Top 25 Heavyweights OAT

Way higher on modern heavyweights than most lists (not complaining btw). Especially Wilder in particular.

 

I just know that Fury WILL NOT be making it into mine

 

I probably messed up by skipping Floyd Patterson. 23-25 is probably about right for him.

 

Why not Holyfield? Steroids?

 

The unlimited title shots thing.

 

1. Muhammad Ali
2. Joe Louis
3. Mike Tyson
4. George Foreman
5. Larry Holmes
6. Wlad Kliczko
7. Sonny Liston
8. Evander Holyfield
9. Vitali Kliczko
10. Joe Frazier
11. Lennox Lewis
12. Rocky Marciano
13. Riddick Bowe
14. Aleksander Usyk
15. Ken Norton
16. Anthony Joshua
17.Tim Whitearspoon
18.Floyd Patterson
19.Ezzard Charles
20. Tyson Fury
21. Ike Ibeabuchi
22. Michael Spinks
23. Jimmy Young
24. Michael Moorer
25. Chris Byrd
I'm probably forgetting someone. You could include Tony Tucker, Mike Weaver, David Tue, James Douglas, Ernie Terrell, Ray Mercer, Jersey Walcott, Ron Lyle, and many others. I'm leaving out the players before Louis... it's getting too difficult. The least important criterion here is head-to-head.

 

Which one's did you find hardest to separate on your list within a few places of each other?

 

Probably Witherspoon and Thomas. Thomas peaked higher and beat Witherspoon, but Witherspoon was around for way longer. Similar situation with Bowe and Joshua.

It’s sort of a bell curve situation though, so after about the 20 spot there are all sorts of guys who you could throw in. McCall and Berbick, for example, have resumes that stack up fine against a lot of the lower tier guys, but they weren’t perceived as being so special.

 

Vitali Klitschko above Lewis ? You're crazy, that has to take incredible bias. Fraizer shouldn't even be above him, all of this seems done deliberately to push Lewis outside the top 10

 

I can't imagine Vitali being knocked out by McCall in the second round, I can't imagine Vitali being knocked out by Rahman, I can't imagine him losing half the rounds to the obese and inactive Mercer in his prime. I can imagine him winning decisively against a battered Holy and easily outclassing Tyson in 2002, just like he did against Danny Williams. I can also see him being better in the actual fight than LL.

 

I can also see a battered aging Lewis beating a prime Vitali and punching holes into his face like he did in their actual fight. Who are Vitalis top 10 wins ?

 

So you're just imagining things and base your rankings on it xD?

 

For mine. I like to rank resume of that particular era and dominance. Before i get any angry ppl, this is just my own list of my subjective rankings. Also i am including some current fighters today as if they were retired right now:
1) Ali
2) Louis
3) Marciano
4) Foreman
5) Frazier
6) Jeffries
7) Johnson
8) Liston
9) Holmes
10) Lewis
11) Dempsey
12) Tyson
13) Holyfield
14) Charles
15) Wills
16) Langford
17) Usyk
18) Walcott
19) Klitschko (Wlad)
20) Tunney
21) Schmeling
22) Norton
23) Patterson
24) Fury
25) Bowe

 

I watched that fight several times and I think Vitali outclassed Lennox. Was Lewis old? He had style like wine, he said so himself. A dozen or so months earlier, he'd put on the best performance of his career, in his own words. It's a very convenient excuse, but Lennox had a more long-lasting style than Holmes, was younger than Usyk today, and hadn't taken a hard punch since early 2001. How could he have been so broken?
Vitali wasn't yet in his prime, the fight itself was a last-minute one, a rematch was necessary, but for some reason, Lennox was hesitant and hesitant.

From what I've watched, I think Vitali wins 8, maybe 9, out of 10 fights. It was a very unlucky win.

Vitali outclassed opponents like Mercer 96, Mavrovic 97, Bruno 93: Peter, Purritty, Donald, Johnson, Sanders, Gomez. He wasn't knocked out by them, not even down. When he was Lewis's age in 2003, he returned to the ring after four years and easily took the title from a stronger boxer than McCall in his first fight.

What does Lennox have that Vit doesn't? The name... Holyfield '99, who John Ruiz looked just as good against moments later!

Mike Tyson, who Danny Williams beat twice as fast moments later.

 

The fact you mention all of this but won't admit to these performances flattering Lewis at his age. He very well could've been past his prime by the time he fought Rahman at age 35. Lewis also beat several ranked opponents which adds to legacy.

Vitali was 31 in that fight and in great shape, he was in the MIDST of his prime. Nothing suggests he got any better, nor did he fight anyone as good as Lewis. Lewis landed the most on Vitali out of all of his opponents while past it, Vitali took a savage uppercut and remained on his feet, he had an iron chin, but he wasn't a better boxer than Lewis. Vitali fought a worse version of Lennox than the one that showed up against Rahman and still lost