Rank em; Sullivan, Corbett, Fitzsimmons, Jeffries, Johnson

H2H
I.A.1. Jack Johnson
I.A.2 James Jeffries
I.B John L. Sullivan

II. A.1.a Peter Jackson
II.A.1.b Bob Fitzsimmons
II.B Jim Corbett
II.C Sam Langford

Honorable Mention: Tom Sharkey

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I'm very 'fluid' within teach 'I' and 'II' brackets. Sullivan in third place mainly because I feel least sure of him (vs. Jeffries and Johnson).

Johnson-Jeffries. If Jeffries can start attritioning right off, it will look good for him; if Johnson looks Jeffries down from the word 'go', it's bad for Jeffries, though if Johnson starts to tire in the teen rounds Jeffries will have a chance, more so in a 25 round fight than in a 20 round fight. Johnson over Jeffries represents concerns that Johnson would tie up Jeffries and (effectively) out work him inside, with Jeffries not having a viable 'plan B'. Tomorrow I might easily go with either Jeffries or Sullivan in the top spot.

Would give Peter Jackson the best chance (if they were all to come along together and fight one another) of crossing from a II to a I bracket; Sullivan most likely to move either up (in bracket) or down a bracket.

Included Tom Sharkey in head-to-head considerations, as he gave Corbett and Jeffries considerable difficulty (although I do not believe he ever met a Jeffries firing on all cylinders).
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My Previous post:
"Not easy to separate Corbett and Jackson." [EDIT: Since I'm including Langford, will say that Fitzsimmons and Langford are also not easy to separate]
"Default is Fitzsimmons ahead of Corbett, due to (Carson City '97)-h2h and TSharkey comparisons; a bit of digging throws some challenge to that default -- Fitzsimmons disinclination to give Corbett a return, Corbett perhaps closer to actually beating Jeffries, Corbett willing to face Jackson, and how they 'travel', i.e, whether (as heavyweight) Corbett's quick/clever/skill approach might have bloomed better in later eras that weren't so long/finish attrition fight oriented."

 

Johnson rated Fitz as the best heavy before himself.

 

Johnson " he must have been some puncher in his day, even when his punches missed, it sounded like a swarm of bees "