The Best Heavyweight Champion Ever, Is? And why?

I never did rankings because I feel it is just not right for me to do or just to hard for me to do.
It's easier to say they were all great. And maybe that's really the correct way of going about things because where do you start...how can you judge?

Maybe I just need to get drunk and write down some names...all in fun. But is that respectful?
It's not like my opinion holds weight, right?

My question and thinking really is about how others come up with theirs...specifically the "historians."
What makes them "experts" in the field or are they just simply given an opinion because they were asked?

I tend to look more for what Fighters and/or Trainers have to say that made it on the elite level.
Of course there is always bias but that's the given.

When asked, I tend to look at just two for the top spot: Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali.
Both were Great Champions. Served as Symbols for boxing and greater than just boxing because their names stretched into politics and the daily lives of people.

Of course, I also think of Jack Johnson. The era in which he lived was full of racism. In a country where it was already dangerous to be Black, Jack Johnson, Black HW Champion chased down the labeled "HW Champion" {White} and beat him bad. He is said to have lived how he felt he should live, free, and paraded his smile everywhere he went.

But what are we looking at to determine this?

Competition?

Record?
Peak performance?
Overall record performance?

Could they adjust?

Could they win past their prime?

Could they shock the World?

Choices they made as Champion?

Did they hold the title with respect?

Did they entertain the mob?

Did they overcome adversity?

Did they lead as Champions?


What makes the Champion the Top Guy?


Or is there a quick solution: Who was the best at what they did?




So much to think about.




Personal:

It's interesting having these conversations with an Older Generation. I remember I had a conversation about boxing with my Grandfather when he was alive. I didn't even know he was into boxing. Usually we talked about the Military since he was WWII veteran and actually was in the military even before the war started. Or other things that he liked. But usually it was about me. What interests me interested him.

So when I brought up boxing, it was interesting to find out what he thought.
As we talked I realized I was out of my league. He had gone to many fights live back in the day: 30's, 40's, 50's, etc.
I'm watching it all on TV and he is seeing it live in an era of Golden Champions.

I spit out some names to see who he liked and it was interesting how he spoke about them. One Champion he seemed to just brush off a bit or at least it seemed that way which was the first time that made me really think about me not knowing anything. I was just looking at the hype I guess.
Luckily ESPN Classics, some reading, and down the road, youtube was available so that I could see his fights.

My Grandfather lived a hard life, had to grow up very fast to support his family after his Father died...off to the Military, and then later off to War.
But there was One Man, only One Man, Champion, that made him light up.
It was incredible.