Your first ever top 10 list

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Boilermaker, Jul 8, 2010.


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  1. Boilermaker

    Boilermaker Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    It is amazing how things change. I can rember the first list i ever did on the internet was on a sight called Legends world of sport on ninemsn. It looked something like this:


    1. Muhammed Ali - Still is my number one
    2. Jack Johnson - He always looked awesome to me on those documentary type films. Looked like an absolute giant (i still maintain he looks bigger than even jeffries or Willard, or at least he looks tougher or more invincible, than either anyway). I simply couldnt imagine him losing and most of the documentaries I saw never seemed to show the Willard Ko just jumped forward to the unimpressive Willard against Dempsey. I mean, come on, the police had to stop his fight against Burns, how impressive is that, and he wiped Stanley Ketchells teeth off his glove! Absolutely awe inspiring at that time.
    3. Rocky Marciano = Based on the undefeated streak. Even now it is still pretty impressive.
    4. Gene Tunney - I could never understand why Dempsey was always rated higher than him, when he beat him twice, and only ever lost once, which was onpoints and avenged multiple times, and i can remember getting challenged about putting him and spinks so highly in the lists. (I countered with the wins over Dempsey and Holmes). I was big on the no losses theory in those days.
    5. George Foreman - I always wanted there to exist a big strong puncher to KO tyson and pinned my hopes on George, even though i deep down knew it wouldnt be old George and probably didnt really believe it myself.
    6. Mike Tyson - I always hated this guy but most saw Ali and Tyson as the two greatest ever. I couldnt bring myself to rank him that highly because of my own biased agenda (which has changed somewhat)
    7. Joe Louis - I mean he was Knocked out by Rocky Marciano! So, he couldnt deserve a much higher spot.
    8. Michael Spinks - I liked Spinks because he beat holmes, not once but twice! And while i favoured him to beat Tyson and he failed, it was his only loss and it was to one of the greatest ever.
    9. Larry Holmes - Undefeated for ages, but i knew how far gone Ali was when they fought and i didnt think he faced the same level of competition as Ali, He had to be ranked below spinks for mine.
    10 Peter Jackson - I knew Johnson stopped off at his grave after winning the world title and i knew he was considered the greatest ever by Johnson, at the time and that he never won a world title. That is about all i knew, but i probably thought i sounded clever putting him there.


    Nowadays, I am pretty sure that the Spinks selection in particular might make me a poster of troll like proportions, although i do still think he is underated! Is anyone else brave enough to remember what their first ever lists looked like?
     
    Boilermaker, Jul 8, 2010
    Boilermaker, Jul 8, 2010
    #1
  2. SuzieQ49

    SuzieQ49 The Manager Full Member

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    My first list


    1. Joe Louis
    2. Muhammad Ali
    3. Rocky Marciano
    4. Mike Tyson
    5. Jack Dempsey
    6. Jack Johnson
    7. George Foreman
    8. Joe Frazier
    9. Larry Holmes
    10. Sonny Liston

    My current one

    1. Joe Louis
    2. Muhammad Ali
    3. Sonny Liston
    4. Larry Holmes
    5. Rocky Marciano
    6. Lennox Lewis
    7. Mike Tyson
    8. George Foreman
    9. Joe Frazier
    10. Jack Johnson
     
    SuzieQ49, Jul 8, 2010
    SuzieQ49, Jul 8, 2010
    #2
  3. ricardoparker93

    ricardoparker93 Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Liston at three? Don't know how you can justify that really.
     
    ricardoparker93, Jul 9, 2010
    ricardoparker93, Jul 9, 2010
    #3
  4. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    The guy with the biggest swing on my list is Johnson. He was at ten the first time I made a list, rose as high as five, and now he's at eleven. He's been all arond the houses.
     
    McGrain, Jul 9, 2010
    McGrain, Jul 9, 2010
    #4
  5. GPater11093

    GPater11093 Barry Full Member

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    I've researched Johnson, and usuall when I research an old-timer I think more of them, but not Johnson, I dont rate him very highly.
     
    GPater11093, Jul 9, 2010
    GPater11093, Jul 9, 2010
    #5
  6. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Along with Dempsey, I think the most overated HW on the board.
     
