Greatest ever Heavyweight Boxing Champion

H

happy_tiger

Well-known member
I'll give you the 6 best I have seen in footage or live and take your pick

1 Mohammad Ali
2 Rocky Marciano
3 Joe Louis
4 Joe Frazier
5 Mike Tyson
6 Larry Holmes

You can add someone different if you like

From the six i have picked if they all fought against each other first at the top of their games and you were left with the two best records in my opinion you would have Tyson and Ali left and Ali to beat Tyson Just my opinion What is your opinion ??
 
George Foreman is the glaring omission from your list. Destroyed Frazier twice and only got one shot at Ali where everything was stacked against him (Ali was still the deserving winner). I've never seen a more dangerous, stronger heavyweight. Foreman is much better than Tyson or Holmes (who whilst havng a good record was also fighting in an era where great boxers were light on). He should be number 2 at the very least. There is a reason why Ali never fought him again.

If you're going to include Larry Holmes you may as well through Lennox Lewis who only dropped fights when he got lazy and avenged his losses. Also the older Klitchko. Boxing is not as strong now obviously but he seems unbeatable at peak form.
 
@Yossarian said:
George Foreman is the glaring omission from your list. Destroyed Frazier twice and only got one shot at Ali where everything was stacked against him (Ali was still the deserving winner). I've never seen a more dangerous, stronger heavyweight. Foreman is much better than Tyson or Holmes (who whilst havng a good record was also fighting in an era where great boxers were light on). He should be number 2 at the very least. There is a reason why Ali never fought him again.

If you're going to include Larry Holmes you may as well through Lennox Lewis who only dropped fights when he got lazy and avenged his losses. Also the older Klitchko. Boxing is not as strong now obviously but he seems unbeatable at peak form.
Click to expand...

Well I don't really have a choice with Holmes When 3 of the 5 boxers on that DVD I mentioned in a previous thread reckon Holmes was the best I think he is a lay down misere
Foreman would of been 7th on the list I think Joe at his best would of taken Foreman as would of Joe Louis and Marciano due to greater speed
 
@happy tiger said:
@Yossarian said:
George Foreman is the glaring omission from your list. Destroyed Frazier twice and only got one shot at Ali where everything was stacked against him (Ali was still the deserving winner). I've never seen a more dangerous, stronger heavyweight. Foreman is much better than Tyson or Holmes (who whilst havng a good record was also fighting in an era where great boxers were light on). He should be number 2 at the very least. There is a reason why Ali never fought him again.

If you're going to include Larry Holmes you may as well through Lennox Lewis who only dropped fights when he got lazy and avenged his losses. Also the older Klitchko. Boxing is not as strong now obviously but he seems unbeatable at peak form.

Well I don't really have a choice with Holmes When 3 of the 5 boxers on that DVD I mentioned in a previous thread reckon Holmes was the best I think he is a lay down misere
Foreman would of been 7th on the list I think Joe at his best would of taken Foreman as would of Joe Louis and Marciano due to greater speed
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

At his best? He was undefeated undisputed champion when they fought in Kingston. And this was well before Manilla. Joe, for whatever reason, couldn't handle Foreman's brute strength. And remember George only lost twice in his original career and one of them was when he was clearly not in a fit state to fight (he retired straight afterwards). Then the man comes back in his 40s, beats Moorer, goes the distance with Holyfield, and wins the belt again.

When was the DVD made? Larry Holmes was a top fighter but he was fighting a lot of bums (think Marvis Frazier rather than Joe) and then got slaughtered by Tyson. He only really made a name by beating Ali when Ali should never have taken the fight and then was obsessed with getting to 50-0 but loses to the lesser Spinks brother… twice!! Look at the people he was beating though - Gerry [This word has been automatically removed]ey, Tim Witherspoon, Bonecrusher Smith, Leon Spinks - some decent fighters but hardly greats. Ken Norton was probably the only guy he beat in his prime who is worth getting excited about. Don't get me wrong, I think Holmes was a good fighter, just not one of the top 5 of all time and certainly not in George Foreman's league. George would have destroyed him.
 
I'm guessing then that some of the interviews were conducted when Holmes was in his prime (or just after). Well in any case I'd humbly disagree with their assessment!
 
You can add Dempsey, Tunney & Johnson to your list HappyTiger. Holyfield is a top 10 contender as well.

Hard to split Ali & Louis for greatest heavyweight.
 
