Top 5 H2H Heavyweights of All Time

[Banko Villas]

Who do you consider to be the top 5 head-to-head best heavyweights of all time and based on what?

[juggernaut666]

1 . Vitali Klitchko . At 6'7 his biggest strength was ring IQ . That coupled with a awkward style ,power and underatted speed almost won him every rnd hes ever fought . Proven durability at 250 pounds he had a great ability to make an opponent pay when they missed punches and this was because he was that difficult to land a clean shot on . You would need certain attributes to defeat him.

2 . Mike Tyson. A perfect blend of speed and power ...Offense was his defense ohf master class counter punching under Cus and Rooney . Excellent combo puncher with near equal power in both hands .

A complete fighter who could knock you out at any point ,those who survived after rnd 5 usually were battered so bad (unless they held every rnd ) that Tyson couldve lost every rnd after and still won. Tyson under Rooney had only lost 8 rnds out of 135 .

3 . Anthony Joshua . A 6'6 240 plus titan ,and he showed that in only his 19th fight against Wlad Klitchko . Maybe the most all around skilled Super Heavyweight weve seen yet ,theres NOTHING easy about fighting a guy who possesses capabilities like he does . What seperates him by faris not just speed but his inside fighting abilities which dont let him soley rely on the jab like most 80 plus inch reachers .

Explosive punching ,abilitie to counter punch ,ring cutting and match jabs with anyone make him that dangerous . His cornerman combined will make him extremely difficult to topple . Unlike the others he is still new relative to being a pro ,hes THAT great ,you either cant see superior skills or are a hater not to include him as a top 5 H2H fighter.


4. Lennox Lewis .The fist true SHW that paved the way for modern refined skilled fighters. Lewis could do it all ,at his very best he could have defeated anyone under Steward . His ability to impose his 6'5 240/250 pound frame with the 83 inch jab in your face ,if you got by the jab he beat you up on the inside .

If he landed the over hand right it was usually lights out . His ring generalship when the fight went on was usually second to none bche knew how to adapt to someone very easily (i think Vitali would have got him ) .

5 Wlad Klitchko . The most technical of all the SHW's with great speed and power at 240 plus anyone has seen ,his ring IQ was second to none and possessing arguably the best jab in HW history ,certainly the strongest one with a lethal left hook coupled with a crushing straight right made him undefeated for over 10 years and only but a handful would have beat him if he came focused ( i had Lewis above bc BOTH had Steward at their best ,though Wlad recent fight was his best performance )

It took a fighter like Joshua to show how good the 6'6 giant actually was for MOST ppl. Wlad Klitchko would be a nightmare for most bc most would never get by his jab.


Every fighter has losses ,EVERY fighter will have at least a few sub par fights ,EVERY fighter has strengths and weaknesses . My top 5 are the top 5 wheather ppl will want to believe it or not if you take them at their best and ADD the actual REALITY of anyone trying to defeat them ,in any order ,this just happens to be mine at this time .

[boliodogs]

1st the young Ali before he was forced out of boxing for almost 4 years. He was never as fast or as good when he came back although he was still great.2nd a young Liston years before he won the title. Everyone was scared of him for good reason. He was already old and past prime when brave champion Paterson agreed to fight him. 3rd Vitali He was a giant boxer with great power, skill. stamina and an iron jaw. 4th Lennox Lewis. He has the record to prove his greatness. He avenged his only 2 losses. 5th Mike Tyson. He had a short prime but when he was in that prime he was a real monster. Joe Louis may have been unable to beat the best of the more recent heavyweights but he was still a great heavyweight so I'll make him 6th. Holyfield was very good but too many loses in his prime mare his record to make the top 5 heavyweights. He was a great cruiserweight. He beat Tyson twice but I don't think he could have beat the young Tyson at his best.

[Banko Villas]

Juggernaut, a shot Lewis defeated a prime Vitali. I always thought that Lewis was the clear number 1 heavyweight of all time? That resume of his is serious and even the pastprime Tyson he defeated was one of the best heavyweights at the time.

