as it is right. And you're list will be dependent on who you have in your original 10. Mine is, in no order, as of today, Ali, Evander, Lewis, Liston, Johnson, Bowe, Foreman, Tyson, Louis, Frazier...I think....I sometimes think Wlad should be top ten ATG because he beats so many of my list, at least one fight out of three, three out of three for some of them...so that's why he's one on my alternative universe list!! PS....I'd have Bruno over AJ on any list in reality...but i thought I'd put AJ on to observe the potential meltdown...and the numerous Witherspoons etc...we're not consistent or culturally relevant to make my alternate universe list...
Assuming Mike Tyson is in your top 10? A lot of people rank him below Holyfield because Holyfield beat him twice.
I guess it's not as easy as that. If your top ten don't exist, you are imagining a world where perhaps pivotal fights involving your 11 onwards can't have taken place. I may have ranked Foreman too highly for example because he can't have victories over Frazier twice and Norton in my alternative universe, so we are essentially judging him on everyone he fought other than them and his 'second' career. Not so easy, is it?
Yes, he's my 10. I can see Holyfield over Tyson, depending on your criteria. I rate Tyson higher because he was a better, more dominant HW at his peak. Holyfield was the better HW of the two for longer. Rankings are all about criteria.
Are you kidding? I mean, come on, it's Bobby Crabtree for crying out loud... the man should already be in your top 1 of all time.
If Tyson was outside your top ten, could he be top of your alternate as he doesn't have losses to Holyfield or Lewis, instead he just got old and lost to...Buster, Williams, McBride....oh, and he doesn't have a win over Holmes either....domino effect
This is actually quite the puzzler. 01 - Sonny Liston 02 - Jack Johnson 03 - Tyson Fury 04 - Wladimir Klitschko 05 - Ezzard Charles 06 - Jim Jeffries 07 - Harry Wills 08 - Jack Dempsey 09 - Sam Langford 10 - Floyd Patterson Big winners are: the GOAT, Liston, probably holds on for longer and no longer made to look stupid by an underdog, presumably is not frozen out and the boxing world has to come to terms with him. Rockets to the top. Tyson Fury is an unbeaten giant and would have plenty of support for the number one spot, I have him here right behind Jack Johnson who gets all that Ali polish to himself. Ezzard Charles, i'm guessing here that with no Marciano to **** either he or Marciano up he emerges from a series - whether longer or shorter - with Walcott as the number one guy for this era, but who knows? Could easily be Walcott in his place. Only one of them would make it though I think.
Ah, you're asking what our top 10's be if my actual top 10 never existed? I'd need go give that some more thought. I simply listed my actual 11-20 as my alternate top 10.
Nice post. I made this thought experiment to help me 'judge/assess' fighters without the 'noise' of history and 'yeah, but he beat x, and y beat z....'. I think the brothers K would have been a hard night for my actual top ten which is why I have them clear top two. It's actually interesting to view fighters without their signature wins. Foreman without Frazier and Norton is a wide punching banger who knocked over everyone he should have and struggled against two guys who won't be in anyone's alternate top ten. His first career does not look good. He also never lost to Ali though...second career? Incredible, culturally significant bit again, doesn't beat any alternate top ten fighters unless anyone pushes Moorer in there. It's a nice way to open your eyes and look at things fresh...
Damn this is a tough one good idea for a thread OP let me think: Vitali Klitschko (assuming he fights some of Wlad's opponents) Rocky Marcanio Jack Johnson Sonny Liston Floyd Patterson Riddick Bowe Tyson Fury Jack Dempsey Ezzard Charles Jersey Joe Walcott