Who is the 3rd best heavyweight of all time?

I am not the biggest fan of Holmes but i usually have him at #3.

He is one of the more well rounded heavyweights even though he was not an extraordinary talent. Talent wise, he is probably behind Lewis, Tyson, Liston, Wald etc.

But he was never stopped in his physical prime unlike Wlad who was stopped 3 times and Lewis who was stopped twice.

Holmes defeated two of the best body punchers ever (Cooney, Norton), defeated well rounded skilled boxer-punchers like Witherspoon, tough durable guys like Mercer, huge power punchers like Shavers x 2, etc. There is quite a bit of stylistic diversity here.

I would like to put Lewis there but the 2 ko losses make it hard. I love Tyson but the longevity issue makes it hard. I dislike Wlad so that's an easy one for me to ignore

Holmes isn't extraordinary in terms of talent but he was talented and very well rounded. He just has fewer flaws than most heavyweights do.

I did this thread a while ago: Assessing Larry Holmes's all time heavyweight standing | Boxing News 24 Fan Forum

 

Holmes or Tyson for me.

 

Larry followed close by Lewis.

 

It’s Foreman, probably
It’s Holmes if you are a connoisseur
It’s Frazier if you speak from the heart Montana
It’s Tyson if you live the thug life

I think they round out the top 6, in what order is tricky

 

In the past I have usually had Holmes - Johnson - Lewis from #3 - 5. But lately I've been thinking cruiser and heavyweight should be combined, since old-time heavyweights were mostly under 200lb. So based on this I would make it Usyk - Holyfield - Holmes from #3-5 instead.

 

Maybe but I overall consider Wlad better

 

Some people ignore cultural impact or historical significance. Boxers are athletes. They are also entertainers.

 

This is a subject where a consensus is virtually impossible, #3 ? Foreman , Holmes ,maybe Lewis

 

I have changed my opinion more than once, but I lean towards Jack Johnson.

 

Best to play it cool with fighters who are still active.

You never know what is going to happen next.