Greatest Heavyweight Boxers of All Time

The Top Ten
1 Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. (January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer, activist, entertainer, poet, and philanthropist. Nicknamed The Greatest, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sporting figures of the 20th century, and is frequently ranked as the best heavyweight boxer and greatest athlete of the century.

Ali was a great boxer, but he did take some severe blows from Joe Frazier, who landed the most power punches on Ali of all the boxers.

Ali is the only fighter in the world who can be compared with any greatest skillful fighter... The most skillful and confident athlete in the world... He should be undefeated but unfortunately he didn't but cleaned his career by defeating all them who defeated him... I think after Ali, tyson is the only man ewho can be compared with any great fighter.. But tyson can't defeat Ali... This is 1000% assurity

He is probably the greatest. I was not a fan as I did not like his big mouth and putting down his opponents. I was always a Joe Frazier fan. Although he won 2 of the 3 bouts against Joe, he took some severe punishment from Joe. I enjoyed that!

2 Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title at 20 years, four months and 22 days old.

How can anyone say that Tyson would beat Ali when he couldn't even beat Holyfield? Ali would Throttle the little runt! Tyson lacks heart when faced with adversity in the ring. When has Tyson arose from a knockdown to win? The answer is NEVER! Ali, Foreman, Holmes, and even Buster Douglas have gotten up off the canvas to defeat their opponents. Heart is a major criteria for being considered an all-time great, something Iron "Bite" Tyson sorely lacked!

Tyson '85 - '89 was unstoppable. During that time, he easily had GoaT skills. No heavyweight from any era at any point would've beat Tyson when he was 20 - 23 yo. Period. After he got rid of Rooney it was all down hill though. D'amato's death hit Mike hard too. For whatever reasons, Tyson peaked early and burned out quick, but at his apex ('85 - '89) he was invincible and would've beaten anyone!

I gotta say tyson man... I agree 100 percent that rocky would kick alis ass.. But if not for don king, his original trainer custer or somebody his name? Anyway an women.. Yea oh an that muslim stuff I think mike would have went on to be the greatest but that's a lot of ifs.. So probably rocky

3 Joe Louis

For hardcore sports fans who know their stats, there is no correct answer besides Louis for the heavyweight GOAT, sans MAYBE for Muhammad Ali.

Joe Louis was heavyweight champion for 12 years between 1937 to 1949 and he made 25 successful defenses of his world title a record that still stands in 2017, 68 years after he retired.

Joe Louis was the best ever!
He had everything. He would beat every heavyweight who has ever fought...

4 Rocky Marciano

This man right here retired undefeated with a record of 49-0. While it might not be considered that impressive by the modern society, keep in mind that Marciano started in his late twenties and had a few disabilities that could have easily prevented him from becoming a professional boxer. However, Marciano used them to his advantage and began collecting knockouts like a farmer.

People forget that he beat Joe Louis. After the fight during an interview Louis stated he would not have been able to ever beat Marciano, even if he had his best fight. In doing the filming for the computerized match against Ali, the retired Marciano knocked Ali down, while Ali was unable to knock down Marciano. Ali lost several fights, Marciano lost none.

Undefeated and never ducked a fight or hid from anyone. Doesn't get the credit he deserves. Same can be said for Larry Holmes except for the one fixed loss. Tyson a joke. Don King would not let him fight forty or fifty something George Foreman. Should not be in the top 20.

5 George Foreman George Edward Foreman is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1969 to 1977, and from 1987 to 1997. Nicknamed "Big George", he is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist.

Foreman destroyed Frazier twice and punched himself out with Ali. Foreman beats Ali in rematch. Foreman also wins past 40. Ali couldn't do that

Phenomenal, if slightly brief prime, plus the gold standard for post-prime achievement. What's not up snuff?

6 Evander Holyfield

Very underrated fighter. Holyfied dominated the light heavyeight division for years, then moved up to heavyweight. There he dominated Tyson(twice) and defeated Douglas, Lewis, and Bowe which were all much bigger than he was. If anything he was arguably the toughest fighter in history.

He might not be the greatest heavyweight of all time but he dominated Tyson

7 Lennox Lewis

Did not lose to Tyson, did not lose to Holyfield, did not achieve less than they did, and didn't lose when it was his turn to face a top boxer, at a disadvantage. He won. We lost. Game over, mate.

Great boxer. I became a fan after seeing his absolute destruction of Razor Ruddock. Ruddock was clearly intimidated by Lewis going into the fight while Lewis was remarkably calm and focused. Lewis just ended Ruddock's career with some brutal blows. The same Ruddock who had done well against Tyson was ruthlessly brushed aside.

The last great heavyweight champion. Boxing hasn't been the same since him. For the record, he is not the best but I was a huge fan!

