You can tear my list down, but Im hoping other will post their own list and reasons. Remember, keep the discussion civil.
The top 12 heavyweight h2h all time
1. Muhammad Ali - Showed his ability to overcome adversity many times and his skills would carry him over nearly every fighter ever.
2. Lennox Lewis - I will inevitably hear about his chin, but no fighter had his skills, size, power and agression when he was at his very best.
3. Larry Holmes - One of the gutsiest and most determined fighters with a skillset and chin to match.
4. Joe Louis - The greatest heavyweight if all time in my opinion. That doesn't mean his style wouldn't allow him to lose at times. It wouldn't be often, but it keeps him from being the best h2h in my opinion.
5. George Foreman - The man could be beat, but lets face it he could destroy any fighter on any given night.
6. Joe Frazier - I have a feeling Frazier being so high will bring a lot of controversy. But with his skill, stamina and tenacity it think few beat him at their respective bests.
7. Sonny Liston - At his best Liston was a tyrant capeable of beating nearly any man in history....and he was mean. A skilled, hard punching fighter who wasn't just in the ring for sport...he wanted to hurt you.
8. Wladimir Klitschko - Any man who can stay focused after 7 years and keep reigning on top has to be great and a threat to most fighters in history. He still doesn't crack my all time top 10 list, but with his skills, size and logevity he deserves a spot on this one.
9. Evander Holyfield - He wan't called the warrior for nothing. Had the chin, skills and stamina to fight with the best in history.
10. Vitaly Klitschko - As much as I hate to give anything to a guy I consider hugely overrated, Vittles is a tough guy and would be at any time in history. His size and awkwardness would provide problems for many fighters.
11. Mike Tyson - No fighter in history was better in the first 4 rounds. If you were lucky to get through them you still weren't out of danger, but you gave yourself a chance.
12. Jack Johnson - Any man who could fight under the duress Johnson was under would persevere and be great in any era. Oh, and the guy could fight.
Well their build is almost identical to start with. They had the same temperament and the same bully mentality. They both stalked their opponents and both liked to throw hooks from the get go as opposed to start off with a jab. Admittedly, this applies more to Tyson than Liston. Tyson's technique and ring IQ was much better than Liston's was. I'm talking 80s Tyson.
Liston stalked and waited for his opportunity while softening them up from the outside, he'd use his footwork to keep himself in range for his own jab and straight right until he felt they were weak enough to go in for the kill.
A crash course in how a Listoning is done would be the two Williams' fights. He outboxes Williams until he is softened enough to bull inside and overpower him then take him out with single, powerful shots.
He had no problem with waiting for the KO opportunity. Actually he was probably a bit more safety first than he should've been. That's why he has more mid to late KOs under his belt.
Actually you can see the stark difference in styles between Liston and Tyson in the Patterson fight, where he is against a fighter who does resemble Tyson
With that all said, I don't think I need to describe Tyson's style. But I will say in short, Tyson was a front-runner who looked for an early knockout from mid-range, set up with head movement, and Liston was primarily an outside boxer (capable at any range) who just looked for any kind of knockout by grinding them down.
How can you say they couldn't be much more different? They could be like Wlad-Tyson for example which is a helluva lot more different from those two,
They could also be compared to a double amputee. It's an expression, don't take that part too seriously. Stylistically, Wlad and Liston are closer than Tyson and Liston. Although Liston was much more willing to mix it up and take risks. Which isn't saying much.
Louis and Liston are a much better comparison.
1. Ali
2. Holmes
3. Foreman
4. Lewis
5. Louis
6. Tyson
7. Liston
8. V Klitschko
9. Frazier
10. Holyfield
11. W.Klitschko
12. Bowe
Marciano could easily make the list but seeing as it's h2h I'll go with my gut and say the above 12 beat him
I could definitely roll with this list.
Interesting though, that you have Holmes #2 H2H above Lewis? On my list, a prime Holmes would fall just short of Lewis, therefore making #3.
1. Ali
2. Holmes
3. Foreman
4. Lewis
5. Louis
6. Tyson
7. Liston
8. V Klitschko
9. Frazier
10. Holyfield
11. W.Klitschko
12. Bowe
Marciano could easily make the list but seeing as it's h2h I'll go with my gut and say the above 12 beat him
Hahahahahahahaha
Your laughing because I have bowe and Tyson so high? This isn't based on achievement, it's based on the best versions turning up. A motivated bowe would be too big, too strong, too quick for most heavyweights. His inside game was as good as any heavyweight, he had a granite chin and above average power. You big up Lewis. He struggled with an old shot Holyfield. Bowe beat a better Holyfield more clearly, lost a close decision while unmotivated and knocked him out while past it. Tyson on his day had the combination of speed, head movement and ferocity to be effective against most heavyweights. He would have intimidated the win out of most fighters.
