Top Fifty All-Time Great at 175lbs

I would potentially have Qawi higher. But, I can understand your ranking based on actual accomplishments. Great list

 

Who the hell knows at this point? I think both Bivol and Beterbiev are clearly top 50 by now, but we didn't exactly have a conclusive winner. Neither was able to really separate himself from the other, though both are undoubtedly excellent.

On one hand, Beterbiev should be elevated a bit more. Respect the official verdict, etc. and it wasn't a robbery. On the other hand, it seems like the majority of observers (both fans and media) think Bivol took it (though I don't necessarily agree myself).

Ultimately, it kind of limits how high either climbs right now. Rematch!

 

I think it's best to wait a for years after a fighter retires before ranking them all time. Partly to get better context of their careers, as their key opponents finish theirs, and partly because it would otherwise be a perpetual task keeping my all time lists updated.

As a gut feel, I suspect when I come to analyse his career relative to my top 20 all time great LHWs, which exclude predicted outcomes in fantasy fights, Beterbiev will be in contention for a spot towards the very bottom of the top 10.

There are fighters just outside my top 10, e.g. Saad Muhammed and Harold Johnson, with deeper win resumes, but then I have Bob Foster top 10 on account of dominance (both in terms of wins vs losses and within individual fights) over an era, and he has less names on his win resume too....

I agree a rematch between Bivol and Beterbiev would help establish the best of this era, although even then, if Beterbiev loses age 40, it still wouldnt be clear, in the way Foster was unequivocally the best of his era.

 

All those all-time greats/greats/near greats listed proves what a superb division the light-heavyweights have
been throughout history.

 

I think both Beterbiev and Bivol are pretty close to Antonio Tarver, resume wise, at this point - so Tier VI seems suitable for them. Looks like it means just outside of top 20?

 

Tarver ended up at 31 - https://tss.ib.tv/boxing/featured-b...light-heavyweights-of-all-time-part-two-40-31

 

H2H
Tier 1: Michael Spinks, Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore, Gene Tunney
Tier 2: Harold Johnson, Bob Foster, Roy Jones Jr, Dwight Qawi, Artur Beterbiev, Billy Conn, Sergey Kovalev, Dmitry Bivol
Tier 3: Matthew Saad Muhammad, John Conteh, Joey Maxim, Bernard Hopkins, Antonio Tarver, Gus Lesnevich
Tier 4: Marvin Johnson, Yaqui Lopez, Montell Griffin, Glen Johnson.
I shouldn’t name more, as I probably don’t know enough about many more than I’ve mentioned.

 

I'd have Muhammad above Bivol he beat far better actual Light Heavyweights to me.

Marvin Johnson x2
John Conteh x2
Mate Parlov
Yaqui Lopez x2

Bivol's best wins over actual Light Heavyweights are Joe Smith Jr, past it Jean Pascal.

I guess Bivol's win over Ramirez looks better in hindsight but Muhammad also beat Camel who also become a Cruiserweight champion.

 

I roughly ordered them within tiers, but otherwise stuck to your format and criteria:

Tier 1: Ezzard Charles, Michael Spinks, Roy Jones Jr, Gene Tunney, Archie Moore,
Tier 2: Bob Foster, Billy Conn, Dwight Qawi, Artur Beterbiev, Dmitrii Bivol, Harold Johnson
Tier 3: Matthew Saad Muhammad, Sergey Kovalev, Virgil Hill, Dariusz Michalczewski, John Conteh, Victor Galindez, James Scott
Tier 4: Yaqui Lopez, Antonio Tarver, Adonis Stevenson, Marvin Johnson

I chose to strike Hopkins from the list as I don't view him as a proper light heavyweight. You could feasibly find a place for Loughran and Mustafa Muhammad in Tier 3, and Doug Jones and Mauro Mina in Tier 4.

 

Does it matter that Ramirez and Canelo moved up to fight Bivol? I think if there was a Super Middleweight division in the early 80s, some of those guys You listed also likely would've started their career below 175. Canelo was not quite as effective above 168 for sure, but Zurdo was coming into the ring at like 200 pounds as a Light Heavyweight - and is now finding success at even higher weight.

 

A pretty awesome list,Diamond! At least ten thousand peoploids would concur with it.

 

I think I'd probably have them around 25-30.

 

Fair point, especially the part about opponents also still having a chance to do more. This just seemed like a real "legacy" fight to me, sort of the culmination of the era. But yeah, I could see Bivol at least with more big fights. Beterbiev is getting up there, though would still love to see either guy against Benavidez/Morrell.

 

That sounds about right