Here is my top ten:

1. Ali
2. J Louis
3. Rocky
4. Frazier
5. Tyson
6. Dempsey
7. L Lewis
8. Liston
9. Foreman
10. Holmes/Holyfield (the both deserve to be top 10)

8 Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier, nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He reigned as the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1970 to 1973, and as an amateur won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics.

Joe Frazier was an "every man" champion! The polar opposite of Ali in many ways... If not for Frazier's presence COULD there have been THE Ali we knew? Frazier connected with the established American dream... Solid, honest and hard working. Times were changing fast... Perhaps Smokin' Joe was THE "swan song" for boxing's simple, basic, primal social appeal.

My favorite boxer. Loved his style of boxing - aggressive, relentless, fearless, bobbing, weaving and moving forward. Won the most important fight ever - against Ali - to remain the sole undefeated heavyweight champ of the world. Bullied Ali into submission.

One of the greatest boxers, constantly moving forward and applying pressure. Won the bout of the century against Ali and became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

Used his left hook to torment Ali who had never taken such a beating from anyone else until then.

9 Larry Holmes

Holmes never got the credit he should have. Liston was much older when he was beat by then Clay than Ali was when beat by Holmes. No one thought Clay could beat Liston and when he did he said I'm the greatest and that stuck with him, Ali was a great promoter also. The way he moved he looked good in the ring. Ali was very tough also, he could take a lot of punches. Holmes never lost to stiffs and had to regain his title, he kept it longer than pretty much anyone ever did. Tyson had trouble against good boxers. Lewis was a great fighter but didn't have the size, neither did Rocky. Ali was the greatest but Holmes was the best ever! He needs to be moved up.

Poor Holmes, never gets credit. I prefer brawlers, but Holmes would probably surprise us in a elimination match between the greats of all time. That said, He did not fight big names when in the prime. When he fought Ali, Ali was old. When he fought Tyson, he was old.

10 Wladimir Klitschko

Come on Vladimir. Fight to eventually whoop Tyson fury. Only you can destroy this arrogant idiot. Train hard and Bury him. Please.

There was not enough competition for him to shine.

Kinda of impressed with skills at an old age.

The Contenders
11 Sonny Liston

Probably deserves the "great 'what if?'" speculation more than Tyson. Better wins, better dimensions, better excuses, and, oh yes, NEVER had a Cus D'Amato or the like, never mind losing him too soon.

He threw both fights against Ali. In the first fight, the official reason was his shoulder was ripped in the tendon, but his trainer later said: "The shoulder thing was BS."

In the second fight the "phantom punch" Liston clealy goes down but rolls down again and later said: "I threw the fight because of the Black Muslim."

He was a force, one of the best punchers, better than Joe Louis, George Foreman and Mike Tyson in a test by ESPN, and he could jump up and kick his hands when he held them up.

He was a legend, knocking out Floyd Patterson in 1 round twice for the Heavyweight championship.

One of the greats, and still the most intimidating.

12 Jack Dempsey

Jack was the first Boxing's box office attraction, and even cause Shelby, Montana to go out of business. His 1921 bout with George Carpentier became the biggest news story of the year, forget sports. To me he's the unofficial two time heavyweight champion, although he won the heavyweight champion officially once (1919 to 1926) and a true legendary boxer.
Its Joeysworld

Aggressive powerpuncher and the inventor behind the great defensive style of bobbing and weaving. A master of slips, weight transfers, still holds the record of highest first round KO percentage of any boxer

13 Jack Johnson
14 Roy Jones Jr. Roy Levesta Jones Jr. is an American former professional boxer, boxing commentator, boxing trainer, rapper, and actor who holds dual American and Russian citizenship.

He was a damn good boxer and a great man thanks for your time in the ring

15 Vitali Klitschko

Arguably, better than Lewis. Outpointing Lewis before injury stoppage in their fight, but he lost to good fighters while Lewis lost to average ones.

16 Tyson Fury
17 Ezzard Charles
18 Gene Tunney
19 Anthony Joshua
20 James J. Jeffries

Was the undisputed, unrefuted GOAT, in his day, with a packed win ledger full of champions. Deserved what happened to him against Jack Johnson, but it still said as much about his ability as Ali's fight with Larry Holmes said about his.

Beat everyone of his day, a tank of a man, with a right hand to back it up

21 Floyd Patterson
22 Tim Witherspoon
23 Jim Corbett
24 Max Schmeling

The only man to beat a prime Joe Louis, a fine technical boxer with decent punching power.

25 Sam Langford

He can stand next to Harry Wills as the most underrated heavyweight of all time. While Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey were ducking them, they both were doing all the real work, and in the end, side by side, their win ledgers look much, much more like they were the champions.

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