Herb Goldman's Top 100 Heavies 1989

That a the trouble with including guys that are still fighting I suppose, never know how it's going to pan out .
Six months ago some may have had Joshua beating Ali, Holmes and Tyson all at once!

 

Terrible list.

He thought Luther McCarty (19-4-1), who was killed in his last fight, was the 21st best heavyweight ever?

I don't know if McCarty was the 21st best heavyweight of all time when he died in 1913, let alone after all the heavyweights who had competed by 1989.

$100 says he never saw a minute of footage of McCarty fighting, either.

Awful.

 

This was in 1989. And yes everyone is in agreement the list is poor

 

I know what year it was. I posted the year.

Who I can't seem to place is "RAY" at #17. It's early here. Who is he referring to?

Elmer Ray?

 

This shows just how highly regarded Mike Tyson was at this particular time. He was the undefeated undisputed lineal heavy weight champ and was just 23 years old at the time. There were many articles written in boxing magazines at the time that he might even prove to be the greatest heavy weight champion ever. ..

... and then he fought the lightly regarded James Buster Douglas in his next fight.

 

Probably

 

The "#3 Heavyweight of All-Time" spot seems to be the revolving door in every list going back to the late 70s.

The top two is always Ali and Louis, or Louis and Ali ... and #3 is whoever has momentum when the list is created.

It'll be nice when someone surpasses Ali and Louis. Hopefully, it should happen in the next 20 years.

If Joe Louis is still up there in 2037, 100 years after he became champ, that won't say a lot about the sport - if it can't develop a better or more significant champ than Louis (no offense to Joe) in 100 years.

 

What does him dieing in his last fight have to do with anything?

He died because of an injury before the fight, the punch that killed him was nothing much.

 

Big cat Williams over Jack Sharkey lmao. Sharkey defeated Wills and Godfrey two guys rated higher on his list and lost tough to Dempsey.

Williams fought no one has almost no big wins and got handled twice by Liston

Many inaccuracies in this list just pointing out this one

 

That's what you're focusing on and you want to argue about?

I know Luther McCarty's story. I first read about him in 1978. I know what year the list was posted. 1989. McCarty doesn't belong there.

And regardless of what the root cause of their deaths are, the BEST ever don't tend to die in the ring. Especially at 21. Sort of slows the arc of greatness.

 

I thought it might be a typo. You don't see Elmer Ray's name among the 17 best heavyweights who ever lived lists too often. Do you? Especially considering there were more than 17 heavyweight champions who were still alive in 1989.

 

Liston nuthuggers. Above Holmes for KO Patty twice? Or better than TKO Norton/Frazier in 2 (#11 Foreman), who got ranked above Frazier (#11) without any comeback success?? Yeah that makes sense.....

 

A "Rush To Judgement" perhaps???

 

This is a horrible, horrible list.