My alltime heavyweight top 25. Whats yours?

[Sugarj]

The ATGs

01. Muhammad Ali
02. Joe Louis
03. Jack Johnson
04. Jack Dempsey
05. Larry Holmes
06. Sonny Liston
07. Evander Holyfield
08. George Foreman
09. Rocky Marciano
10. Mike Tyson
11. Joe Frazier
12. Harry Wills


The Near-Greats

13. Lennox Lewis
14. Jersey Joe Walcott
15. James Jeffries
16. Peter Jackson
17. Joe Jeannette
18. Rid**** Bowe
19. Vitali Klitschko
20. James Corbett
21. Floyd Patterson
22. Max Schmeling
23. George Godfrey
24. Ken Norton
25. Wlad Klitschko
26. Sam McVey

No Ezzard Charles? Surely he belongs somewhere close to Jersey Joe Walcott.

Gene Tunney?

[Sugarj]

I'm not at all happy with this. Its based a little on legacy, a little on sentiment and a little on how impressed I am with their abilities on video. I've probably missed some legends accidentally!!!!

I've declined to show fighters I haven't actually watched fight much (if at all!)in their prime.............so very justifiable entries like Jeffries, Corbett, Wills, Langford or Sullivan remain absent.

1) Ali
2) Louis
3) Holmes
4) Foreman
5) Holyfield
6) Tyson
7) Lewis
8) Johnson
9) Liston
10) Marciano
11) Dempsey
12) Frazier
13) Bowe
14) Norton
15) Tunney
16) Walcott
17) Patterson
18) Charles
19) V Klitschko
20) W Klitschko
21) Young
22) Baer
23) Lyle
24) Schmelling
25) M Spinks



I expect to edit this post alot!

The very controversial entries are Young, Lyle and M. Spinks.....all of whom impressed me in certain contests or in losing efforts.

There is so much to pick at, Holyfield looks a bit high, but his heavyweight resume is so much better than Liston, Johnson or Marciano. Its tight between him, Lewis and Tyson.

Also Tunney's brief heavyweight reign shouldn't really have him in at 15, sentiment rules here.....plus he looked so damned good against an old Dempsey.

Norton looks too high too. It seems almost blasphemous to have him ahead of artists such as Walcott, Charles and Patterson. But the Ali, Young and Holmes fights really impressed me.

Both the Klitschkos belong higher, possibly much higher.....I feel I might have made a weak cop out here!!!

Lets just say a prime head to head list would look much different.

A list based solely on resume would also look much different.

[StarshipTrooper]

No Ezzard Charles? Surely he belongs somewhere close to Jersey Joe Walcott.

Gene Tunney?

I only rank fighters in one weight class and I have both Charles and Tunney ranked at Light-Heavy.....Charles because he was at his best in that weight class and Tunney because he spent 99% of his career there.

Poet

[RubenSonny]

The ATGs

01. Muhammad Ali
02. Joe Louis
03. Jack Johnson
04. Jack Dempsey
05. Larry Holmes
06. Sonny Liston
07. Evander Holyfield
08. George Foreman
09. Rocky Marciano
10. Mike Tyson
11. Joe Frazier
12. Harry Wills


The Near-Greats

13. Lennox Lewis
14. Jersey Joe Walcott
15. James Jeffries
16. Peter Jackson
17. Joe Jeannette
18. Rid**** Bowe
19. Vitali Klitschko
20. James Corbett
21. Floyd Patterson
22. Max Schmeling
23. George Godfrey
24. Ken Norton
25. Wlad Klitschko
26. Sam McVey

I love this list.

[Sugarj]

I only rank fighters in one weight class and I have both Charles and Tunney ranked at Light-Heavy.....Charles because he was at his best in that weight class and Tunney because he spent 99% of his career there.

Poet

I'm with you bud.

[JAB5239]

The ATGs

01. Muhammad Ali
02. Joe Louis
03. Jack Johnson
04. Jack Dempsey
05. Larry Holmes
06. Sonny Liston
07. Evander Holyfield
08. George Foreman
09. Rocky Marciano
10. Mike Tyson
11. Joe Frazier
12. Harry Wills


The Near-Greats

13. Lennox Lewis
14. Jersey Joe Walcott
15. James Jeffries
16. Peter Jackson
17. Joe Jeannette
18. Rid**** Bowe
19. Vitali Klitschko
20. James Corbett
21. Floyd Patterson
22. Max Schmeling
23. George Godfrey
24. Ken Norton
25. Wlad Klitschko
26. Sam McVey

Dempsey doesn't belong in the top 10 let alone top 5 in my opinion.

[JAB5239]

Good list by both Sugarj and Poet! Keep em coming guys!

[Steak]

The ridiculously overrated American HW champs from the past weren't even real world champs, they were all frauds because they never competed against the superior Soviets/Eastern Europeans in the pros.

All of the best American heavyweights have been destroyed by the Klitschkos and other Eastern Europeans.

The same thing is happening in many other weight classes too.

Teenage George Foreman taking on the best HW Soviet boxer in the world, Ionas Chepulis.


Teenage Joe Frazier taking on the best HW Soviet boxer in the world, Vadim Yemelyanov

[Joeyzagz]

1. Joe Louis ( I can live with this)
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Jack Johnson
4. Larry Holmes
5. Sonny Liston
6. Lennox Lewis Lennox is way too low, He should be #3 at absolute worst. Hes the only guy who fought against Elite Americans as well as elite Eastern Blocers and beat them all. Last undisputed, true lineal champion.

7. George Foreman
8. Mike Tyson
9. Evander Holyfield
10. Rocky Marciano

11. Joe Frazier
12. Harry Wills
13. Jack Dempsey
14. Jim Jeffries
15. Ezzard Charles
17. Sam Langford
18. Wladimir Klitschko
19. Joe Walcott
20. Max Schmeling

21. Ken Norton
22. Rid**** Bowe
23. Max Baer
24. Jim Corbett
25. Gene Tunney

Ive posted my list many times. The Heavyweight champ should be the baddest man on the planet. A guy who could knock out anything with two legs regardless of discipline. Ali is not that type a guy, hes good but I just cant have a feather fister as the best Heavyweight ever. This is why I approve of you giving Joe Louis the nod, a man of power.

Heres mine:

1. Lennox Lewis
2. Max Schmelling
3. Joe Louis
4. Bob Fitzsimmons
5. George Foreman
6. John L Sullivan
7. Max Baer
8. Sonny Liston
9. Mike Tyson
10. Vitali Klitschko
11. Muhammad Ali
12. Harry Wills
13. Gene Tunney
14. Rocky Marciano
15. Jack Dempsey
16. Rid**** Bowe
17. Joe Frazier
18. Larry Holmes
19. Jack Johnson
20. Samuel Langford
21. Gentleman Jim Corbett
22. Evander Holyfield
23. Jim Jeffries
24. Oliver Mccall
25. Earnie Shavers

[Greatest1942]

Good list Jab and Poet and Sugraj...I agree with JAB's #1 choice...don't with Poet and Sugraj, but all lists are very good. Because I believe it should be Ali or Louis at #1...rest of the picks are nice.

Though I will love to hear why Jab has Mike Tyson in top 10 ignoring Frazier and why Poet does have Tyson at top 10 also and not Lewis.

And I do think Liston should be #5 to 10..not top 5. So yea, its a bid of a grudge, not much.

But having done all this nitpicking, I declare , whatever you guys say, I wont go round to make a top 10 list forget top 25, because I don't rank anyone anymore.

But couldn't resist the nitpicking.