Best heavyweights of the last 28 years!

I have been thinking lately how people rank greatness. Somtimes people rank them based on achievements or head to head. This will always come down to personal perception. For example Rocky Marciano achievement in staying unbeaten and being champion is one of the greatest feats in boxing history but i still do not rate him higher than say Joe Frazier. Anyhow my post is mearly looking at another way to rank the heavyweights. This is done by imagining who

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if

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were a heavyweight coming up through the ranks. Or another way to look at....is who do you think you would fancy chance more with and then rank them in this way. My personal choice is this;

1980 to 2008 (28 year period)

1. Lennox Lewis
2. Mike Tyson
3. Larry Holmes
4. Evander Holyfield
5. Wladimir Klitshko
6. Riddick Bowe
7. Vitali Klitshcko
8. George Foreman (2nd version this is)
9. Tony Tucker
10. Tommy Morrison

Anyhow it would be nice to hear what other think.

 

I think judging on one fight, one year etc is to narrow the focus somewhat. Of course when you see an entire carrer you can understand the fighter more...i.e Golota looked good in 1996 or was he? I mean every fight he led, he for some strange reason collasped.

Tommy Morrison was a good come forward fighter who lost 3 times to Lewis, Mercer and Bentt also had victories over Ruddock and Foreman. I think he showed through out his carrer what he was, a dangerous foe,who can get caught if he thinks your hurt leaving him open to countes.

Riddick Bowe...........if you analsye all 3 fights, the one thing that strikes me is that if he fought Holyfield for a 4th time........then i would not be surprised if Holy won. The first fight......review the first round and watch Holy outbox Bowe easily but he wanted to prove he was the bigger man and slugged it out with him. The second fight Bowe was far more confident if not already on the downward slide BUT Holy still wins it by a round. The 3rd fight is a mystery.......Holy had him down but then for the first only time in his carrer lost energy to finish him off. In fact if these two men fought each other 10 times, i believe it would be 5-5. I also think that the reason people judge Bowe so higly is; 1. He was a big man who could fight inside/ 2. He never tried to sit back on his jab lie a Wlad or Lewis/3. He was American....not a bad thing but the world media is an american dominated one/ 4. His carrer was so short that people only get a few fights to see him in......plus we never saw him get knockout or lose badly.

My main thing witht he list is to look upon judging the fighter through a different lense.............if we were to judge purely at peak then tyson wins hands down as he looked awesome BUT then we know that he didnt deal with adversity as well say Holy or a Lewis.

Foreman was there to be outboxed...........but he did have the chance to always knock you out.......moorer and cooney. Of course the he did lose to average fighters like Schultz.

Anyhow for me when i did the list......i took into account there overall carrer (how consistent they were, how good they looked when on top, and how they dealt with things when it wasnt going there own way) and them at there very best. Remember it just people perception..........who would you least like to come up against to win a crown.........or who do you think would pose as your greatest obstacle.

Nice feeback anyhow guys!

 

Sorry another thing to add.........fighters have bad days and good.......Does Vlad really lose to Purrity again>

Haye lose to Thompson again

Lewis lose to Rahman again

For me the answers would be no as 9 out of 10 times they would be these fights.........but there is always that one possiblity that why 9 is the max for me personally.

So all when you judge who you least like to face etc of the last 28 years.........remember them at there best and worst.


Remember no right or wrong.......also if people could add some info on why they chose certain guys for there top 3.......could provide and a highly educated and interested debate.

 

No sir???/