Name your top 10 heavyweights since 1990

[HeartAttack]

top 10 of the past 20 years with reasons why.

1. Lennox Lewis (undeniably the best heavyweight of his generation and better than what the next generation has given us. KO victories over Vitali, Rahman, McCall, Tyson, Briggs, Morrison, Ruddock, etc. etc. And quality decisions against Mercer, Tua, and Holyfield. Beat every man who he ever stepped in the ring with, and Rid**** Bowe blatantly ducked him.)

2. Evander Holyfield (was the first undisputed Cruiserweight champion, and then has been champion or a contender at heavyweight for 2 decades. Victories over lineal champions like Tyson, Bowe, Foreman, Moorer, Rahman, and Larry Holmes. The epitome of a true warrior.)

3. Rid**** Bowe (Another sad case of what could've been had he not enjoyed the spotlight too much. What he did accomplish in the small window of his prime is impressive. He is the best inside fighter for a big man that I've ever seen. The biggest heavyweight fight of the era would've been Lewis/Bowe but Rid**** cost us that. Gave us the best heavyweight trilogy with the number 2 man on this list; He won that trilogy. Too bad he's a punch drunk bastard now)

4. Vitali Klitschko (The best fighter since Earnie Shavers to never become heavyweight champion. He has heart, chin, stamina, power, and an awkward fighting style. He was born in a so so era which has helped or hurt him, based on your point of view. Truth is he is better than his brother who actually is the heavyweight champion, but Vitali defining moment was a loss to an aging champion)

5. Mike Tyson (he peaked in 88' with his 1st rd KO of Michael Spinks, but stayed relavent for another decade even though he spent 3 years in prison. The unquestionable champion of the division in regards to public persona. He was a bit of a mental case, but that's why we loved him. If this was 25 years, he'd be number 1.)

6. Wladimir Klitschko (The current heavyweight champion. Spent the past 3 years re-establishing himself as a top heavyweight. Will always live in the shadow of his brother, but unlike Vitali, Wladimir has actually become the heavyweight champion. He is dominant but unliked due to a style that lacks aesthetic appeal even though the fight usually ends in a knockout victory)

7. George Foreman (He ended up being more than sideshow act. He stopped Moorer while having his ass handed to him to become Heavyweight champion again. Spent his entire career avoiding Larry Holmes and that included this portion of it. Had the monster of his early career fought like the man in his second, we'd be talking about George Foreman as a top 3 all-time heavyweight and whether or not he could've knocked Jack Johnson out)

8. Michael Moorer (First ever southpaw heavyweight champion. You never knew what fighter you'd get in the ring with Moorer, but after outjabbing Holyfield to become champion, he is famous for picking Foreman apart until two big right hands took the title from him. He beat all but the best of his era and could've done better if he wasn't an alcoholic. His worst fight was a 1rd KO loss to Tua when Moorer was past it.)

9. Hasim Rahman (Scored the lucky 1 punch shot against an unfocused Lennox Lewis. Lewis destroyed Rahman in the rematch and the previous victory over Lewis ruined Rahman's career. A young Rahman was a very good boxer-puncher who worked brilliantly behind his jab. He landed that one shot on Lewis and he tanked his career. But his chin also cost him dearly. Clearly beating Oleg, and Tua he got blasted out late. Took down the overrated Corrie Sanders, got screwed in two gift draws to Tua and Toney and made us suffer in against Holyfield and Ruiz).

10. Ike Ibeabuchi (The second of the two guys on this list that never wore the heavyweight crown. Ray Mercer and David Tua almost took this spot. But Mercer's best wins are Damiani and Morrsion, two horrific KOs but don't add up to Ike's. Tua has Ko wins over Rahman, Moorer, and Ruiz. But he was on the lossing end in the best heavyweight fight of this era, and the winner took this spot. Ibeabuchi had two memorable fights, his epic slugfest with the unstoppable (thought at the time) David Tua and much to the glee of Larry Merchant (who clearly didn't like Chris Byrd) stopped a young and talented Byrd right before Chris' career took off the next year. Not even the Klitschkos looked as good against Byrd as Ike did, and those two dominated Chris in 3 fights. Ike was a crazy **** and that cost him/us a great career, but like James Dean, what he gave us in a limited amount of time was something special, and like Dean he warrants a top 10 mention.)

