The Greatest Heavyweight Boxers of All Time And each of these incredible heavyweights did that: from titanic punchers to dazzling boxers. But of course, there are some differences between both fighters. The only other heavyweights who have held The Ring magazine title twice are Floyd Patterson and Muhammad Ali. The fighters, listed chronologically, are John L. Sulllivan, James Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, James Jeffries, Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis, Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko. No iron mike?? He ended up beating the defending champion to clinch the world lightweight title. 17 Reasons why Jordan is greater than Lebron. Manny Pacquiao: One of the dominant boxers of his time, Pacquiao has won ten world titles in eight divisions and defeated such champions as Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar DeLaHoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Timothy Bradley, Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman. And they enabled him to vanquish, among others, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Gerry Cooney,Tim Witherspoon, Mike Weaver and Trevor Berbick. However, Louis was able to take revenge for this match after two years. The difference? All a fighter can do is dominate their own era and prove their greatness in their own time. Since then Im always trying to improve my skills, by finding and testing new strategies, and training methods. That allowed him to throw a powerful right cross without his opponents see it by moving his left glove off their eyes a split of the second before the cross lands. Because Joshua is much bigger and he is generations ahead of Ali. In other situations, he even used his left hook as a counter for right uppercuts or straights. 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 won the heavyweight belt in 1908 and become the first African American heavyweight boxing champion. Antonio Cervantes 69. Top 10 Light Heavyweights of All Time - The Grueling Truth Roy Jones Jr. vs. John Ruiz: 20th anniversary of the heavyweight fight Or Williams, Ellis and Folley. The mold of a perfect fighter. To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders, Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications, .css-n1h13z{color:black;color:#fff;}@media (prefers-color-scheme:dark){.css-n1h13z{color:#fff;}}Published14:07,30 August 2020 BST.css-qdg7d1{color:#72B97D;}@media (prefers-color-scheme:dark){.css-qdg7d1{color:#72B97D;}}| Last updated15:48,12 August 2021 BST. He was a very patient fighter who wasnt always taking the risk to finish his opponents off. That shows how adaptive and smart fighter Holyfield was in his prime which is the reason why he is one of the greatest ever. 'Bones' hasn't fought since picking up a controversial decision win over Dominick Reyes in . Sonny Liston (1953-1970, 50-4-0): 625.7, 3. Whether it was avenging his loss against Joe Frazier with two victories over his rival,taking the steam out of George Foreman at The Rumble in the Jungle or earning hard-fought wins over the rugged likes of Floyd Patterson and Ken Norton, Alis GOAT legacy resides on the heavyweight throne as the best. Lennox has to be top five easy! I agree, those two losses are crap. BoxRec ranked heavyweights, both past and present, and awarded each fighter with an overall score based on its points system. Biggest Boxing Knockouts in the heavyweight division? FOUR. He has no comeback ability. Tyson would have destroyed a peak Holmes. Today's big question Where does Tyson Fury rank among the best heavyweight boxers of all time? Lennox was most dangerous at a long distance where he can throw his right cross or uppercut with devastating power. But Marciano did one thing really well: win. Thats very similar to what Mike Tyson did when he was close to his opponents. Tyson should definitely be in the top 10. He is not the greatest because he wasnt a role model. Sorry. Karel Sys (1932-1954, 117-15-10): 115.4, 45. Haha he was falling all over the place, shaking his head like the little bitch that he was!! Accurate list! Joe Frazier (32-4-1, 27 KO) Joe Frazier had beaten many great opponents including Buster Mathis, Doug Jones and Muhammad Ali (once). He won the first one and was robbed by the judges in the third one. These were the titles bestowed to the greatest fighter in the Rocky movies, the heavyweight boxing champion of the world: Apollo Creed ( Carl Weathers ). And lame. Rocky Marciano 12. Honorable Mentions:Joe Jeannette, Jersey Joe Walcott, Max Schmeling, James J. Corbett, Max Baer, Jack Sharkey, Sam McVea,Peter Jackson, Evander Holyfield, Tom Sharkey, Floyd Patterson, Mike Tyson, Wladimir Klitschko, George Godfrey, John L. Sullivan, Johnny Risko. The only four-time heavyweight world champion in boxing history, Holyfields victory over Riddick Bowe and wins over Mike Tyson, in particular, more than illustrate his warrior footprint in the sport's lore. Smokin Joe was an absolute buzzsaw. For example, in the fight with Myke Tyson, he fought from a close distance, because he knew that Myke is very good at slipping jabs and long