Liston. Great jab, poor footwork/speed allows him to lose to faster footed guys with good jabs and a decent chin.
I think Holmes, Lewis might get to him.
I also think Marciano and Dempsey are criminally underrated for their size, Marciano especially. He had a huge punch and he maximized his size disadvantage making hard to hit with a jab by fighting out of a crouch and had good head movement.
Marciano was actually hard to hit from the outside, it's only once you got inside with him like Moore, Charles and Walcott did could you do your damage, but then you were in range of his punches. I think around 9-10 would be sufficient. If you have a poor inside game you were going to struggle with Marciano.
Tyson is also overrated by most, his problem was not fighting on the inside by defending on the inside. Holyfield exploited then and to a lesser extent Bonecrusher Smith. Also once faster footed guys with good jabs got out of the first half of the fight the fight would swing in their favour. I think Lewis exploits that very well with a prime Tyson.
These lists are real cool to read. Great variety amongst posters. I personally could never do a list, P4P one or H2H, simply because I haven't seen enough to gauge an opinion of some of the older fighters such as Johnson and Louis. Granted I've seen them here and there but I'd be lying if I made a list.
H2H lists are especially different imo because of the fact great fighters come from all sorts of eras and at times, due to obvious size, reach etc. disparity, it becomes difficult to rank. Consider this - if (example) Muhammad Ali was as fast and great as he was in his prime WITHOUT the usage of modern nutrition and sporting science, imagine how unbeatable he would be if DID apply modern training and nutritional regimes?
This guy has to be the biggest idiot on the entire forum.
He calls Sonny Liston out for having a sh*t reach when everyone who knows their boxing history knows that Liston was known specifically for his freakish reach.
Then, after being corrected by a much wiser poster he goes and looks Liston's reach up on boxrec and acts like he remembers it off the top of his head. Then he says "oh yeah his reach was massive but he was too slow to use his jab" as if that is what he meant the first time.
Then calling Liston a poor man's Mike Tyson. LMAO - what a stupid and horrible comparison.
LacedUp had to have been the victim of a closed head injury at some point in his life. No other way to explain his lack of brain function.
I think everybody who's ever read a single post you have ever written knows you must be the dumbest person on the face of the earth. Your mother must be embarrassed about the way you conduct yourself.
I know he has a long reach and the reason for me saying 84, was because just yesterday I saw his second fight with Patterson where the commentator mentions his reach.
What I meant was explained incorrectly from my side. I tried to explain it in the second post, but surely I could count on an absolute imbecile like yourself to get on it.
Instead of criticizing what I said about him and Tyson, please explain why they are so different and what Liston did that was better than what Tyson did. Aside from his jab.
I knew I should have thought twice about taking this kid off my ignore list.
His reach wasn't the best and his movement was static. Also, his best wins were over Floyd Patterson and I don't think those wins are good enough to position him higher than the Klitschkos. But that's just my opinion. I was never a big fan of Liston.
I really do think he was a poor mans Mike Tyson.
84 if I remember correctly. He had long arms, but he was too slow to use it. Because of his slow movement and stalking style, he used his hammer right hand as his main weapon. I've read about who got their teeth knocked out by his jab, but I haven't seen it myself. Most of the footage I find on Liston is post Patterson and I don't think that version warrants a place in top 10 H2H.
This guy has to be the biggest idiot on the entire forum.
He calls Sonny Liston out for having a sh*t reach when everyone who knows their boxing history knows that Liston was known specifically for his freakish reach.
Then, after being corrected by a much wiser poster he goes and looks Liston's reach up on boxrec and acts like he remembers it off the top of his head. Then he says "oh yeah his reach was massive but he was too slow to use his jab" as if that is what he meant the first time.
Then calling Liston a poor man's Mike Tyson. LMAO - what a stupid and horrible comparison.
LacedUp had to have been the victim of a closed head injury at some point in his life. No other way to explain his lack of brain function.
Top15 sounds about right. I don't see him beating Foreman, Wlad, Lennox or Vitali. He was very good all-rounder fighter (apart from strong inside game).
Ali in his prime outbox him with an ease.
His jab was excellent, but his power wasn't on level of Foreman, Wlad or even Lennox or Vitali. He would have a good chance against smaller fighters from older generations - like Liston, Marciano or even Fraizer..
Holyfiled and Tyson beat him even in his prime IMO. One can make a case for him to be in top10 though.
Though I rank Wlad higher I think Bowe beats him.
Thanks for posting your own list. Where would you rank Bowe? H2h he is definitely top 15 for me, maybe higher if I put more thought into it.
Top15 sounds about right. I don't see him beating Foreman, Wlad, Lennox or Vitali. He was very good all-rounder fighter (apart from strong inside game).