[HeartAttack]

The beatdown that Tua received from Lewis is similar to the one Peter received from Vitali. The schooling that he received from Byrd was also a bit like the boxing lesson Vitali gave Peter...

You are overrating Ibeabuchi, he was never in against anybody really good except Byrd, who did well in round one but then made the mistake of staying on the ropes and exchanging punches with the slower Ike. Byrd learned from that fight and fought more cautiously afterwards.

As for stopping Hasim Rahman, Rahman was stopped by Oleg Maskaev twice, and Oleg was never really a world-class heavyweight. And John Ruiz changed his style to holding a lot after that KO loss to Tua.

Not true, Tua acutally gave Lewis (a better fighter than Vitali) a scare early and was iin it until Lennox figured him out and Tua got discouraged after eating big shots. And unlike Peter he didn't quit.

Not true, Byrd didn't do good in one round. He did ok. Your underrrating Ike, and I'm not sure why besides bias. Ike was fast they even mention that throughout the commentary of the fight. Ike worked the body and threw combos up and down, which is how the left uppercut/hook ala Morrison landed on Byrd.

The sole thing that Tua and Peter have in common is that they came in overweight in many big fights. But seriously they never fought anything like one another. Nothing close, nothing. When Tua got unoriginal he would throw one shot at a time, when Peter got going, he threw one shot at a time. Tua could and did get outboxed especially when he was overweight. But the two aren't even close to similar and if they fought now you'd see that. Especially if both came in under 240lbs.

[Johnny Rebel]

....and Vitali was clearly beating Lewis 4-2 on all 3 scorecards and would've KO'd Lewis for sure if the fight had continued. Vitali dominated and batterd Lewis into retirement. That's a FACT.

Lewis promised Vitali a rematch

Vitali destroyed Kirk Johnson in 2 rounds and the scared Lewis retired like a coward shortly after that fight.

Lewis turned down 25 million dollars for a rematch and retired like a scared coward because he knew Vitali would destroy him and tarnish his legacy.

That's also the reason I have to rank Vitali ahead of Lewis. I believe if both fighters came in properly prepared that Vitali is a better fighter as was visible in their fight, an unfortunate cut that might (it's inconclusive) have been caused by a headbutt saved Lewis that night.

I like Lewis but him not giving Vitali a rematch and then trying to coach Sanders and Williams on how to beat Vitali (as if he knew) made me lose respect for him...

[Dr. Ironfist]

Love Bhop fans who whine that Joe Calzaghe should have rematched hopkins instead of retiring and question the legitimacy of Joe's win over Bhop on here worship Lewis and defend him retiring instead of giving Vitali who wasnt beat, but rather cut, a rematch. What a joke. At least be consistent.

First off. Anyone who has Foreman on their top ten list needs to be banned. What a joke. Dude lost to Tommy Morrison. Wow, he had a lucky punch and became a short lived partial owner of the HW championship. Who cares. John Ruiz has a better resume over the last 20 years than Foreman. People anking Byrd over Wlad need to GTFO as well. I think Wlad proved that he is a lot better than Byrd. Wlad has better stats, fought better opponents, has a better record, was champion about 10x longer than Byrd...oh yeah and took two titles from Chris Byrd....If you have Byrd over Wlad...delete your account and start over. A large part of these lists are opinion, but I would like someone to debate me how Byrd is better than Wlad when Wlad has 2 wins over him, one before Byrd was 30, and the other when Byrd was in his mid 30's. Speaking of Byrd, do you know what is funny, he got KTFO'ed by Calzaghe in the amateurs.

