All-Time Heavyweight Tournament

[4Corners]

funny how the guy who made the thread put Wlad vs Tyson in the first round just so he could say no way would Wlad beat Tyson.
I tell you something: Tyson has only a small chance against either Klitschko.
the 4 top guys in this tournament are those who have both sick size and sick skills. and that would be Wlad, vitali, Lennox Lewis and Ali. (Ali being the only one without sick size, but he is still big)

I honestly wrote all the names on apiece of paper and ranked the top 20 using a neutral site (Cox' Corner), and the other 12, I went with my head. I had no idea a Klitschko would fight Tyson, serious.

I just don't see Wlad beating Tyson. It would be a war, and Wlad's stiff jab would trouble Iron Mike, but neither Klitschko has fought anyone remotely close to the top caliber of HW, aside from Vitali fighting a past prime Lewis.

I think Lennox Lewis, Jack Johnson, Evander Holyfield, and maybe Rid**** Bowe give a prime Ali the most trouble.

I like Vitali, who's by far the better Klitschko in my eyes. I had Vitali beating Frazier, most likely by KO, and fighting a tough decision with Holmes, probably controversial. I had no doubt that if the Klitschko's fought, Vitali would be victorious.

They are ATG HW fighters, it's sad that we didn;t get to see them maybe 10 years sooner, in Bowe, Lewis, Holyfield, Moorer, and that era.

[Casual_Fan]

funny how the guy who made the thread put Wlad vs Tyson in the first round just so he could say no way would Wlad beat Tyson.
I tell you something: Tyson has only a small chance against either Klitschko.
the 4 top guys in this tournament are those who have both sick size and sick skills. and that would be Wlad, vitali, Lennox Lewis and Ali. (Ali being the only one without sick size, but he is still big)

IMHO, the TS was fair in his analysis.


Regarding the older Klitschko:
Vitali does have the size, reach, strength and chin to make any of these fights interesting. Vitali / Foreman would have been an awesome fight to watch. Just think about the staredown! An arrogant young, undefeated Foreman with all the confidence in the world facing a stoic, taller, equally confident Vitali!

[D4thincarnation]

Two divisions in each part of the bracket, just like NCAA Tourny, single elimination. I went with the top 20 seeds by Cox's Corner seeding, I didn't like the ESPN rankings, and I didn't want to be bias in my seeding. The last 12, I seeded myself, so yeah.

Tell me who wins and play out the tournament, and if you want to, which match up you'd look forward to the most for each round, however it plays out for you. Each fighter is in their absolute prime, so not the Ali version that fought Frazier 3 times and Foreman, Ali from 1964-1967.

Bracket 1:
(1) Joe Louis vs. (16) John Ruiz
(8) Sam Langford vs. (9) James J. Corbett

(5) Mike Tyson vs. (12) Wladimir Klitschko
(4) Jim Jeffries vs. (13) Ken Norton

(6) Joe Frazier vs. (11) Vitali Klitschko
(3) Larry Holmes vs. (14) Michael Moorer

(7) Evander Holyfield vs. (10) Max Schmeling
(2) George Foreman vs. (15) Chris Byrd

Bracket 2:
(1) Muhammad Ali vs. (16) David Haye
(8) Gene Tunney vs. (9) Ezzard Charles

(5) Lennox Lewis vs. (12) Billy Conn
(4) Sonny Liston vs. (13) Max Baer

(6) Rocky Marciano vs. (11) Floyd Patterson
(3) Jack Dempsey vs. (14) Ernie Terrell

(7) Rid**** Bowe vs. (10) Joe Walcott
(2) Jack Johnson vs. (15) Ingemar Johansson

Forget this post.

[bojangles1987]

I would never pick Tyson to beat prime Larry Holmes.

If this tourney doesn't end up with Ali-Louis as the final, something went wrong IMO.

[raskat]

No Tunney in there, beat every fighter he fought.

Tunney is in there. u gotta read homie

[D4thincarnation]

Two divisions in each part of the bracket, just like NCAA Tourny, single elimination. I went with the top 20 seeds by Cox's Corner seeding, I didn't like the ESPN rankings, and I didn't want to be bias in my seeding. The last 12, I seeded myself, so yeah.

Tell me who wins and play out the tournament, and if you want to, which match up you'd look forward to the most for each round, however it plays out for you. Each fighter is in their absolute prime, so not the Ali version that fought Frazier 3 times and Foreman, Ali from 1964-1967.

