Top 20 H2H heavyweights in history?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Melankomas, Mar 3, 2026.


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  1. Melankomas

    Melankomas Corbett beats your favourite fighter

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    I’m curious about what most peoples’ 10-20 area of the list looks like.
     
    Melankomas, Mar 3, 2026
    Melankomas, Mar 3, 2026
    #1
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  2. dmt

    dmt Hardest hitting hw ever Full Member

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    Ali
    Foreman
    Tyson
    Lewis
    Liston
    Louis
    Wlad
    Holmes
    Usyk
    Holyfield


    No one is unbeatable including Ali. Just because I have him at 1 doesn’t mean many of the guys below him wouldn’t have a good shot vs him.

    Some will object to Wlad being low but he was stopped 3 times. Without the rigged German refs working in his favour, I don’t see him being so unbeatable.

    Lewis’s susceptibility to a one punch ko keeps him down a bit but he had a good chin all things considered.
     
    dmt, Mar 3, 2026
    dmt, Mar 3, 2026
    #2
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  3. JohnThomas1

    JohnThomas1 VIP Member

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    I like that list a lot. I'd have Tyson a bit lower (behind Lewis and Liston) and Usyk and Holmes above Wlad at a glance.

    Nice one.
     
    JohnThomas1, Mar 3, 2026
    JohnThomas1, Mar 3, 2026
    #3
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  4. swagdelfadeel

    swagdelfadeel Obsessed with Boxing

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    Ali
    Liston
    Foreman
    Lewis
    Tyson
    Louis
    Usyk
    Holmes
    Holyfield
    Fury
     
    swagdelfadeel, Mar 4, 2026
    swagdelfadeel, Mar 4, 2026
    #4
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  5. OddR

    OddR Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Interesting Liston tends to show up so high on these lists......
     
    OddR, Mar 4, 2026
    OddR, Mar 4, 2026
    #5
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  6. The Cryptkeeper

    The Cryptkeeper Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Agree but jeez he’d be a nightmare for virtually every gun heavyweight that ever lived. In his prime obviously.
     
    The Cryptkeeper, Mar 4, 2026
    The Cryptkeeper, Mar 4, 2026
    #6
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  7. RulesMakeItInteresting

    RulesMakeItInteresting Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Ali
    Louis
    Foreman
    Tyson
    Holmes
    Holyfield
    Usyk
    Lewis
    Liston
    Wlad
     
    RulesMakeItInteresting, Mar 4, 2026
    RulesMakeItInteresting, Mar 4, 2026
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  8. Dynamicpuncher

    Dynamicpuncher Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    In no order I'll do 15 names.

    Muhammad Ali
    Lennox Lewis
    Mike Tyson
    Larry Holmes
    Oleksandr Usyk
    Evander Holyfield
    Wladimir Klitschko
    Vitali Klitschko
    Tyson Fury
    Joe Frazier
    Riddick Bowe
    Buster Douglas
    Sonny Liston
    George Foreman
    Ike Ibeabuchi

    People will probably be scratching their heads at Douglas but again we're talking about these fighters at their best.

    And I think Douglas rates highly H2H at his best and he also has the size aswell to beat the old time Heavyweights.
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2026
    Dynamicpuncher, Mar 4, 2026
    Dynamicpuncher, Mar 4, 2026
    #8
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  9. White Bomber

    White Bomber Boxing Addict Full Member

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    If we're only taking prime into account:
    1. Tyson
    2. Liston
    3. Lewis
    4. Vitali
    5. Wlad
    6. Bowe
    7. Usyk
    8. Roidyfield
    9. Fury
    10. Ali

    If we are juding based on greatness (peak + career + impact):
    1. Louis
    2. Ali
    3. Lewis
    4. Holmes
    5. Wlad
    6. Marciano
    7. Tyson
    8. Johnson
    9. Usyk
    10. Liston / Dempsey
     
    White Bomber, Mar 4, 2026
    White Bomber, Mar 4, 2026
    #9
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  10. Melankomas

    Melankomas Corbett beats your favourite fighter

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    I could personally only go as far as 15;

    Ali
    Usyk
    Lewis
    Tyson
    Louis
    Holmes
    Holyfield
    Bowe
    Vitali
    Fury
    Liston
    Wlad
    Foreman
    Frazier
    Dempsey

    Got kinda lost after the top 13
     
    Melankomas, Mar 4, 2026
    Melankomas, Mar 4, 2026
    #10
  11. HistoryZero26

    HistoryZero26 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    In chronological order heres what I'm thinking


    Langford
    Wills
    Fulton
    Miske
    Dempsey
    Tunney
    Loughran
    Braddock
    John Henry Lewis
    Louis
    Liston
    Ali
    Frazier
    Foreman
    Norton
    Holmes
    Tyson
    Bowe
    Lennox
    Wlad

    Every time its a little different. I've got the Baers, Lyle, Moorer, Gibbons, Farr and Buster Douglas on the bubble for various reasons. On other days feeling different they might make it.
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2026
    HistoryZero26, Mar 7, 2026
    HistoryZero26, Mar 7, 2026
    #11
  12. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    It's basically impossible to do this seriously, but it's a good time.

    This is a list based upon modern rules, modern gloves, modern training methods, modern "nutrition", peak versions only, an even playing field and an enormous amount of guesswork and fantasy. It's silly. It would look totally different if we were talking about 1900s rules, only allowing how people appeared on film, or how they felt over an entire career, including longevity and robustness.

    Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis
    --
    Joe Louis, Oleksander Usyk, Sonny Liston
    --
    Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko, Larry Holmes
    --
    Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Joe Frazier
    --
    Tim Witherspoon, Tyson Fury, Riddick Bowe
    --
    Michael Spinks, Pinklon Thomas, Jack Dempsey, Razor Ruddock, Rocky Marciano
     
    McGrain, Mar 7, 2026
    McGrain, Mar 7, 2026
    #12
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  13. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    It is fascinating to me that Marciano made my list. He did make it at number 17/18, I've been scanning for names to replace him but can't. The logic for wanting him lifted is that he'd do very badly against very big heavyweights. He could easily lose to Ibeabuchi or Povetkin, even someone like Chagaev, and that's just not going to happen to most of these guys. But I do think he qualifies. He's modern (barely)and he'd do very, very well against small-mid heavies. He might beat all of those barring the very best. Just cruises in there. To be honest though, there are fifteen guys who might make it in to the bottom 5 spots, all those guys are very spongey.
     
    McGrain, Mar 7, 2026
    McGrain, Mar 7, 2026
    #13
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  14. brb

    brb Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I'm not understanding why so many people are leaving off Vitali.
     
    brb, Mar 7, 2026
    brb, Mar 7, 2026
    #14
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  15. janitor

    janitor VIP Member

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    Who did he beat?
     
    janitor, Mar 7, 2026
    janitor, Mar 7, 2026
    #15
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