Debating my top ten HW list

I have no problem with this list. I would switch Liston and Wlad but otherwise it's very reasonable and defendable.

Also, I think Ali's greatest performance was against Foreman but again I ain't dying on that hill.

 

Fine list. Thanks for stating your criteria–I wish everyone would. Discussing "Top..." lists is kind of pointless without them.

Louis is several spots lower on my head-to-head list, and I'd have to give serious thoughts to Bowe and Fury. But if you factor in resume too, then my list probably looks pretty similar, but probably with Wlad and Frazier a little higher and maybe even Fury eking out the 10th spot.

 

Sure thing. I find the '00s-'10s very underrated, the guy on Wlad's resume are very impressive imo. Byrd, Povetkin, Peter, Haye, Pulev, Chagaev, Sultan, Liakahovic ect. are all very good fighters imo. So I don't buy into the whole "Wlad ruled the weakest division ever" narrative. Since those guys would decimate the majority of top contenders before the 60s.

So for me, Wlad has the perfect balance of Résumé, longevity and a ridiculously long title reign for good measure.

When I think of Tyson, I think of the old mantra: "a light that burns twice as bright, burns half as long". Sure, he made the division his ***** for 4 years or so, but I don't think his best wins match up with Wlad's in terms of how good they were at the time he fought them. Sure Tyson may have fought more talented fighters, but talent isn't always the be all and end all. Tubbs could've been a menace, but instead he was a pudding. If you had a round robin between Tyson's best wins and Wlad's, I'd say with confidence that Wlad's come out on top. Then add on that title reign and longevity and bam, you have my #6 HW.

Heavyweight isn't too hard to rank when you look at how I do imo. I see a bunch of tiers, which you then sort out individually before piecing them all together like a puzzle.

Top 2 - Ali and Louis
Next 3 - Holmes, Lewis and Foreman
Next 4 - Wlad, Holy, Frazier and Marciano

Then it's a free for all and something no-one can find easy.

 

At the moment I'm thinking along these lines. This is not strictly in order but approximately so: Ali, Louis, Holmes, Foreman, Lewis, Holyfield, Tyson, Marciano, Frazier, Wladimir.

That order of names sometimes changes, but those 10 are usually there or thereabouts. Liston is always around my top ten, maybe just outside more of the time. Places 9-11 often swap around between Frazier, Wlad and Sonny for me.

 

I would have Holmes at 3
Tyson at 9
Lewis at 10

 

Louis is the only HW I'd pick to stop Fury, as of now. Obviously that's subject to chance though.

 

My list, mostly based on resumes (I don't like imaginary H2H as an argument):

1. Muhammad Ali - George Foreman
2. Joe Louis - Max Schmeling
3. Larry Holmes - Ken Norton
4. Lennox Lewis - Evander Holyfield
5. George Foreman - Joe Frazier
6. Joe Frazier - Muhammad Ali
7. Rocky Marciano - Ezzard Charles
8. Evander Holyfield - Mike Tyson
9. Jack Johnson - Denver Ed Martin
10. Wladimir Klitschko - Sasha Povetkin
11. Mike Tyson - Larry Holmes
12. Sonny Liston - Floyd Patterson
13. James Jeffries - Bob Fitzsimmons
14. Ezzard Charles - Joe Louis
15. Jack Dempsey - Jack Sharkey
16. Max Schmeling - Joe Louis
17. Floyd Patterson - Ingemar Johannson
18. Bob Fitzsimmons - Jim Corbett

Not sure what to do with the rest. I think I'd have Sharkey, Walcott and Bowe in some order.

 

Pinky Thomas

 

Iker done a better job on Byrd. Even Byrd when totally finished in 06 lasted longer against Wlas than he did against Ikey.

 

Trevor Berbick.

 

10. Holyfield - Foreman
9. Dempsey - Toledo
8. Lewis - Rahman II
7. Tyson - Spinks
6. Holmes - Ali
5. Frazier - FOTC
4. Foreman - Frazier (I)
3. Liston - Williams (either)
2. Louis - Schmeling II
1. Ali - Williams