Gotta disagree with you. Wlad has gone on a hell of a run for the past half decade comparable to anyone in history and notched some good victories. Brock, Ibragimov, Byrd, Chambers, Chagaev, Peter are all capable and highly rated fighters. Thompson, Austin, McCline, Barrett, Botha, Brewster (if you want to include him) were all decent wins as well and top ten fighters at or near the time they fought Wlad. There simply isn't 25 heavyweights with this kind of resume and this many quality wins.
I don't get it. Vitali is no where near, how many top ten fighers has he even faced? People always go on about how Wlad is only facing C grade opposition even though he's fighting the best in the world. The era may be shitty but he's going against the best there is in Chagaev, Chambers etc. , while Vitali has faced second tier fighters even in this era.
Anyway, here's a list. 1. Ali 2. Louis 3. Lewis 4. Marciano 5. Tyson 6. Holmes 7. Liston 8. Foreman 9. Frazier 10. Wills 3-7 is pretty interchangable. I'm debating moving Harry Wills into the top 8.
1. Muhammad Ali 2. Joe Louis 3. George Foreman 4: Rocky Marciano 5: Lennox Lewis 6: Larry Holmes 7: Jack Dempsey 8: Evander Holyfield 9: Jack Johnson 10: Joe Frazier
I wouldnt class myself knowledgeable enough to rate these fighters particularly as I wasnt around to see someone like Marciano first hand, but HWs that Ive always rated or enjoyed watching in no particular order of favourites, L Lewis, E Holyfield, W Klitschko, V Klitschko, M Tyson, D Haye. The HW division is so different today with such a tough European scene that im not sure prime Tyson and prime Holyfield would have been able to compete, but they fought in an era when they could and for that, ive enjoyed their careers
All Time Top Ten HWs??? Joe Louis Buster Douglas Jack Johnson Muhammad Ali Lennox Lewis Mike Tyson Riddick Bowe Frank Bruno David Haye Larry Holmes
1. Muhammad Ali 2. Joe Louis 3. Larry Holmes 4. George Foreman 5. Jack Johnson 6. Lennox Lewis 7. Rocky Marciano 8. Joe Frazier 9. James Jeffries 10. Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson is lucky to even make the list, I was seriously debating Holyfield>Tyson, talent-wise Tyson should be much higher but he never lived up to his potential, he just sneaks in for his pre-Douglas/prison/whatever else form that was quite phenomenal although he never beat anyone significant, apart from a past it Larry Holmes. Now take Jeffries, I doubt there are many other fighters with just over twenty bouts who have faced the same level of competition Jeffries did. Unlike Tyson he beat the best competition he had at the time including Peter Jackson who John L Sullivan had ducked, Tom Sharkey twice, Bob Fitzsimmons twice and Gentleman Jim Corbett twice. He retired after seven successful title defences undefeated only to come back six years later to fight the man fifth on my list, Jack Johnson, although Johnson beat him well Jeffries could hold his head high by going fifteen rounds before being stopped despite quite obviously not being the same fighter. Prime for prime it could have been a lot more competitive. In all honesty Jeffries perhaps should be higher.
I shouldnt think so. The HW scene is alot tougher in Europe at this time and over the last 10 years. Look at the fighters that are in the division ie V Klitscchko, W Klitschko, D Haye, A Povetkin, R Chagaev, A Ustinov, A Sosnowski, R Helenius, D Boytsov, N Valuev, F Pianeta to name a few
