Third greatest heavyweight of all time?

I said the 3rd best heavyweight is Foreman, Dont make me kick you people in the bean bag

 

In truth I would not pick against him matched with Mcvey, Jeannete,Langford,or Wills prime for prime.

 

Mine goes thusly.

1. Louis
2. Ali
3. Marciano

 

Good God why do you people love Rocky Marciano so much. There is no way in hell he is a better fighter than a fighter like Bowe, or Foreman

 

I think modern folks tend to underrate older fighters. Marciano was great offensively, had and underrated defense and was tough as nails. He also was was big, strong guy who never lost a fight and fought some tough fights against good competition.

Really, though, ranking people like this is a crap shoot.

 

Who says you have to rank Heavyweights in terms of H2H?

 

:good Fixed. Great 1-2-3 regardless.

 

1. Ali
2. Holmes
3. Johnson
4. Louis
5. Foreman / Lewis (TIE)
6. Vitali Klit
7. Holy
8. Tyson
9. Bowe
10 Liston / Marciano / Jeffries

MR.BILL

Note: rankings are NOT necessarily based on popularity, but rather who can kick the other guys ass.......... "Dempsey & Patterson" fit in as well, well, somewhere down the line....

 

Where is John Ruiz?

 

Johnson #3 in terms oh H2H? Vitali #6? Liston #10!

 

I have Ali and Louis 1 and 2.

Three and four (and the order changes periodically) are Lewis and Foreman.

 

you should hesitate because it is laughable to suggest it.

 

One thing that is never really considered in the black dynamite argument is that prime Johnson actually never really had a chance to meet these guys prime for prime, although he did meet and beat most of them.

By this i mean that being honest, Johnson hit his prime for the Jeffries fight and was in decline from somewhere shortly after then. At this time, he had just beaten the black dynamite. He had zero to prove against them. Like virtually everyone else, Ali, Dempsey, Tyson etc, once he had reached his goal, he coasted. The thing is it is phenomenal that he lasted so long as champ, that is a testament to his greatness. Using prime Wills, for example (and i am pretty confident if they fought we would probably be calling him pre prime Wills), Even if Wills had fought and beat Johnson, what would it have proved? Virtually no more than the Willard win proved. And even Lanford and Co. AT the very best, if they had got their shot, their wins would mean nothing more than Tunneys win over Dempsey. In fact, i would dare say that Johnson's wins over them would have probably meant more because the two fighters would be closer to their primes.

If Johnson had have lost the title at any time after the Jeffries fight he would have been held in a very high esteem anyway. And probably would still rate over the black dynamite crew.

 

I tend to disagree. If Johnson lost to O'brien ( papers indicate it was close, and box rec says O'Brien was better by a shade ), or it history got the decision right, and Johnson lost via TKO to Battling Jim Johnson, I think people who glance at his record would say, a prime Jack Johnson was out boxed by a supper middle, and TKO'd by a journeyman heavyweight. Hardly inspiring stuff. In hindsight Johnson is lucky there is no film of these fights.

If Johnson would have meet Langford, Gunboat Smith, Joe Jeanette, or Sam Mvcey as champion and beaten them, it would rate as one of his best wins. If it were Langford, it would be his best win. Champions are supposed to prove their worth by fighting the best out there. Johnson used the color line to avoid challenges, and didn't fight the best white contender in Gunboat Smith. Instead, Johnson gave title shots to fighters that Smith had already bested.

 

I just about give this one to Larry Holmes. Closely followed by George Foreman and Joe Frazier.