The Real Top 10-

Vitali Klitschko- Unbeatable. No heavyweight would have odds against him. Never been knocked down, highest KO percentage. I love people who say, "well he is better because he had 4 years off." They are the same people who say "Ali would be so great if he didnt have 3 years off." Hmm...wouldnt that make him 3 years older? So the Ali who lost to Spinks would have been fighting Foreman and Frazier. Hmm...I think he gets KTFO'd in those three fights and without those wins his resume is garbage. Vitali has never finished a fight behind the scorecards. You can really only hope to cut him or that he injures himself punching in your face. Only way he can be beat. Greatest heavyweight of all time.

Lennox Lewis- A great HW. Has a strong resume, but unlike Vitali who takes on everyone, Lewis ducked the greats of his age. Even took money to step out of the way for HW fights. Best win is a TKO on cuts against Vitali. Then he retired. Lewis was training for a HW championship fight before fighting Vitali. Vitali was training for a fight against a journeyman. If you dont think you train differently for a HW championship fight or would prepare your body differently then you don't know boxing.

Wladimir Klitschko- The Purrity fight was a joke where Wlad had fought 4 times in 70 days and 10 times in a year and was exhausted. It was bad management to choose to fight Purrity as he is one of the hardest guys of all time to KO.

Rid**** Bowe- Great record. Could have been greater. Like Lewis did not fight the best fighters he could. he was a good champion though. Had his weight been kept in check he could have been an all time great. Instead he is in the middle of this list.

Evander Holyfield-hard not to put him on this list. The wins over Tyson and the fact that he would fight anyone just make it so you have to. Sheer longevity helps as well.

Iron Mike-Was a good fighter. Not a great, but a strong fighter, a good champion. Fell apart. A lost of his nuthuggers say it was about mental problems, but in fact he never could have been great. Way too small and in the era of giant heavyweights he never would ahve stood a chance

Andrew Golata- he was good, just had no heart.

Corrie Sanders- Was a great fighter. Not popular like a Tua or Ibeabuchi, but much much better

Chris Byrd

Herbie Hide

[KINGPIN4LIFE]

TOP TEN

Lennox Lewis
Vitali Klitschko
Evander Holyfield
Wladimir Klitschko
Rid**** Bowe
Mike Tyson
Ray Mercer
George Foreman
Chris Byrd
TIE: Razor Rudock/ Corrie Sanders/Phil Jackson (just cause he fought everyone and had some contreversial loses)

[BEEHOP]

Love Bhop fans who whine that Joe Calzaghe should have rematched hopkins instead of retiring and question the legitimacy of Joe's win over Bhop on here worship Lewis and defend him retiring instead of giving Vitali who wasnt beat, but rather cut, a rematch. What a joke. At least be consistent.

First off. Anyone who has Foreman on their top ten list needs to be banned. What a joke. Dude lost to Tommy Morrison. Wow, he had a lucky punch and became a short lived partial owner of the HW championship. Who cares. John Ruiz has a better resume over the last 20 years than Foreman. People anking Byrd over Wlad need to GTFO as well. I think Wlad proved that he is a lot better than Byrd. Wlad has better stats, fought better opponents, has a better record, was champion about 10x longer than Byrd...oh yeah and took two titles from Chris Byrd....If you have Byrd over Wlad...delete your account and start over. A large part of these lists are opinion, but I would like someone to debate me how Byrd is better than Wlad when Wlad has 2 wins over him, one before Byrd was 30, and the other when Byrd was in his mid 30's. Speaking of Byrd, do you know what is funny, he got KTFO'ed by Calzaghe in the amateurs.

The Real Top 10-

Vitali Klitschko- Unbeatable. No heavyweight would have odds against him. Never been knocked down, highest KO percentage. I love people who say, "well he is better because he had 4 years off." They are the same people who say "Ali would be so great if he didnt have 3 years off." Hmm...wouldnt that make him 3 years older? So the Ali who lost to Spinks would have been fighting Foreman and Frazier. Hmm...I think he gets KTFO'd in those three fights and without those wins his resume is garbage. Vitali has never finished a fight behind the scorecards. You can really only hope to cut him or that he injures himself punching in your face. Only way he can be beat. Greatest heavyweight of all time.

