Yeah I have him at 8. 1. Louis 2. Ali 3. Holmes 4. Marciano 5. Lewis 6. Frazier 7. Foreman 8. Tyson 9. Liston 10. Johnson
If we are looking at H2H I suspects results would be very different than accomplishments. Someone like Kubrat Pulev or Alexander Povetkin could probably beat Johnson, Jeffries, or Dempsey H2H
I'd have him in the bottom half of the 10. H2H he's in the 10 as well, maybe a bit higher than achievement wise.
Is Ali only the second ? Ali's best wins (Liston 2X,Frazier 2X and Foreman) are far better than Louis' full carrier.
Yes, it’s a commonly asked question. The way in which Louis dispatched his challengers and then, when we’ll past his best, was still able to best JJW and go the distance with EC is testament to how great he was. He KOd 23 guys in title fights and 5 of them were world champs. Do I think he’d beat Ali? No. But was his reign more impressive than Ali’s - absolutely.
And by your opinion the quality and the longevity are the same things…Otherwise i think the best Ali victims- Foreman and maybe Liston and Frazier- would beat Joe Louis.
Longevity and quality are different in my book. Ali’s quality of opponent was better. Louis beat everyone put in front of him for a long time. It’s not his fault the level of competition was not as strong as other eras.
Cool list! I have Mike in mine as well, mostly for the shockingly amazing 80s performances. 1. Ali 2. Louis 3. Holmes 4. Holyfield 5. Foreman 6. Lewis 7. Marciano 8. Frazier 9. Tyson 10. Wlad 11. Liston
Cool post! Not sure on Frazier and Holmes getting beat, though. I think Frazier had too much resilience for Mike, and wouldn't have been intimidated. Joe might have gone down a couple of times, but I think Mike would have been discouraged by how easily he brushed off the knockdowns. Holmes would have outboxed him like hell (though he too might have suffered a knockdown). Mike wouldn't have lasted 10 imo.
I have Holy at 11. I just can’t find a way to keep him in my 10. Similarly with Wlad. I have Wlad at 13.
To me Holy beating Mike (with Mike under the age of 30) and Bowe (who was otherwise undefeated....though Golota certainly beat him twice and Lewis would have beat him after 91), and giving Lewis a very decent run for his money as he approached boxing's elder years puts him right up there. He even beat Dokes when he was still considered a formidable ex-champ. Plus, didn't Holy win the title FOUR times?
Yes he was 4x champ. His prime was not spectacular but it was great. I can’t rank him above Lewis or Tyson. Even though he beat Tyson (post prison) twice. his trilogy loss to Bowe - who wouldn’t have won a single fight with Lewis or Tyson in my opinion doesn’t help. Plus he just didn’t have a fight that made him immortal in my eyes. Lewis and Tyson had multiple fights where the only way to have beaten them was with a bat.
