Top 25 Heavyweights OAT

As of 01/17/2026, I have them ...
01 Joe Louis
02 Muhammad Ali
03 Lennox Lewis
04 Evander Holyfield
05 George Foreman
06 Sonny Liston
07 Rocky Marciano
08 Mike Tyson
09 Jack Dempsey
10 Joe Frazier
11 Jack Johnson
12 Larry Holmes
13 Wladimir Klitschko
14 Oleksandr Usyk
15 Vitali Klitschko
16 James J. Jeffries
17 Sam Langford
18 Floyd Patterson
19 Max Baer
20 Max Schmeling
21 Tyson Fury
22 Harry Wills
23 Primo Carnera
24 Riddick Bowe
25 John L. Sullivan

Edit: My copy of my own list error corrected. Holmes added where I originally had him.

 

No Larry Holmes?

 

Sorry Sonya but where is Larry Holmes, Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe Walcott and Gene Tunney?

 

Missing Larry Holmes was a mistake, on my part, when I copied my own list. I will edit and correct my mistaken omission. Thank you!

 

Regardless of where you rank them, what does the answer to a trivia question have to do with a fighter’s greatness?

Do the youngest and oldest (as that’s another milestone trivia question) automatically jump up a few spaces in the ranking? Do they drop accordingly if someone younger or older claims that particular distinction?

What about tallest and shortest, lightest and heaviest, while we’re at it?

 

Good point. I think it doesn't matter. Okay, it can be impressive, but what matters most is what you achieved and how, not when.
That's why I never gave Tyson too many points for being the youngest. Okay, he was the best 20-year-old, but at 30, he's not even in the top 50 heavyweights. What matters is how he fought in his best fights, nothing more.
I don't give George points for holding the belt at 45, but it must be admitted that it demonstrates enormous potential he didn't fulfill. But this isn't a ranking of the best 20-year-olds or 45-year-olds.

 

Carnera?

 

That’s not really healthy or responsible when you’re getting ready for a fight, which is why I find it unlikely.

 

After round 4 Emanuel instructs Lennox to use his weight and lean on Vitali. It was part of the plan.

 

It's more than a trivia question. It's an accomplishment. I believe the average age of a HW champ is 26. So someone doing it at 20 is pretty impressive considering they may not have fully developed (both physically and emotionally) and they have more potential moving forward. Same thing with George Foreman and him winning the title at 45. Most of his skills and attributes have been diminished at that age.

Regarding being the tallest that is more of a trivia question because typically a bigger person beats up on a smaller person due to their physical attributes (e.g. longer arms, difficult to reach chin, etc.) so it's not really impressive. If you said the shortest person was much smaller say 4'10 that would be extremely impressive if they were HW champ and people would claim that is the best p4p fighter ever. Same situation if it was a 130 lb. fighter who became the HW champ. Moral of the story is if it is impressive than it is an accomplishment and not just trivia.

 

Being the youngest champ is an accomplishment but it’s not a resume enhancer.

Sonny Liston was a better heavyweight than Floyd Patterson. Sonny won it (from Floyd) when he was older; Floyd won it when he was younger, but we don’t give Patterson bonus points to bump him above Sonny. Or at least I don’t.

 

Even if he had weighed 5 kg less, he would still have been able to do that. You may have your theories, but the simplest explanation is that Lennox was scheduled to fight Kirk Johnson, underestimated him, and was out of shape for the Vitali bout.

 

He shouldn't have done it then.

 

Sure no excuse for losing but it was just in a regards to chin the swinging power punches you can't see hurt most.

 

That's his own fault (again). Lennox didn't think he could beat Vitali that's what it comes down to. He didn't have that many fights and wasn't that old.