Shut the hell up! They were both under six feet and 200 pounds. The first black heavyweight champion was a flamboyant, controversial character but in the ring he was a scientist. 2.1 Heavyweight (201 lbs+ - 91.18 kg+) 2.2 Cruiserweight (200 lbs - 90.72 kg) 2.3 Light heavyweight (175 lbs - 79.38 kg) . Johnson finished in third place in the minds of the media and historians. With so much raw talent you cannot help but wonder what he could have achieved if he had the training spirit of Manny Pacquiao. But he lost some of his desire before he retired. Another boxings greatest robberies. And when your biggest asset is desire, thats not good. Nikolay Valuev (1993-2009, 50-2-0): 233.4, 18. Boxing: The 10 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time His prime was a bit like Iron Mike himself: short, sharp and explosive. Marciano 4. Tyson took the title in a lackluster period after an admittedly STRONG early run but gave out fast. The Easton Assassin was, for a long stretch, the most underrated heavyweight champion. He was relentless and had a will of iron. At a very leisurely pace over the last couple of years, The Fight City has offered its own idiosyncratic rankings of the all-time greatest boxers in each of the eight traditional weight classes. Today I saw alacrity used correctly (perfectly, for that matter). So without further ado, here's the top 50 of all-time. Karel Sys (1932-1954, 117-15-10): 115.4, 45. Great rivalries make great fighters. When the going got tough, Tyson had problems. In 2005, Joe Louis was named the greatest heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization. The 10 Best Heavyweight Boxers In The World Right. He was the best ever up until his time. Certain champions touch an entire generation. Couldnt be hurt. But they were great. Lennox Lewis made the cut and Iron Mike didnt..laughable. As did fights from the greatest of the greats, from Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali to Larry Holmes . A 1987 version of Mike would have demolished him. But even if you take into account their overall careers, Id still give the edge to Foreman because of his comeback years. What fighter today would get in the ring in front of tens of thousands of people who hated his guts and literally wanted to kill him, and talk trash to the guy he was fighting and beat him? But hes also one of the toughest men to ever box (watch the Lyle and Moorer fights). Once upon a time, Pinklon Thomas was hailed as the next great champ who was going to save the heavyweight division from the boring and overrated Larry Holmes. But its his late-career comeback that sealed Foremans greatness. Note: This story appeared in the May 2017 issue of THE RING Magazine. Notable Wins: TKO6 over Rex Layne in 1954, MD over Bob Baker in 1956. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. The 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time 1 Sugar Ray Robinson 2 Henry Armstrong 3 Harry Greb 4 Jack Dempsey 5 Benny Leonard 6 Joe Louis 7 Mickey Walker 8 Sam Langford 9 Tony Canzoneri 10 Muhammad Ali 11 Joe Gans 12 Willie Pep 13 Jack Johnson 14 Barney Ross 15 Jimmy Wilde 16 Gene Tunney 17 Roberto Duran 18 Johnny Dundee 19 Rocky Marciano 20 Joe Walcott Best Heavyweight Boxers | Top Heavy Weight Boxer List - Ranker Tyson was the greatest six-round heavyweight of all time. Second, since we have chosen to rank fighters in one division only so we can spread the glory around, you will not see Gene Tunney, Ezzard Charles orSam Langford here, as they are on our list of the all-time best light heavyweights. Both fighters are full-sized heavyweights: Anderson is 6-foot-4, 247-plus pounds while Kossobutskiy is 6-3 . A staggering 49-0 record 43 of which by knockout and counting wins over the likes of Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore, Marciano was among the most feared heavyweights of all time. Best pure puncher who ever got in a ring. John Ruiz. But he never retired on his stool but stuck it out.. His loss to Lewis was a farce. One fight can go a long way toward defining a fighters legacy. I couldnt get tickets . Very impressive. Fiercely independent, Boxing News magazine strives to guide fight fans through the complicated boxing world with . Ray Mercer. BoxRec ranked heavyweights, both past and present, and awarded each fighter with an overall score based on its points system. Nobody ever got more out of what he had as a fighter than Marciano. He got up from that bomb McCall hit him with, and I still think the fight was stopped prematurely. Current heavyweight superstars Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder also made the top 50. The Tyson of the late 80s definitely belongs there. He wanted to end fights as quickly as possible. The poll evaluated 20 champions dating back to the dawn of gloved heavyweight championship fights. Stone-faced, unstoppable, with a jab that felt like someone jammed an electric light bulb in your face (said opponent James J Braddock). Arguably the divisions greatest puncher. However, we then have George Foreman and Mike Tyson way down on the list. Bruce Woodcock (1942-1950, 35-4-0): 119.3, 41. Except for Bowe, they werent in their prime when Evander beat them, but thats still an impressive accomplishment. When Louis first retired in 1948, he did so as champion with a 58-1 win-loss record. Most Notable win: St. Valentine's Day Massacre. He didnt mess with Foreman again after he beat him. Not to be mentioned is BS. Instead, a weighted average from the other panelists was assigned to their respective slots on their ballots. Frazier was a very carefully managed fighter who could not win against power