    McGrain, Jul 9, 2010
    McGrain, Jul 9, 2010
    #6
  7. GPater11093

    GPater11093 Barry Full Member

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    Depends I do think Dempsey can be slightly inversly underrated as well, though.
     
    GPater11093, Jul 9, 2010
    GPater11093, Jul 9, 2010
    #7
  8. Unforgiven

    Unforgiven VIP Member banned Full Member

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    I guess that depends on personal perspective.
    To me, Sonny Liston's the most overrated. And Lennox Lewis.

    Dempsey I think is underrated ! :lol:
    (Although Burt Bienstock is always doing a good job to redress that.)
     
    Unforgiven, Jul 9, 2010
    Unforgiven, Jul 9, 2010
    #8
  9. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Liston appeared at #11 (I think) on the board's rundown of the top ten HW's in the survey organised by Rumsfeld. I think you'd have to go a long way to make the case for his being overated.

    Lewis did significantly better, although I would disagree with you personally that he is overated.
     
    McGrain, Jul 9, 2010
    McGrain, Jul 9, 2010
    #9
  10. Mendoza

    Mendoza Hrgovic = Next Heavyweight champion of the world. banned Full Member

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    I started watching boxing as a small child. When I first thought about researching the sport, I thought Johnson, Dempsey, Louis and Ali were the best simply because they got the most play in the media.

    After watching the films, and reading 100's of article, Johnson is not longer in my top ten, and Dempsey hands on by his fingernails.

    The guy I moved up the most was Liston.
     
    Mendoza, Jul 9, 2010
    Mendoza, Jul 9, 2010
    #10
  11. Unforgiven

    Unforgiven VIP Member banned Full Member

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    I dont know my first list, but around 1997 I used to have something like :

    1 Ali
    2 Louis
    3 Holmes
    4 Holyfield
    5 Foreman
    6 Frazier
    7 Liston
    8 Marciano
    9 Johnson
    10 Walcott
    11 Charles
    12 Tunney
    13 Dempsey
    14 Bowe
    15 Tyson

    Awful list. Totally underrated Dempsey, and overrated Walcott. Favoured the 60s-70s-80s-90s fighters over the earlier eras. I had it all wrong.
    I didn't even consider Fitzsimmons !
     
    Unforgiven, Jul 9, 2010
    Unforgiven, Jul 9, 2010
    #11
  12. Unforgiven

    Unforgiven VIP Member banned Full Member

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    Ok, good to know that some good sense prevails around here. There's a hard core of maniacs who do have him in their top 5 though, regular postors too. Nuts.
     
    Unforgiven, Jul 9, 2010
    Unforgiven, Jul 9, 2010
    #12
  13. SuzieQ49

    SuzieQ49 The Manager Full Member

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    You didn't overrate Walcott at all. I like your way of thinking in 1997.
     
    SuzieQ49, Jul 9, 2010
    SuzieQ49, Jul 9, 2010
    #13
  14. SuzieQ49

    SuzieQ49 The Manager Full Member

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    Why not?

    Was extremely dominant in his own era, has the 2 most dominant wins over a prime ATG ever, defeated a wide variety of styles, ducked no one, rates very well h2h with his strength/jab/ tools/style/skill/punching ability, only lost near his prime to possibly the greatest heavyweight of all time. It's not how long you do it, it's what do you in that time frame.
     
    SuzieQ49, Jul 9, 2010
    SuzieQ49, Jul 9, 2010
    #14
  15. tommygun711

    tommygun711 The Future Full Member

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    :lol: my first heavyweight list:

    #1. Muhammad Ali
    #2. George Foreman
    #3. Rocky Marciano
    #4. Evander Holyfield
    #5. Joe Frazier
    #6. Mike Tyson
    #7. Riddick Bowe
    #8. Joe Louis
    #9. Ken Norton
    #10. Larry Holmes
    HOLY ****! That is screwed up.
    My Current List:
    #1. Muhammad Ali
    #2. Joe Louis
    #3. Larry Holmes
    #4. Rocky Marciano
    #5. Sonny Liston
    #6. Lennox Lewis
    #7.Jack Johnson
    #8. George Foreman
    #9. Joe Frazier
    #10. Mike Tyson
     
    tommygun711, Jul 9, 2010
    tommygun711, Jul 9, 2010
    #15
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