Greatest Heavyweights since Ali

[gmc_rfc_06]

Lennox in top spot.

Not just since Ali, I think head-to-head Lewis is the best of all time.

[Jay Volcano]

Mike Tyson and the Klitschkos.

[soul_survivor]

Don't let George's great story fool you.. He always came up short vs top tier guys,,, he just happened to luck out vs moorer, who isn't on my list either..
Dude lost to Holyfield, Morrison, was getting thoroughly outboxed by moorer till the ko..
I don't think the version of foreman in his 40s beats an early-mid 80s Witherspoon, nor do I think he beats mercer in the mid 90s..

Foreman has the world title run, so he wins in the resume department, but I think overall mercer and especially Witherspoon would be too much for George in a fight..


I'm basing my list on pure talent, skills, h2h and not so much on resume.. Buster Douglas won the lineal title from Tyson but I'm not going to rank him higher than tua, a guy who never won a belt but was a better fighter than buster..

Bowe has much better wins than wlad or vitali, and he was more skilled.. For a big guy, he had a beautiful inside game, something which neither klitchko possesses. Plus his wins over Holyfield, especially the first one, are far superior to any klitchko win...

Witherspoon was incredibly talented that got derailed by drugs and don king.. I would take Witherspoon over guys like tua, Rahman, Ruiz, Byrd, spinks

Mercer was one of the best fighters never to win a world title..(I'm not including WBO, at the time the wbo was not a major organization yet) mercer had some ups and downs in his career but when he was in his game, he could beat anyone

Foreman fought so much of his second career in his late 30s and 40s, the fact that he went the distance with everyone he lost, some guys 10-15 years younger than him, in the heavyweight division and the fact that a lot of those fights were close and he still managed to hurt his opponents just shows how good he was and how a prime Foreman would have flattened those fellas.

Holmes desverves to be on top of that list. He is maybe the best heavyweight of all time, even if you don't like it

I like Holmes and in the past had him higher than Holyfield but by studying this more in depth, look at the fighters skills, stamina, power, ability to adapt, opponents faced and quality of those opponents, Holyfield just about comes out on top.

I don't really do that anyway, but if you want to discredit Foreman (at 38+) for losing to overall really solid guys like Morrison and Holyfield, then I think you should be equally or even harder on Witherspoon for losing to guys like Pinklon Thomas, who was a decent fighter and gave Tyson a good fight in his day, and guys like Bonecrusher smith and of course larry holmes.

I think the heavyweight title that can be traced back to John L Sullivan, means more than one or two paper titles against limited opposition.

Maybe we are judging differently, because I'm basing my criteria on what they accomplished in the ring.

The WBO belt was not considered a world title by anyone in the 90s. Especially in the heavyweight division where it was given up by everyone who fought for it because it was meaningless.

It wasn't part of the 'big 4' because at the time there were only 3.

2 top posts!

Great thread mate, a very solid list with good explanations as to your choices of positioning. Hard to disagree with most of it but I personally might have switched a few around, but on the whole very good list.

Thanks man, in all honesty, there is so much room for argument within the top 5 or so guys, they were/are all exceptional.

Lennox in top spot.

Not just since Ali, I think head-to-head Lewis is the best of all time.

Lennox h2h may have a great chance but then again...he may not, it's all hypothetical but what's not hypothetical is a lack of a great chin and the inability to be dynamic and to really rough it up and go to war. Guys like Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Louis, Holmes, Holyfield could all outbox you but if they wanted to, they'd go to hell and back. Lewis had one gear: jab jab, hold, move, right hand, jab jab.

Yes he had a bit of menace in him, which he showed in his rematch with Rahman and in a couple other fights but that was a truly rare occurrence.

[Mitchell Kane]

The WBO title Mercer won was a legit title, a major one, no matter what your prejudices are.

I actually kind of sympathise with this viewpoint really.

Ray's best win was Morrison by KO who outboxed Foreman easily.

And his best performance was against Lennox in a very hard fought and even fight. An opponent who Foreman openly ducked and would have been nothing but target practice for and probably stopped him.

So yeah, not such an inappropriate position.

There was nothing major about the WBO title when Mercer won it.

Or even when Rid**** Bowe won it.

[Nay_Sayer]

Holmes should be #1...

[LacedUp]

There was nothing major about the WBO title when Mercer won it.

Or even when Rid**** Bowe won it.

Or when Wlad or Vitali won it.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Foreman fought so much of his second career in his late 30s and 40s, the fact that he went the distance with everyone he lost, some guys 10-15 years younger than him, in the heavyweight division and the fact that a lot of those fights were close and he still managed to hurt his opponents just shows how good he was and how a prime Foreman would have flattened those fellas.

.

Yeah prime Foreman was a monster, but he isn't eligible for the list.. Old foreman could be around 9 or 10.. I just don't think he will beat any truly elite heavy unless he lands a big punch..meh really only has a punchers chance vs top guys later in his career..

[LacedUp]

Yeah prime Foreman was a monster, but he isn't eligible for the list.. Old foreman could be around 9 or 10.. I just don't think he will beat any truly elite heavy unless he lands a big punch..meh really only has a punchers chance vs top guys later in his career..

For some reason I've always felt Mike Tyson would lose to old Foreman. I always thought it was a horrible match up for Mike.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

For some reason I've always felt Mike Tyson would lose to old Foreman. I always thought it was a horrible match up for Mike.

Yeah, can totally walk into a foreman bomb.. Especially a huge uppercut, followed by a huge right...
But mike did have a great chunk, a shot to pieces Tyson was able to eat Lennox Lewis' bombs for 8 rds.. A mid 90s mike might be able to last

Would have loved to seen that fight in late 95 or early 96

[Sugar Adam Ali]

I don't really do that anyway, but if you want to discredit Foreman (at 38+) for losing to overall really solid guys like Morrison and Holyfield, then I think you should be equally or even harder on Witherspoon for losing to guys like Pinklon Thomas, who was a decent fighter and gave Tyson a good fight in his day, and guys like Bonecrusher smith and of course larry holmes.

I think the heavyweight title that can be traced back to John L Sullivan, means more than one or two paper titles against limited opposition.

Maybe we are judging differently, because I'm basing my criteria on what they accomplished in the ring.

Like I said,,, I'm not using career achievements,,, I talking about h2h on their best nights,,,

Foremans best performance was a loss to Holyfield... I think a prime witherspoon, say the one that fought Holmes, would beat a 90s foreman..