The Top 30 Heavyweight Boxers Ever

[bklynboy]

I think your overly harsh on modern fighters, I mean its a good list at the top end but be serious at the bottom end dude,seriously ... jerry quarry/jack sharkey i don't see any argument for them being top twenty and as for jeanette/godfrey/elmer ray/harry wills etc - I mean have you ever even seen decent footage of these guys in action? I'm sure u haven't ... how can you judge someone you haven't seen especially when they don't have long reigns or loads of great vicories on their cvs ... what about the Klitschkos/ingemar johanson/spinks/ i don't think its right to completely disregard the modern guys who you have seen but might not like in favour of ancient guys you haven't seen but assume you'd like.

oh and one more thing for a diffrent poster bivens number 9 ????????????

Regarding modern fighters - who else except *perhaps* the K brothers could possibly be included from the last 30 years?

Larry Holmes
Mike Tyson
Lennox Lewis
Evander Holyfield
Rid**** Bowe

are on the list. I can't see adding anyone else. Michel Spinks was a great boxer but, in my book, he's more of a lightheavy than a heavyweight.

[IronDanHamza]

Couple things here and thereI would change but you will get that with any list.

So overall, excellent list

[Scott9945]

Yeah, I know this topic has been done to death, but still i cannot fail but notice that people never seem to get weary of it. And also, pardon me - I'm new, so I had to get a first-hand taste of what the knowledgeable people of this forum think. So, here goes my list -

1. Muhammad Ali
2. Joe Louis
3. Jack Johnson
4. Larry Holmes
5. George Foreman
6. Jack Dempsey
7. Rocky Marciano
8. Sonny Liston
9. Mike Tyson
10. Joe Frazier
11. Jim Jeffries
12. Lennox Lewis
13. Sam Langford
14. Evander Holyfield
15. Ezzard Charles
16. Floyd Patterson
17. Rid**** Bowe
18. Gene Tunney
19. Jersey Joe Walcott
20. Max Schmeling
21. Ken Norton
22. Max Baer
23. Harry Wills
24. Jack Sharkley
25. Peter Jackson
26. Joe Jeanette
27. James J Corbett
28. Elmer Ray
29. George Godfrey
30. Jerry Quarry

Now, now. I created this thread because I wanted you guys to comment on my Top 30 list. I really do appreciate your coments and I will welcome any suggestions made for it.

But it would be an added bonus if you guys could post your top 10/20/30 list here. Come on fellas - I want it to be the longest thread ever

Are the Klitschko's not on this list because they are still active, or because you thought them unworthy?

[Devroy Jones]

I disagree with some of you placements, but its all very subjective. Here's my top 12. If you don't mind me asking, what criteria are you using to rank fighters?

12. frazier
11. Dempsey
10. Marciano
9. Holyfield
8. Liston
7. Tyson
6. Foreman
5. Lewis
4. Johnson
3. Holmes
2. Ali
1. Louis

My criteria is something like 65% Head To Head Matchups and 35% Career Statistics.
On an other note - I have no problem with Joe Louis toppling Ali, but you gotta get Lennox out of the top 10 man.
I can also see your argument coming, You ask if i base my list on the criteria above then how can lennox not be worthy of the fifth position? I have my answer ready, Lennox's competition was not exactly crap, but the guy had no better competition than Marciano(which was pretty weak). But then again, you are entitled to your opinion.

[Devroy Jones]

Jimmy Bivins absolutely must be on the list somewhere.

Here are my top 16 heavyweights, I've never gone beyond that:

1. Ali
2. Louis
3. Foreman
4. Holmes
5. Dempsey
6. Marciano
7. Liston
8. Frazier
9. Bivins
10. Johnson
11. Walcott
12. Lewis
13. Holyfield
14. Wills
15. Tyson
16. Burns

Jimmy Bivins? What the hell did the guy do to be regarded so highly by you? The only worthwhile thing he had done in his career was that he defeated Ezzard Charles in their first match. I tend to believe that was a fluke - My beleif becomes true somewhat by looking at the results of their subsequent matches.

[Devroy Jones]

Are the Klitschko's not on this list because they are still active, or because you thought them unworthy?

Vitali's greatest fight was probably the one with Lennox Lewis and he lost that. Lennox said he was not 100% for that fight. That may or may not be true, but that aint the question. The fact is Vitali gave his best but still could not beat a post-prime Lewis. So, Vitali does not feature in my top 30 list.

Wladimir on the other hand is IMO too young to be judged. The crop of opponents he faces are mediocre at best and as i said I base my list 65% on Head to Head matchups. I don't think Wladimir Klitschko's good enough to dispace #30 on the list - Jerry Quarry.

[Daddy T]

- He is unbeatable.

... at pleasuring your ass?

[The Surgeon]

Either Klitschko beats any HW from any era.

Please................! David Haye is gonna knock that Chump into next week when they fight! Beleive that!

Klitchko has fought alot of the top fighters available to him tho, his brother also and imo they rate higher than guys like Sharkey, Ingo, ect but heres another guy i didnt notice get mentioned (why would he, he didnt even win a title) who would have eaten Wlad for breakfast and Vitali for lunch - President Ike Ibeabuchi

[The Surgeon]

Wladimir Klitschko is one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.

- All Time Great and Hall Of Famer

- Most dominant fighter in the world

- Ring Magazine Top 5 P4P Fighter

- IBF/WBO/IBO/RING Unified Heavyweight Champion Of The World

- Rightful WBA Heavyweight Champ

- Olympic Gold Medalist

- 49 KOs in 55 wins

- Has made 16 dominant world title defences

- Has defeated 8 world heavyweight champions:

Chris Byrd x2
Samuel Peter x2
Sultan Ibragimov
Ruslan Chagaev
Lamon Brewster
Hasim Rahman
Francois Botha
Ray Mercer

- Has defeated tons of top contenders:

Eddie Chambers
Tony Thompson
Jameel McCline
Calvin Brock
Monte Barrett
Axel Schulz
Ray Austin
DaVarryl Williamson
Derrick Jefferson
Charles Shufford
Eliseo Castillo
etc...

- Has defeated 8 undefeated fighters:

Ruslan Chagaev
Sultan Ibragimov
Samuel Peter
Calvin Brock
Monte Barrett
Eliseo Castillo
Zoran Vujecic
Najee Shaheed

David Haye will be Wladimir's 50th knockout victim.

Are those fighters lists supposed to impress us? Bum after bum mate. Not Klitchko's vault in fairness as they are all he has to work with but dont show them of as if its a murders row of boxing history for gods sake

[bklynboy]

Please................! David Haye is gonna knock that Chump into next week when they fight! Beleive that!

Klitchko has fought alot of the top fighters available to him tho, his brother also and imo they rate higher than guys like Sharkey, Ingo, ect but heres another guy i didnt notice get mentioned (why would he, he didnt even win a title) who would have eaten Wlad for breakfast and Vitali for lunch - President Ike Ibeabuchi

I'm not a big fan of the Ks as ATG. I think they barely crack the TOP 30 and are not even close to being considered for the TOP 10.

I think that WK will take Haye. This fight should tell us a lot about WK. If Haye comes in willing to fight and exchange, and if WK he can keep Haye away with his jab; absorb some combos and still control the fight THEN we know that WK is a true TOP 30 - and considered for TOP 20.

If Haye punks out and fights outside of WK's reach and is outpointed simply because WK is the aggressor then we, once again, have little to judge WK on *EXCEPT* for the fact that he won rather easily against a top opponent.