The poll evaluated 20 champions dating back to the dawn of gloved heavyweight championship fights. The fighters, listed chronologically, are John L. Sulllivan, James Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, James Jeffries, Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis, Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko. Great is a hard word to define, and greatness is subjective. It was up to each panelist to quantify greatness. A fighter’s skill level is important. But so too is that fighter’s skill level within the context of his time. How great was each fighter within his era? Was he the best of his era? Dominant in his era? How many other great heavyweights fought in his era? Great rivalries make great fighters. Did he fight the other great heavyweights of his time? Which elite fighters who were in their prime did he beat? One fight can go a long way toward defining a fighter’s legacy. A great fighter needs great competition. That doesn’t necessarily translate into a pristine record. This content is protected
They have 9 of my top own 10 in theirs, just ordered differently. The only difference is I have Lewis in the top 10 and Dempsey just out of it in 11th.
It's more than a list of who beat who and who would have beaten who and if that's the criterion then Dempsey belongs in the top ten. He was iconic.
Don’t disagree one iota, there’s just only 10 spots in the top 10 and the folks I have above him are not exactly jabronis.
Done in 2017, but still there are some in here on suicide watch because Tyson Fury is absent. I'd drop Tunney much lower, trade Lewis for Frazier the insert Lewis at 3rd and drop Johnson down to 8th. I don't see Riddick Bowe on the top 20. Fury would not make top 20 IMO. 1 (one) decent victory on his resume; would anyone put Wilder on this list? Maybe replace Bowe with Wilder?
I think it is a decent list. I disagree on the exact order on some, but the final result was respectable. I also enjoyed reading the comments!
Like Nolan Ryan in baseball, so many people have tried to argue that Johnson is overrated to the point that IMO he’s become underrated. I think he belongs in the top 10 although he’s fallen down my list some as I reassess things. My top three BTW are Ali, Louis and Holmes.
Decent list - not too much I disagree with. The only obvious omission that I can see is Ezzard Charles. He deserves a place in the top 20.