Bracket 1:
(1) Joe Louis vs. (16) John Ruiz
(8) Sam Langford vs. (9) James J. Corbett

(5) Mike Tyson vs. (12) Wladimir Klitschko
(4) Jim Jeffries vs. (13) Ken Norton

(6) Joe Frazier vs. (11) Vitali Klitschko
(3) Larry Holmes vs. (14) Michael Moorer

(7) Evander Holyfield vs. (10) Max Schmeling
(2) George Foreman vs. (15) Chris Byrd

Bracket 2:
(1) Muhammad Ali vs. (16) David Haye
(8) Gene Tunney vs. (9) Ezzard Charles

(5) Lennox Lewis vs. (12) Billy Conn
(4) Sonny Liston vs. (13) Max Baer

(6) Rocky Marciano vs. (11) Floyd Patterson
(3) Jack Dempsey vs. (14) Ernie Terrell

(7) Rid**** Bowe vs. (10) Joe Walcott
(2) Jack Johnson vs. (15) Ingemar Johansson

Round 1 winners

Louis
Langford
Tyson
Jeffries
Klitschko
Holmes
Holyfield
Foreman

Ali
Charles
Lewis
Liston
Marcianno
Demspey
Bowe
Johnson

[D4thincarnation]

Round 1 winners

Louis
Langford

Tyson
Jeffries

Klitschko
Holmes

Holyfield
Foreman

Ali
Charles

Lewis
Liston

Marcianno
Demspey

Bowe
Johnson

Round 2 winners

Louis
Jeffries
Klitschko
Foreman

Ali
Lewis
Demspey
Johnson

[edgarg]

IMHO, the TS was fair in his analysis.


Regarding the older Klitschko:
Vitali does have the size, reach, strength and chin to make any of these fights interesting. Vitali / Foreman would have been an awesome fight to watch. Just think about the staredown! An arrogant young, undefeated Foreman with all the confidence in the world facing a stoic, taller, equally confident Vitali!

I really don't know who would win between the top rank, say top 6 of these fighters but if anyone knows ANYTHING at all about the old time fighters like Jeffries Dempsey and expecially Jack Johnson, they would kow that Dempsey could do eberything that Marcianio could do, but much better, andmore skillfully, Jeffries was much tugher than anyone on the whole list except Johnson, and if you guys think that Ali could outslick and outjab Johnson, well you just don't really know boxing....I mean down deep. Johnson could do everything that Ali could do, was as fast, a heavier punch, much tougher, NOTED for being able to pick off most punches in the air BEFORE landinh, not just dance away from them (which he could do too)....And Johnson was tough enough to fight 25-30 rds at top speed if he needed to.

With all due respects, the posts were a great read, (although someone pushed Billy Conn in there 170 lbs) the VERY top experts, like Charley Rose, Nat Fleischer, and several others who were most famous up to the mid 1970's who wrote on, and saw EVERYONE, placed Jack Johnson as #1 or 2 on their all time lists. d But of course, they never saw the Tyson, Klitschkos, Lewis, Holyfield, Bowe or Moorer, so WE have to decide about those fighters for them. But they ALL saw Liston and Ali at their best, and for a while after.

I can't see Ali beating a top shape Tyson, except the way Oscar "beat" Trinidad in the last 5 rds of their fight, If Henry Cooper and Sonny Banks can KD and daze Ali, then Tyson can eat him up. Remember we're talking about the VERY TOP Tyson, extremely fast, furious and a killer punch.

And if Jack Blackburn, who was the trainer who actually MADE Louis, bit by bit, could say that Johnson would-not could- beat Louis very easily, and could tell him exactly why........... well......

[uncle_ray]

Two divisions in each part of the bracket, just like NCAA Tourny, single elimination. I went with the top 20 seeds by Cox's Corner seeding, I didn't like the ESPN rankings, and I didn't want to be bias in my seeding. The last 12, I seeded myself, so yeah.

Tell me who wins and play out the tournament, and if you want to, which match up you'd look forward to the most for each round, however it plays out for you. Each fighter is in their absolute prime, so not the Ali version that fought Frazier 3 times and Foreman, Ali from 1964-1967.

