Who should rank higher on the all-time Heavyweight list - Marciano or Holyfield?

and why?

 

Based on:

achievements and quality of opposition obviously.

 

@orriray59

I couldn't agree more.

 

I rank then equally

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R0ro_Rq26I[/ame]

www.youtube.com/eslubin

 

Marciano. Even against that quality of opposition, I doubt Holy would've been as consistent. Didn't have quite the equaliser that the Rock did. Not to mention I'd narrowly favor Marciano head to head.

 

what achievements and quality of opposition does rocky have that is greater than holy's?

 

Rocky was the clear best heavyweight during his reign. He beat all the top heavyweights around.

Holyfield (let's just assume he retired after the loss to byrd) was great. But he was never clearly the best around. Bowe, moorer and lewis all beat him in and around his prime.

Holyfield's best victory, by an absolute country mile is beating tyson. That 1 victory is better than any 1 victory rocky has. But overall rocky's victories (plus, as always, his unbeaten record) put him higher.

If holyfield somehow beat k2 and haye to unify, i'd have to reconsider, but even then it isn't a given.

The main thing I hold against him is prime losses that he could never really avenge. It made for a great era, but it hampers his atg standing, imo.

I guess a lot depends on when you consider his prime to be, and how faded you put him at the lewis fight.

 

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=290268&highlight=holyfield

you're obsessed.

 

Holy obviously. Overall better level of competition, better single win with Tyson and a more multi faceted fighter.

 

I thought Holyfield's win over Bowe was his best.

 

Holyfield

 

The difference between them is that Marciano was the best of his era while Holyfield was at best the second best of his. This should be enough. Now, Lewis or Marciano would be more interesting.

 

That doesn't make a great deal of sense. Holyfield in Marciano's era would be undefeated and Marciano in Holyfield's era would get beaten by about a dozen fighters.

 

In his prime Holyfield only lost to Lewis and Bowe, and in the last Bowe fight he had serious health problems. Both Lewis and Bowe were superior fighters to anyone Marciano fought.

That said i still rate Marciano over Holyfield as Mraciano never lost and did fight some great fighters. H2H I am not convinced Marciano would win, if you think about their styles and Holyfield,s ability to absorb punishment as well as Marciano's I believe they would fight a trilogy with both men coming out pretty much even.

This is because Holyfield was a clever fighter, while Marciano was able to get through a clever fighter's defences with shear will power, both had an incredible will to win, both could take a shot and absorb punishment unless Holyfield gets caught with the SuziQ this fight is a war over twelve rounds, very hard to choose.