[TBear]

This is going to be good while it lasts.

[ghost94]

I'll give two no one has mentioned.

Rocky Marciano, relentless and a nuclear bomb for a right hand. For everything this man lacked in reach, hand-speed, skill or talent, he more than enough made up for in determination. If you ever have trouble describing what determination is, look at Rocky Marciano and he will forever be the definition. Rocky didn't need those things in the golden era of boxing when he fought the best, beat the best, never lost and wouldn't need them now.

Jack Dempsey, an aggressive slugger with killer instinct, seemingly born with it, great bobbing and weaving head movement and unbelievable power. Some may think that a man 6'1" and 190 pounds couldn't inflict damage on a larger man, but, you'd be wrong, Dempsey walked right through 6'6", 245 pound Jess Willard, the "Pottawatomie Giant" who knocked out an all-time great Jack Johnson. Willard also gave credit to Dempsey for delivering the hardest punch he had ever felt in his life. Jack Dempsey was a heavyweight you can't count out of any fight, any where in any era.

[Poppo168]

Juggernaut, a shot Lewis defeated a prime Vitali. I always thought that Lewis was the clear number 1 heavyweight of all time? That resume of his is serious and even the pastprime Tyson he defeated was one of the best heavyweights at the time.

Pretty much was gonna say this, Lewis looking out of shape and out of the ring for a year still beata prime Vitali.

[W1LL]

Looking at juggernaut666's list I can't tell if he's being serious or he's a hilarious wind up merchant. I'm not familiar with his posting style.

1.) Lennox Lewis
41-2-1 (32 KO), Height: 6'5, Weight: 245 lb., Reach: 84"
Best there's ever been, bar none. Could've done with more charisma and wins over a pro Riddick Bowe and a prime Mike Tyson. In his prime and on his game he beats any other Heavyweight from any other era. Beat every man he ever faced and his only losses were embarrassing lapses in concentration and/or lottery punches.

2.) Larry Holmes
69-6 (44 KO), Height: 6'3, Weight: 222 lb., Reach: 81"
A prime Holmes gives any Heavyweight boxer of any era a tough fight, beating the majority. As many have already said and continue to say, great technique and the best jab I have ever seen. All losses came post-prime.

3.) Tyson Fury
25-0 (18 KO), Height: 6'9, Weight: 260 lb., Reach: 85"
Tarnished his legacy through drugs, etc. Did end the reign of one of the most dominant Heavyweight champions of all time. Has an awkward, masterful boxing style combined with deceptive speed and great footwork. Would give anyone a tough fight. Can move higher up this list if he returns and regains his titles.

4.) Wladimir Klitschko
64-5 (53 KO), Height: 6'6, Weight: 245 lb., Reach: 81"
One of the most dominant Heavyweight champions of all time. Almost killed the division by making it uncompetetive for ten (10) years. Developed the most boringly effective, safety first boxing style which resulted in him hardly taking a punch. His legacy is hurt by boxing in a weak era.

5.) Muhammad Ali
56-5 (37 KO), Height: 6'3, Weight: 223 lb., Reach: 78"
Shook up the world and all that. Utilised a style which would not work in the modern era. Legacy is hurt by the 'Phantom Punch' and the glove cutting against Henry Cooper. His resume reads as a 'Who's Who' of great fighters from two (2) decades.

Honorable mention: Danny Williams
48-26-0-1 (36 KO), Height: 6'3, Weight: 259 lb., Reach: 79"
Humdilla. One of boxing's greatest fighters to have never won a world title. Won the British title while fighting with only one arm and went on to win the title outright two (2) times. Fell victim to some Ukrainian voodoo/good old cheating in his only World title challenge. Has been fighting for pay on the continent for years and many of his losses were actually wins.

[Banko Villas]

I think we all must agree that Lewis is the H2H best.

[g27region]

Lennox Lewis is my favorite heavyweight ever

For me, Fraizer > Ali. I know people won't agree with me

I love Tyson as a person, but he was overrated for me, he has the potential but not resume to back it up