For me he's one of the hardest to figure out a place for in all time rankings. On one hand: To crush a fighter like Frazier, still pretty near his prime, like Foremand did is unprecendented at HW. As is his achievement to regain the title at 45, coming off a 10 year lay-off. On the other: His record against currently ranked fighters is quite bad for an ATG. It's more or less 50-50. Even during his first career he only had 4-2 against the top guys 5 guys he faced. All in all he only beat about 5 ranked guys to my knowledge. So what do you say?
#5 has changed the most with me, so I will just put who I've had there the longest. 5. Jack Johnson 6. Lennox Lewis 7. George Foreman 8. Jack Dempsey 9. Sonny Liston 10. Joe Frazier
A few nice choices. I like where you have Johnson you can make a very strong argument to put him there but I just can't quite move him ahead of a clutch of about three or four others, it's all very tight on mine. Dempsey so high? Frazier and Liston a few places too low IMO. Here you go with my effort: 5. Marciano 6. Liston 7. Frazier 8. Tyson 9. Johnson 10. Holyfield
It's close between Lewis and Rocky, but I always have Lewis ahead at #4. Liston head-to-head is a beast possibly top 3 or 4 in that regard, however just behind Rocky overall.
You know what the challenges with all time great lists are? Significant accomplishment, record, time line and opponents. For example, I don`t see anyway that Marciano could last against Lewis. 6ft. 5`` vs. 5 ft 10``, 240lbs vs 185 lbs. However, looking at the historical significance of Rocky`s record(undefeated) And he was the undisputed heavyweight champ, beat everyone. He has to be rated up close to the top. I think Foreman(in truth) would have bludgeoned Marciano into a brutal early stoppage. Here we go again with accomplishment. Foreman did what no one has ever done. To be retired for all those years, come back and win the title at 45! In historical significance alone that has to rate him right up there?
I have him in my top-5, or just below it sometimes. Here's a couple reasons why: - He won an Olympic Gold Medal after boxing only 1.5 years and with only 20 amateur fights going into the Olympics. In some ways his most notable achievement. - He destroyed an undefeated heavyweight champion who was considered the best heavyweight in the world at the time, crushed him in only 2 rounds and ruined his reputation to this day, Joe Frazier who was a true all time great. - George came back and won the lineal heavyweight title 20 years after losing it. That is just mind boggling. No one and I mean no one else could do that, not Jack Johnson, not Jack Dempsey, not Joe Louis, not Rocky Marciano, and not Muhammad Ali. Nobody. http://coxscorner.tripod.com/Foreman2.html
Good points Guido. His comeback has to be THE biggest comeback in sports history. 10 years retired? That is almost unbelieveable !