punchers. Ali finished alone in first place in the rankings by media, matchmakers and historians. In 1951, at the end of Louiss storied ring career, A. J. Liebling wrote, Joe Louis looks like a champion and carries himself like a champion, and people will continue to call him champion as long as he lives.. Heavyweights Jared Anderson, Zhan Kossobutskiy to meet - ESPN Lennox Lewis would wear Mike down with a strong jab peppering his face, a powerful dynamite right uppercut at close range, and tying Mike up and leaning on him to weaken and debilitate him. Jack Johnson died on June 10, 1946, at the age of 68. Tyson never beat anyone great and he held the title for only three years. Mandatory Cr. Mike Tyson was the best fighter I ever saw. But so too is that fighters skill level within the context of his time. Muhammad Ali. Also, both loses clearly because he didnt take the fights as seriously as he should have, but when he did, he made quick work of both. Jack Johnson: Boxings first Black champion of the big men was remarkably quick, very hard to hit, and dangerous with either fist. His left hand jab and hook were beyond frightening. Pure sweet science, master class boxing skills on display from Lewis across his brilliant career. Larry Holmes (1973-2002, 69-6-0): 330.3, 13. 49-0! Larry Holmes: An awesome jab, a dangerous right hand, tremendous heart, and astonishing recuperative powers were among the attributes The Easton Assassin brought to the ring. Louis had everything. Joe Frazier 11. Instead, Ibeabuchi turned out to be just as crazy as he looked in the boxing ring and was sent to jail after being convicted of raping a call girl. Both ruined the division for a decade. Bob fought as a light heavyweight for the first part of his career, and even had a couple middleweight bouts. He fought in one of the best heavyweight eras and was clearly the best within it for a long time. Compared to Liston, Mike Tyson was a choirboy. Tyson better than Holmes? THATs reality, Tyson fans. Put symbolism aside for a moment. The same is true of Wladimir Klitschko (No. A one-dimensional fighter. The kind of power punching slugfest that defined heavyweight boxing in its heyday, the 1976 brawl between George Foreman and Ron Lyle was a fight with two boxers who wanted to prove. 17), and James Corbett (No. You could see the sudden halt in his leg. Johnson KO15 Jeffries. He was wildly popular. Sonny Liston: In the late 50s and early 60s Liston devastated the division with knockouts over Cleveland Williams, Nino Valdes, Roy Harris, Zora Folley and Eddie Machen, before taking the title from Floyd Patterson in 1962. Dont be a hater all your life! Evander Holyfield (1984-2011, 44-10-2): 357.7, 10. However there is no denying that the current crop a field that includes Wilder,Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk and more with WBC and The Ring champ Fury sitting top of the heap have produced the most exciting spell for the 200lbs+ realm in a long time. Holmes or V Klitschko never unified the title to become undisputed like the others. Posted below are the top 50 heavyweights of all time, according to fans. Your email address will not be published. Corbett was one of the first successful scientific fighters of the gloved era. 10) were separated by a total of 12 points. Wilbur's 100 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time: 90-81 3. The 100 Greatest Pound for Pound Boxers Of All Time Other considerations are involved. In his short prime, Tyson is a serious challenge for anyone. Letters may be edited for reasons of space and clarity. Thudding around the ring? Clarence Henry (1948-1954, 34-6-1): 167.9, 25. 6) edged out George Foreman (No. Wilbur's 100 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time: 60-51 6. Hed be too small for guys like Ali and Foreman. Theyve forgotten how good Louis was when he was young. Yeah, Holmes lost twice to Michael Spinks, while Tyson knocked out Spinks in 90 seconds. More, and better, accomplishments. No one could take him, bigger fighters were not given the room or the time to punch. Opponents went into the ring against Louis, Liston and Tyson in their prime fearing for their lives. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. And its hard to say that someone that has the highest knock out percentage and never lost isnt at least top two, or more likely number one. Floyd Patterson (1952-1972, 55-8-1): 321.5, 14. No one better to learn from. His second 10 was not much better. We saw the skill but we were ROBBED of the will, his future, and his full potential. Ali inspired the world. Holmes 8. Bob Baker (1949-1959, 51-16-1): 134.4, 34. no way. Some fighters were more feared than others. Tyson is a video-game. And Kevin McBride TKOd Tyson is SIX. He beat everyone and won all the belts. It fell apart too soon for the youngest ever heavyweight champ, whose life and career unravelled quickly - but in the 1980s Tyson tore through the division like nobody before or since. That nickname accurately described his fighting style. Must be Rocky Marciano, surely? Joe Frazier (1965-1981, 32-4-1): 340.3, 12. He was a natural counter puncher and rarely pressed the action so he had a reputation for making the hometown fighter look bad. What is clear is the amount of opponents Tyson overwhelmed with his devastating power. Also held a management role for Last Word on Sports Motorsport page. 1 spot as long as hes the one without the A. Thomas Hauser can be reached by email at [emailprotected] His most recent book A Hard World: An Inside Look at Another Year in Boxing was published by the University of Arkansas Press. The biggest myth ever.