Which fight were these top heavies peak?

Ali - Folley
Louis - B Baer II
Lewis - Grant
Marciano - Walcott II
Foreman - Norton
Liston - Williams
Tyson - Spinks
Frazier - FOTC
Holmes - L Spinks
Wlad K - Byrd II

 

No way, Lewis landed a good shot v Ruddock but it was clear in his following bouts that he needed a better trainer, Steward improved Lewis dramatically.

 

Tyson-Spinks
Holmes L.Spinks.

 

Excellent. Completely agree on that. If anything, I would only change small things. Even if many historians assess it that way, I think the Spinks fight is not so suitable for evaluation. Because it was so short, and many said that Spinks was scared and already lost the Fight before the bell rang. For sure after that fight Tysons performance obviously went downhill. Agility, defence and combinations became less effective. Maybe it was his prime as a puncher...as a knockout machine, but i think as an athlete and boxing wise he has already been stagnating. So i would have said he peaked ak the Holmes fight.

 

No way, Ali was not is prime at 32, he was faster in the 60`s and unbeaten.

 

That is your opinion. My opinion is that Lewis' best performance was against Ruddock.

 

Why?

 

Cuz he hit Ruddock when he was crouched. Most boxers are not clever enough to do that, and Lewis never had a better idea the rest of his career.

 

Some great alternatives.

 

lol!

 

lol!

 

Foster was no threat at heavyweight.

 

Ali- Cleveland Williams. I was tempted to put the title-winning performance against Liston where he was beautifully elusive. But if I'm honest, he probably developed into a better fighter once he got rid of all the nervous energy and fully settled into the role of champion.

Louis- Max Baer. Louis' early climb to contender status was as impressive as I've seen him. His newfound fame and love of golf cost him against Schmeling, but I don't see that Louis actually improved in the rematch. I think he switched strategies against a diminished opponent, but he never shored up his defense.

Lewis- Andrew Golota. It was this or Shannon Briggs, for me. He was more rigorously tested in the latter. And strangely, the fact that it wasn't a first round knockout might do more to support the case for it.

Marciano- Jersey Joe Walcott II. Here, again, the foe had declined and the fight was too abrupt, perhaps, to tell us much. LaStarza II and Charles I are also compelling choices.

Foreman- Ken Norton. Even though he beat a better fighter in Frazier shortly before, he looked more complete against Norton.

Liston- Cleveland Williams II. Not much he could have improved on. He got clipped in the first bout, but recovered to knock Williams out. For the rematch, he pounced on him, knowing either one of them could be hurt. Sound thinking, but no new leap in prowess.

Tyson- Larry Holmes. Just Tyson at his destructive best.

Frazier- Muhammad Ali I. Any one from Quarry up to the first match with Ali is a good answer. The mentality he displayed against Ali was not to be matched.

Holmes- Earnie Shavers II. He was a few months shy of his thirtieth birthday. Thirty is usually not when someone begins to peak, even for a heavyweight who started late like Holmes. Not in that era.

Wlad K- Kubrat Pulev. Maybe a little late for some, but I'd never seen Wlad so motivated. The death of Emmanuel Steward really lit a fire under him.