My list of the top heavyweights of the 1950's: 1---Rocky Marciano 2---Jersey Joe Walcott 3---Ezzard Charles 4---Ingemar Johansson 5---Floyd Patterson 6---Archie Moore 7---Harold Johnson 8---Rex Layne 9---Eddie Machen 10--Nino Valdes Honorable mentions--Bob Satterfield, Hurricane Jackson, Bob Baker, Clarence Henry More decades to come if any interest
Not really. Patterson higher. Sonny Liston was probably the best heavyweight of the decade in the late '50s, but I agree he didn't have the resumé to match. But he should be in the top 5 in my opinion.
Liston will be rated in the 1960's. I understand your questioning Patterson. He will be rated again in the 1960's and certainly rates above Johansson overall. But he lost to Ingo in the 1950's. I completely understand disagreeing with me on this rating. "resume to match" I go by resume. Sonny still hadn't done enough in the 1950's. His big wins came in the 1960's.
JT, I like your list, but utilizing your Sonny Liston logic, Jersey Joe Walcott is way too high. He went 6-4 throughout the 50s. And by 'throughout' I mean he was retired by 1953 and his last win was in '52. That's really not much for the decade. I feel he was more of a 1940s fighter.
Checking through the NBA ratings, prior to 1960, the only rated fighters Liston had beaten are Marty Marshall (#10 in 1955) and Mike DeJohn (#9 in 1959) Williams and Valdes were not rated. Liston obviously rates very high in the 1960's, but whom do you throw out to rate him in the 1950's? I am not doing this on head to head guesswork, but on who beat whom. Just the way I look at it.
Understood and it’s all subjective. Williams and Valdes impress me regardless of the ratings. I’m still pondering my list.
