Who is the greatest HW Champ since Muhammad Ali (VIDEO)

Bowe was a plodder. He couldn't control distance at all, which is why he had to in-fight so much against smaller fighters, but his natural toughness and size allowed him to dominate there. It came at a price though.

Wlad, as you correctly pointed out, was a master of distance control.

 

Not really. If Bowe was a plodder then Lewis was a plodder. Mike Tyson never implemented distance control in his fights, was he a plodder too?
Boxing safety first from rage wasn't Bowe's style. He could have fought that way if he was more disciplined but thats a facet to his game he never had. Skill-wise he was one of the most complete HWs of all time at his peak.

I never pointed that out. Wlad was useless at keeping guys on the outside. Thats why he's known as Grabimir Clinchko.

 

His clinching was indeed another world class facet of his game, I agree.

 

Clown.

 

Excuse me?

 

Tyson 1986-88 was the best heavy I ever saw. From 1989 onwards he wasn't, far from it, but I think he beats every heavy there ever was during those prime years. To my mind, there is no way you could fight him during those years without getting hit hard & often. When guys like Lennox & Wlad get hit hard & often, you know what's going to happen.

I mark Bowe down for getting stopped by Lennox in the Olympics & then not being willing to fight him in the pros. Very poor effort & I'd have him at the bottom of the list.

Lennox has the best CV but I just don't think he would have handled Tyson 1986-88. They did spar once upon a time when they were in their teens. I asked Mike Tyson about that once and his answer was "I was the best in that age group" or something like that. He didn't say "I beat him up" but I think that's what he meant.

Larry Holmes is right up there.

I'd go:

1. Iron Mike
2. Lennox Lewis
3. Larry Holmes
4. Wladimir Klitschko
5. Evander Holyfield

I don't consider Vitali or Riddick Bowe to be ATG heavies. The others are.

 

Holmes
Holyfield
Lewis
Wlad
Tyson
Bowe
Vitali

 

Wlad.
Lewis.
Vitali.
Tyson.
Bowe.
Holyfield.
Holmes.

 

Holmes

 

Greatest is subjective BC its based on notoriety and popularity.
Joe Louis would be really the right answer BC Ali and Louis have a combination of both .

Now make a best video and you can get more realistic , less bias views and single out matches that one has to look at skills first and attributes in actual match ups.

 

Tyson fury

 

So Joe Louis was the greatest HW since Ali...

 

He has the most title defenses and fought in an era when WW2 was taking place .
He's a permanent fixture in boxing and helped shaped the landscape of it not just historically but he was the first true HW boxer to use CLEAN technical punches and really created the art of baiting to set up punches in advance .

 

I think Joe Louis is the greatest heavyweight of all time! But he isn't, in any way, shape or form the "greatest HW since Ali" as he was retired about a decade before Ali (then Clay) even started his career.
It's in the title of the thread and in the title of the vid.

 

Then I would go with Lewis. Best is someone's skill sets while greatest is overall achievements.