Ali in his prime outbox him with an ease.
His jab was excellent, but his power wasn't on level of Foreman, Wlad or even Lennox or Vitali. He would have a good chance against smaller fighters from older generations - like Liston, Marciano or even Fraizer..
Holyfiled and Tyson beat him even in his prime IMO. One can make a case for him to be in top10 though.
1. Muhammad Ali
2. Lennox Lewis
3. George Foreman
4. Larry Holmes
5. Joe Frazier
6. Wladimir Klitschko
7. Mike Tyson
8. Jack Johnson
9. Vitali Klitschko
10. Sonny Liston / Evander Holyfield.
Ali vs. Lewis would be a good scrap that could go either way. A focused and disciplined Lewis, in my opinion, is unbeatable.
The rest of the list is really competitive.
1. Ali
2. Joe louis
3. Jack johnson
4.marciano
5.holyfield
6.tyson
7. Holmes
8.foreman
9.lewis
10.dempsey
11.liston
12.fraizer
This list is the truth
Marciano should not be at 4
I take it h2h means head to head as if they fought each other? If so, here's my list:
1. Muhammad Ali
2. Mike Tyson
3. Larry Holmes
Italy. Lennox Lewis
5. George Foreman
6. Joe Frazier
7. Ridick Bowe
8. Wlad Klitschko
9. Vitali Klitschko
10. Jack Johnson
11. Joe Louis
12. Sony Liston
Besides Louis being outside the top 10 I like it. Appreciate you posting it! :fing02:
You can tear my list down, but Im hoping other will post their own list and reasons. Remember, keep the discussion civil.
The top 12 heavyweight h2h all time
1. Muhammad Ali - Showed his ability to overcome adversity many times and his skills would carry him over nearly every fighter ever.
2. Lennox Lewis - I will inevitably hear about his chin, but no fighter had his skills, size, power and agression when he was at his very best.
3. Larry Holmes - One of the gutsiest and most determined fighters with a skillset and chin to match.
4. Joe Louis - The greatest heavyweight if all time in my opinion. That doesn't mean his style wouldn't allow him to lose at times. It wouldn't be often, but it keeps him from being the best h2h in my opinion.
5. George Foreman - The man could be beat, but lets face it he could destroy any fighter on any given night.
6. Joe Frazier - I have a feeling Frazier being so high will bring a lot of controversy. But with his skill, stamina and tenacity it think few beat him at their respective bests.
7. Sonny Liston - At his best Liston was a tyrant capeable of beating nearly any man in history....and he was mean. A skilled, hard punching fighter who wasn't just in the ring for sport...he wanted to hurt you.
8. Wladimir Klitschko - Any man who can stay focused after 7 years and keep reigning on top has to be great and a threat to most fighters in history. He still doesn't crack my all time top 10 list, but with his skills, size and logevity he deserves a spot on this one.
9. Evander Holyfield - He wan't called the warrior for nothing. Had the chin, skills and stamina to fight with the best in history.
10. Vitaly Klitschko - As much as I hate to give anything to a guy I consider hugely overrated, Vittles is a tough guy and would be at any time in history. His size and awkwardness would provide problems for many fighters.
11. Mike Tyson - No fighter in history was better in the first 4 rounds. If you were lucky to get through them you still weren't out of danger, but you gave yourself a chance.
12. Jack Johnson - Any man who could fight under the duress Johnson was under would persevere and be great in any era. Oh, and the guy could fight.
I take it h2h means head to head as if they fought each other? If so, here's my list:
1. Muhammad Ali
2. Mike Tyson
3. Larry Holmes
4. Lennox Lewis
5. George Foreman
6. Joe Frazier
7. Wlad Klitschko
8. Ridick Bowe
9. Vitali Klitschko
10. Jack Johnson
11. Joe Louis
12. Sony Liston
Wlad could possibly be #5, but his chin is questionable.
lol he's a small cruiserweight/big light heavyweight
He trained down to 205. Put him on today's supplements, steroids and burger king regiment and he's easily 220. That's irrelevant anyway, his skill far superseded size. You can see this with his destructions of both Baers, Simon and Carnera.
The same lennox lewis who wanted a rematch
With past it tyson. Wasnt tyson 10 yrs removed from prime
And didnt this same lewis go put out with one shot twice
And he also faught An old holyfield??
Lewis is solid. Nothing more
is it Lewis fault that they were getting on when he fought them?
Did he delay fighting them until they turned VERY old (for example like the K brothers do, though they do it against much more middling opposition)?
The same lennox lewis who wanted a rematch
With past it tyson. Wasnt tyson 10 yrs removed from prime
And didnt this same lewis go put out with one shot twice
And he also faught An old holyfield??
Lewis is solid. Nothing more