Lennox Lewis- A great HW. Has a strong resume, but unlike Vitali who takes on everyone, Lewis ducked the greats of his age. Even took money to step out of the way for HW fights. Best win is a TKO on cuts against Vitali. Then he retired. Lewis was training for a HW championship fight before fighting Vitali. Vitali was training for a fight against a journeyman. If you dont think you train differently for a HW championship fight or would prepare your body differently then you don't know boxing.

Wladimir Klitschko- The Purrity fight was a joke where Wlad had fought 4 times in 70 days and 10 times in a year and was exhausted. It was bad management to choose to fight Purrity as he is one of the hardest guys of all time to KO.

Rid**** Bowe- Great record. Could have been greater. Like Lewis did not fight the best fighters he could. he was a good champion though. Had his weight been kept in check he could have been an all time great. Instead he is in the middle of this list.

Evander Holyfield-hard not to put him on this list. The wins over Tyson and the fact that he would fight anyone just make it so you have to. Sheer longevity helps as well.

Iron Mike-Was a good fighter. Not a great, but a strong fighter, a good champion. Fell apart. A lost of his nuthuggers say it was about mental problems, but in fact he never could have been great. Way too small and in the era of giant heavyweights he never would ahve stood a chance

Andrew Golata- he was good, just had no heart.

Corrie Sanders- Was a great fighter. Not popular like a Tua or Ibeabuchi, but much much better

Chris Byrd

Herbie Hide

You think Vitali is unbeatable yet he's been tko'ed twice hmmm...

[BEEHOP]

That's also the reason I have to rank Vitali ahead of Lewis. I believe if both fighters came in properly prepared that Vitali is a better fighter as was visible in their fight, an unfortunate cut that might (it's inconclusive) have been caused by a headbutt saved Lewis that night.

I like Lewis but him not giving Vitali a rematch and then trying to coach Sanders and Williams on how to beat Vitali (as if he knew) made me lose respect for him...

Dude, Lewis won so there for he should be ranked higher (that and his amazing resume of course, even if he lost he'd still be ranked higher). Doing really well, but still losing is not a win so don't even try. I can make a way better argument that Bernard Hopkins beat Joe Calzahge than you ever could that Vitali beat Lewis, because LEWIS WON BY KO(TKO).

You type of fans are the worst, you like to make up "what ifs" just because you like a fighter more than another. The fact is that the worst version of Lennox handily beat Vitali into a bloody pulp (literally) and that's that. There's no need for a rematch when Lewis is nearly 40 and won by TKO.

[Dr. Ironfist]

You think Vitali is unbeatable yet he's been tko'ed twice hmmm...

Glad to know you dont watch the fights. Vitali was winning both fights when he got hurt. If a guy is running a mile long race and is way out in the lead but twists his ankle while running...did he really lose? Or did he just get hurt. Minus the injuries Vitali kills Byrd and Lewis. As I said the only way to beat him is to pray he hurts himself punching your face in or you hit him with the side of your glove and and cut him. You can't beat him by boxing.

[Shattered Jaw]

Dude, having a weak body (easily cut, bad shoulder etc) is the same as having a weak chin.... both physical disadvantges that can cost you the fight. At the end of the day Lewis TKOed him and he quit against Byrd. Nothing can change that.

[BEEHOP]

Glad to know you dont watch the fights. Vitali was winning both fights when he got hurt. If a guy is running a mile long race and is way out in the lead but twists his ankle while running...did he really lose? Or did he just get hurt. Minus the injuries Vitali kills Byrd and Lewis. As I said the only way to beat him is to pray he hurts himself punching your face in or you hit him with the side of your glove and and cut him. You can't beat him by boxing.

You sound very bitter that Lewis won and is better even at 37 than a PRIME VK. It's a shame really, that you are so ignorant to the FACTS.

I gotta agree with the above post, getting injured in a BOXING match is ALOT different than a marathon/race you idiot, you are trying to INJURY your opponent in a Boxing match not so much in a race. Then again you don't sound like the smartest so I'm wasting my time.

Prime Lewis beats Prime VK by KO, UD, TKO etc. He's better.