@happy tiger said:
I'll give you the 6 best I have seen in footage or live and take your pick

1 Mohammad Ali
2 **Rocky Marciano**
3 Joe Louis
4 Joe Frazier
5 Mike Tyson
6 Larry Holmes

You can add someone different if you like

From the six i have picked if they all fought against each other first at the top of their games and you were left with the two best records in my opinion you would have Tyson and Ali left and Ali to beat Tyson Just my opinion What is your opinion ??
Click to expand...

Oh there they go. There they go, every time I start talkin 'bout boxing, a white man got to pull Rocky Marciano out their ass. That's their one, that's their one. Rocky Marciano. Rocky Marciano. Let me tell you something once and for all. Rocky Marciano was good, but compared to Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano ain't shit.
 
@Yossarian said:
I'm guessing then that some of the interviews were conducted when Holmes was in his prime (or just after). Well in any case I'd humbly disagree with their assessment!
Click to expand...

Holmes retired at the age of 37 in 1986
 
@happy tiger said:
@Yossarian said:
I'm guessing then that some of the interviews were conducted when Holmes was in his prime (or just after). Well in any case I'd humbly disagree with their assessment!

Holmes retired at the age of 37 in 1986
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

For the first time maybe! Although he was retired it might explain why Tyson was able to beat him so easily in 1988!!! :smiley:

He was actually still boxing in the 2000s
 
@Danos said:
You can add Dempsey, Tunney & Johnson to your list HappyTiger. Holyfield is a top 10 contender as well.

Hard to split Ali & Louis for greatest heavyweight.
Click to expand...

Holyfield should have stopped fighting 10 years ago at least. He's an embarrassment these days. Another good boxer but got shown up against Bowe and Lewis. Definitely not in my top 10 of all time.
 
@Yossarian said:
@Danos said:
You can add Dempsey, Tunney & Johnson to your list HappyTiger. Holyfield is a top 10 contender as well.

Hard to split Ali & Louis for greatest heavyweight.

Holyfield should have stopped fighting 10 years ago at least. He's an embarrassment these days. Another good boxer but got shown up against Bowe and Lewis. Definitely not in my top 10 of all time.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

I would rank Lennox Lewis above Holyfield to start with and Klistzcko
 
There's much more to a fighter than the win/loss column. Holyfield was one of the best conditioned fighters I have ever seen, while most heavyweight fade badly at the back end of fights, Holyfield seemingly grew faster and stronger as the fight pushed longer. Great chin, amazing heart - the amount of times he was able to rebound and win back rounds by taking the fight to his opponent when he was badly hurt and on the verge of defeat was ridiculous. Great fighters always improve in their rematches and he avenged losses to Bowe & Moorer. He was technically brilliant but could also slug it out with fighters much larger than him.

But each to their own, I can understand if you don't rate him. Klitchko's inclusion is questionable, I mean, he's dominated the division for the majority of the last decade but heavyweight boxing has been arguably at it lowest point in history during that time. I can't remember exactly but I recall him getting smashed a few times right after Lewis retired.
 
The heavyweight scene is a little out of my knowledge area….I wouldnt have Holyfield near the top, but gee, he's one of my favourite ever fighters. Shame he has continued to box well past his prime
 
@Juro said:
@happy tiger said:
I'll give you the 6 best I have seen in footage or live and take your pick

1 Mohammad Ali
2 **Rocky Marciano**
3 Joe Louis
4 Joe Frazier
5 Mike Tyson
6 Larry Holmes

You can add someone different if you like

From the six i have picked if they all fought against each other first at the top of their games and you were left with the two best records in my opinion you would have Tyson and Ali left and Ali to beat Tyson Just my opinion What is your opinion ??

Oh there they go. There they go, every time I start talkin 'bout boxing, a white man got to pull Rocky Marciano out their ass. That's their one, that's their one. Rocky Marciano. Rocky Marciano. Let me tell you something once and for all. Rocky Marciano was good, but compared to Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano ain't s***.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

He beat Joe Louis' ass…! :laughing:
 
gene tunney … should always be any top ten of all time imo.

Statistics
Real name James Joseph Tunney
Nickname(s) The Fighting Marine
Rated at Heavyweight
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Reach 77 in (196 cm)
Nationality American
Born May 25, 1897
New York City, New York
Died November 7, 1978 (aged 81)
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 86
Wins 81
Wins by KO 48
Losses 1
Draws 3
No contests 2

1 loss on 86 fights, beat jack dempsey twice and many other tough nuts at a time when the h'wght champ in boxing had real significance, much the same as the ali, frazier, foreman era. marciano ... no way !! would not do up ali's bootlaces
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 448 (members: 8, guests: 440)
Back
Top