Louis and Ali are the top two heavyweights, who else could have been?

The consensus on this site is that Joe Louis and Muhamad Ali are the two best heavyweights of all time in whichever order you prefer.

This consensus is suported by their records against other champions and ranked contenders along with their depth of resume.

In these respects No3 isnt even close.

It is probably fair to say that they so comprehensivley outpaced No3 becase they both retained focus for so long.

I think there are a few heavyweights who had the talent to join this dynamic duo but didnt fulfill it for whatever reason.

Lets have some names.

 

Wills is the obvious candidate, I'd say. He didn't get the chance to show his full potential, but he had remarkable longevity as a contender.

 

Though Louis is the more complete fighter I think Dempsey stops him inside 3 rds.I also think Johnson decisions him whatever the resumes indicate.

 

Jack Johnson.

A earlier win over Jeffries, rematching Langford. So on and so forth.

 

These are concise and valid points .I am forced to concede!

 

Louis and Ali had the best style to fight different styles of fighters and they did but Dempsey and Marciano and Frazier would always be hard styles for Ali and Marciano and Dempsey would be hard for Louis

 

Obviously Lewis has to be considered IF he wouldn't have lost those two fights, especially if he would have fought and beat Bowe in his prime and/or Tyson.

If Foreman would have beaten Ali, it's interesting to see where his career would have gone.

 

Jack Johnson and Lennox Lewis, but even then I still think they are way off Ali and Louis.

 

Kinda of hard to ask any one to lived up to either one imo. Both were busy champs, that fought the best of there era. Ali most of all had his battles with Frazier, Foreman ete.

Louis had to beat Hitler's and Italy's champions, and support the war and all. I think it was the TIMES they were in that made em great than there ring victorys. Mostly Louis for most of all in regards, because relly was there a George Foreman out there? Or a guy that was his arch rival?

 

Larry Holmes
Lennox Lewis

 

Rocky Marciano could be there also.

 

Larry Holmes could have beaten both of them in individual fights, he doesnt have the resume or the respect but he definately had the ability, talent and heart .. Louis and Ali had a longevity that is impossible to compare. Tyson was a 4 year fighter, Dempsey won the title and then became an actor and Marciano was a fighter that always looked like he could be beaten by a Holmes, Ali or prime Louis ..

 

If holmes had unified the title and beaten thomas tubbs page and spoon rematch, he could easily be # 2


if marciano had stayed on and beaten patterson machen folley johannson then retired he would easily be # 1-2. or even if marciano had fought guys like clarence henry or nino valdez bob baker to add more depth and size to his resume it would enhance slightly


who ever wins between dempsey and wills has a case for # 1-2 all time, especially wills with his resume

 

Marciano could have had a case if he had stuck around a little longer and beaten Patterson and Liston. Liston would have been a difficult task for Marciano though and would be at high risk to lose his perfect record.

Frazier was never destined to be in the top 2. Even if he had beaten Ali twice, there wouldn't be a Thrilla but he still would have been beaten by Foreman. He certainly would be way up there in the top 10.

Foreman would have a strong case if he had beaten Ali. He would have beaten Ali and Frazier.

Lewis had the potential to get there had he not been KO'd by McCall and Rahman in his career.

Why not Tyson? Had he maintained focus and kept the same corner with him for his whole career I think he would have been possibly one of the greatest.