Bracket 1:
(1) Joe Louis vs. (16) John Ruiz
(8) Sam Langford vs. (9) James J. Corbett

(5) Mike Tyson vs. (12) Wladimir Klitschko
(4) Jim Jeffries vs. (13) Ken Norton

(6) Joe Frazier vs. (11) Vitali Klitschko
(3) Larry Holmes vs. (14) Michael Moorer

(7) Evander Holyfield vs. (10) Max Schmeling
(2) George Foreman vs. (15) Chris Byrd

[I

]Bracket 2:[/I]
(1) Muhammad Ali vs. (16) David Haye
(8) Gene Tunney vs. (9) Ezzard Charles

(5) Lennox Lewis vs. (12) Billy Conn
(4) Sonny Liston vs. (13) Max Baer

(6) Rocky Marciano vs. (11) Floyd Patterson
(3) Jack Dempsey vs. (14) Ernie Terrell

(7) Rid**** Bowe vs. (10) Joe Walcott
(2) Jack Johnson vs. (15) Ingemar Johansson

WHY THE F--K IS JOHN RUIZ ON THIS LIST??


Also i say joe louis probably takes this down without going thru each matchup

final four

LOUIS-HOLMES
LEWIS-BOWE or DEMPSEY...tough call on that one

[4Corners]

I really don't know who would win between the top rank, say top 6 of these fighters but if anyone knows ANYTHING at all about the old time fighters like Jeffries Dempsey and expecially Jack Johnson, they would kow that Dempsey could do eberything that Marcianio could do, but much better, andmore skillfully, Jeffries was much tugher than anyone on the whole list except Johnson, and if you guys think that Ali could outslick and outjab Johnson, well you just don't really know boxing....I mean down deep. Johnson could do everything that Ali could do, was as fast, a heavier punch, much tougher, NOTED for being able to pick off most punches in the air BEFORE landinh, not just dance away from them (which he could do too)....And Johnson was tough enough to fight 25-30 rds at top speed if he needed to.

With all due respects, the posts were a great read, (although someone pushed Billy Conn in there 170 lbs) the VERY top experts, like Charley Rose, Nat Fleischer, and several others who were most famous up to the mid 1970's who wrote on, and saw EVERYONE, placed Jack Johnson as #1 or 2 on their all time lists. d But of course, they never saw the Tyson, Klitschkos, Lewis, Holyfield, Bowe or Moorer, so WE have to decide about those fighters for them. But they ALL saw Liston and Ali at their best, and for a while after.

I can't see Ali beating a top shape Tyson, except the way Oscar "beat" Trinidad in the last 5 rds of their fight, If Henry Cooper and Sonny Banks can KD and daze Ali, then Tyson can eat him up. Remember we're talking about the VERY TOP Tyson, extremely fast, furious and a killer punch.

And if Jack Blackburn, who was the trainer who actually MADE Louis, bit by bit, could say that Johnson would-not could- beat Louis very easily, and could tell him exactly why........... well......

I agree, and i had Dempsey beating Marciano by the way.

My top 3 HW of all-time are Ali, Louis, and Johnson, any order.

Yes, Ali was KD by Banks in 62', but Ali was a young 20 and only a 2 year pro at that point. That has to be taken into consideration. Also, Ali had a flash KD against Cooper, while he was dominating fight and got caught clowing. He came back out and whooped Cooper, stopping the fight on cuts. I don't think Ali would clown against Louis, Tyson, etc. I wouldn't bet on anyone to beat a prime Ali (1964-1967), but it could happen, anything can.

Jack Johnson was a great fighter, and I had his fight with Ali really close, it'd be a chess match. Still, Ali's speed would prevail in my eyes. Yes, Johnsonw as quick, but was any HW ever more quick or elusive than Ali in his prime???? Johnson was close, but I have nto seen anyone was quick as him, and he could dance for all 15 rounds in his prime.

Ali-Lewis, Ali-Bowe, Ali-Johnson, Ali-Holyfield are all close fights for me.

Yes, Louis and Tysonw ould have chances to beat a prime Ali, but how would Joe keep up with Ali??? He wouldn't. Tyson had pretty good speed and was a devastating puncher. But, I have always thought that a prime Ali vs. a prime Tysonw ould be like Ali-Listin I in 64'. Both Tyson and Liston had similar weight, height, build, and styles, and the same intimidation factor as well. Tyson-Liston....that'd be a hell of a fight, I'd pick Tyson by KO.

But, I just think Tyson would break down physically and mentally after 6-7 rounds against Ali, who would dance all night in his prime, and who could take a punch (he took shots from Liston, Frazier, Foreman, Lyle, Shavers, some of the biggest punchers in history). Once Tyson found out he couldn't over power and kill Ali, it would be downhill, much like Tyson-Douglas, only Douglas isn't 1% the guy Ali was.

But, we never really know, because this is fantasy of course. Ali, Louis, Johnson, top 3 HW of all-time, based on what they did in their careers.