My All-Time Top Ten Heavyweight List

I would say a justifiable list all the way around.

Not a dispute, but just a question. Why did you pick Dempsey over Jeffries? and also Liston?

 

Its true Jeffries best wins were over men
1 Smaller and Lighter
2 Past their prime
3 He needed time to wear them down
4 He shipped a lot of punishment before he wore them down.
5 In his favour he was NEVER beaten in his prime.

It can be said Jeffries retired before what would have been his hardest test was able to challenge him[Johnson], but he was never licked before or while Champ.
Everyone has the right to put their choices where they likeif I can put Johnson at no2 and Dempsey at no3.Brian has every right to put Jeffries paramount .

 

1. Larry Holmes
2. Larry Holmes
3. Larry Holmes
4. Larry Holmes
5. Larry Holmes
6. Larry Holmes
7. Larry Holmes
8. Larry Holmes
9. Larry Holmes
10. Lewis

 

I always go crazy trying to rate the HW champs and making a list of the best. Somebody mentioned in an earlier post that we should do it on a HTH basis and imagine each fighter at his very best plucked from his own time and put in a mythical tournament to see who would come out on top and I think that's the best way to look at it. If we do that then I think we could narrow our search to about five or ten at most. I have to admit I'm partial to the more modern HW's. Ali, Holmes, Lewis, Foreman and a prime head screwed on right Tyson might have been too big and good for the majority of the older generation champs. I really can't see any of the 185-190lb men of yesteryear dominating these men, especially Ali, Holmes and Lewis who were big and skilled and simply didn't exist 50-100 yrs ago. Jeffries was big for his time but he feasted on men generally much smaller than he was. Could he catch a prime Ali or Holmes? I don't think so. Could he outgun a prime Lewis? Again I don't think so. There just weren't many good big men around back then. Men who could box and jab and move like Ali and Holmes and Lewis. Boxing was a different sport back then. Often times you had the HW champ fighting middleweights. Imagine Stanley Ketchel against Mike Tyson or Bob Fitzimmons against a prime Ali or Tommy Burns against Lennox Lewis. Sort of puts things in perspective doesn't it? Relatively speaking the old timers were every bit as tough but comparitively speaking the more modern champs take it. By the way in case you"re wondering, Joe Louis at his best I feel could beat any champ past or present.

 

1-Johnson 2-Jeffries 3-Louis 4-Holmes5-Lewis 6-Ali 7-Klitschko 8-Tyson 9-Holeyfield 10-Foreman

 

!. Ali
2.louis
3.holmes
4.tyson
5.johnson
6.marciano
7.frazier
8.foreman
9.dempsey
10.liston

Based on both ability and accomplishments

 

1 Louis
2 Ali
3 Holmes
4 Marciano
5 Foreman
6 Lewis
7 Dempsey
8 Frazier
9 Johnson
10 Holyfield
11 Liston
12 Jeffries
13 Tyson
14 Wills
15 Bowe
16 Patterson
17 Norton
18 Wlad
19 Tunney
20 Schmelling

 

yeah!! HOLMES POWER!!!
But i think that strongest HW of all time was Lennox. I can't see how any of thous fighters beet him.

 

Sonny Liston had very short reign. And that second Ali fights marks him to. But I highly regard his skills and domination in the late 50's.
It's hard for me to rank Jim Jeffries, cuz I'm still studying his persona and it's difficult to judge those hardcore old-timers. I know that he was a heavy weight pioneer, and his record is great (short but highly qualitative) but I need more time to evaluate his ranking.

As for Dempsey, like Jeffries he was HW innovator (quite well documented on tapes). His fighting style was inspiring for future generations of boxers. He had great record, knocked out most of the top man of his era. If he defeated Wills or Langford and wouldn't pick Hollywood over the ring, he probably could be Top 3 on my list.

 

I understand your high rank for Liston, he was a great puncher and a nightmare for other fighters h2h. He could be also 6 on my list, but I prefer rankings based on accomplishments and not hypothetical matchups (not not neglecting it). I rate him higher than Tyson.

Tyson never defeated an elite fighter in his prime. 80's lacked such opposition and it's not Tysons fault. I don't belive that Tyson was shot after 1988, he was still great. Also I think that he had much left after prison. Top 15.

 

1.Ali
2.Louis
3.Holmes
4.Foreman
5.Lewis
6.Liston
7.Johnson
8.Marciano
9.Tyson
10.Dempsey
11.Frazier
12.Jeffries
13.Holyfield
14.Tunney
15. Charles

 

damn, original list...Marciano #2 and Ali #3, Johnson outside top 10...

 

Some of these lists are some of the worst **** I've seen on here.
Tyson and Holyfield above Lewis, hell Lewis doesn't even make it into some of the top tens!!! What the **** is wrong with you people?

 

It's cool to see a lot of you guys ranking Larry Holmes so high! Some of you have Holmes at number 3, which is where I would place him at.

 

Yes, him and Lewis battle it out for my 3rd place - but I always give Larry the nod. You go could back on foward and make strong case both for and against either fighter, but I just think Larry was very marginally the superior fighter.


Marciano and Liston duke it out for 5th. I rate Mariano 5th overall, however feel slightly bad in doing so I happen to think a peak Liston would knock Marciano out early if they ever met. However legacy-wise and given the fact he did beat some game opposition, Rocky deserves a top 5 placing. Sometimes he was outboxed, sometimes he was knocked down, but he just always found a way to close the show.