2026 TOP 10 ALL-TIME HEAVYWEIGHTS SURVEY

This is really unusual (I'm not saying it's wrong); to leave Holyfield and Tyson out of the Top 10. But Sonya is even more unusual. To leave Holmes out, who is your No.3. And you both started with No.1 Louis.

 

Holy was a PEDs abuser, and never really dominated a long era. Also, a lot of his best wins were against fighters not their best because of age, obesity, and drug use.

I don't have him in mine because of the PEDs. He was having HGH and testosterone shipped to his home under the name "Evan Fields." To me, this is as good as a PEDS bust, and that knocks a fighter down 5-10 spaces. Without the PEDs, I would have him just inside the top ten. As it is...low end of top 15.

 

This is my list today.

1. Muhammad Ali
2. Joe Louis
3. Lennox Lewis
4. Rocky Marciano
5. Larry Holmes
6. George Foreman
7. Mike Tyson
8. Joe Frazier
9. Evander Holyfield
10. Sonny Liston

 

Dempsey fought 4-5 black opponents on his way up. As champion there was only one black contender and Dempsey signed to fight him three times in 1922, 1925 and 1926. The 1926 contract would have paid Dempsey one million dollars. Dempseys private correspondence clearly shows he wanted very much to fight Wills while Rickard very much did not want the fight to take place.

As Wills stated in an interview in the mid 1930’s:

“It was those who controlled the sport of boxing that did not want a mixed race championship bout. I know if it were up to Jack we would have fought”.

 

We've been over this an almost endless amount of times. Some think he was insincere in sighing to fight Wills. Other think he was sincere. Regardless, he didn't fight the other best fighter of his generation. He also could have fought Siki, Langford who wanted a shot...I suppose he could have fought Johnson early on. The bottom line is, he should have tried harder.

And by the way, that is the same standards I apply to Holmes in not unifying. You are the champ...make the fights.

 

Actually no. In those days the idea of the heavyweight champion pursuing a challenger was very unusual. However Dempsey went out on his own in 1925 to make the bout happen signing two of three contracts to fight Wills in 1925 and 1926. His personal correspondence shows that he wanted the bout to take place and this was confirmed by Will himself nearly a decade later.

Dempseys management turned down a bout with Langford as a young and green fighter in 1915. As champion Langford was no longer a heavyweight contender.

If the man himself did not blame Dempsey who are you to do so?

 

Ali
Louis
Holmes
Johnson
Marciano
Foreman
Frazier
Tyson
Liston
Lewis

For those who have not seen my previous posts, my ratings are NOT based on who would win H2H.

 

Neither Langford,Siki, or Johnson would have been credible opponents for champion Dempsey.

 

What's your top 10 off that standard? Or top 5 if you want.

 

Langford asked for a shot. They told him, "we're looking for someone a bit easier."

Don;t care about "those days." If he signed three times, he knew the right thing to do was to fight him, and it didn't get done.

 

Siki was actually discussed.

A former champ is always a credible fight.

 

Hello, ikrasevic.

I have Larry Holmes at #12.

 

No. Siki held the light heavyweight championship less than six months and went 2 wins and 3 losses over the next six months.

 

He was discussed a possible opponent.


A simple search from AI:

Yes, a potential match between Battling Siki and heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey was discussed. [1, 2]
After Siki famously defeated Georges Carpentier in September 1922 to win the light-heavyweight championship of the world, he openly expressed his desire to fight Dempsey, declaring to reporters and stating to his manager, "Tell America I am ready for Dempsey". Offers for fights in the United States circulated, and a match with Dempsey was talked about, but the bout ultimately never materialized. Siki instead lost his title to Mike McTigue in Dublin in 1923 before coming to the U.S. to fight other opponents.