punches. The Top 25 Greatest Heavyweight Champions of All Time - Ranker But they, too, are among the greatest of all time, so thats not too shabby. This site is owned and operated by Dimitar Ivanov. Sonny Liston, Floyd Paterson (twice), Foreman, Frazier (twice), Norton (twice) and many more hall of famers around that. *golf clap*. Plus, he's the only heavyweight world champion to have finished his career undefeated. With a sublime jab, toughness and an elite boxing brain, Holmes was a terrific all-rounder. And Ali proved himself the best of them all. Top 15 All-Time Greatest Heavyweight Boxers (Style Breakdown) Tyson was not even the best of his era - Lost to Douglas, Holyfield TWICE, Lennox Lewis,Danny Williams and McBride.. Tyson NEVER beat anyone who beat him and Never came back when he was down in a fight . Very surprising. 4. I take Lennox Lewis by knockout in later rounds. 3. Thats important because sometimes the greatest boxer doesnt necessarilyneed to be able to beat everybody else. Greatest Heavyweight Boxers of All Time. Top 10 Best UFC Heavyweight Fighters Of All time..Welcome back to Sports Paradise, today on the channel we're going to be talking about the Top 10 Best UFC H. ESPN rates Fury as the best current heavyweight and one of the heaviest heavyweight boxers of all time with 126 kg in November 2021. Joe Louis: Deadly power, astonishing timing and accuracy, and an amazing 25 defenses of the heavyweight crown make The Brown Bomber one of the greatest boxers who has ever lived, at any weight. The 20 Greatest Athletes of all Time Ali finished his career with a 56-5 record with 37 KOs. 'Big' George, 71, won the world heavyweight championship repeatedly. The technique of that punch wasnt perfect at all, (every boxing coach will be shocked if he sees it), but that doesnt mean it wasnt effective. Louis 3. Pro boxing record: 23 wins (20 knockouts). As one of the world's greatest boxers of all time, Roberto Duran had 31 consecutive wins before he stepped into the ring with Ken Buchanan in 1972 for his first shot at the title. Which actually was a really effective strategy he beat both those guys. Well, at least Foremans hands. Hasim Rahman (1994-2014, 50-9-2): 115.1, 46. 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. Because of his style, Wladimir took much less damage during his career than Vitali. For example, Muhammad Ali is a much greater boxer than Anthony Joshua, because of his competition and the things he accomplished but I dont think that he is able to beat Joshua if they fought in their primes. And he was able to use it really effectively. Nationality: Japanese. Top 19 Heavyweights of all time - The Grueling Truth Today we rank the 20 greatest Heavyweights of all time, some on this list may surprise you while others may not. Defeating a 26-year-old Michael Moorer at the age of 45 back in November 1994 to once again be crowned as heavyweight champion demonstrated how a heavyweights power is the last to leave his hands. He had one of the best jabs in boxing history. Tyson never fought anyone in there prime or of any note before 1990. He reinvented himself over and over again. Johnson 12. Holmes was well old by then and took the fight with only a few weeks to train after a long lay off. Frazier above Foreman? Here, DAZN lists its 10 Best Heavyweights of All Time, in no particular order. Jack Dempsey: Fast, aggressive and powerful, The Manassa Mauler revolutionized boxing with his swarming, all-action style. He fought a total of 81 fights with 76 stunning wins. #8. Frazier was a very carefully managed fighter who could not win against power punchers. 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. It may well be that the best defense is a good offense, and Tyson had been an unstoppable force when coming forward, but he was lost when things didnt go his way. And as the other boxers tried to close the distance, Wladimir got into a clinch or headlocked them (which is much easier when fighting with shorter boxers). Signature technique: Right cross counter over the jab. His defense was just as impressive as his offensive skills. Jeffries 15. How can you leave him off. The 5 Fastest Boxers of All Time The Sporting Blog The best American pound for pound boxers right now, named and ranked, The best super-middleweights in the world, named and ranked, The best lightweight boxers in the world, named and ranked, The best British pound for pound boxers right now, named and ranked. No one better to learn from. Sonny Liston a brawler. The Ring magazine ranked him the No.53 of the 100 greatest punchers of all time. Rocky Marciano: With the highest knockout percentage of all heavyweight champions and boasting wins over such greats as Archie Moore, Jersey Joe Walcott, Joe Louis and Ezzard Charles, the undefeated "Brockton Blockbuster" proved himself a remarkable warrior. That way his opponents didnt see the punch at all. Foreman used his tremendous punching power so destroy his opponents body and to knock the wind out of them. TGT Tips! His joint record of defeating 21 boxers for the world heavyweight championship and winning 14 championship bouts was unbeaten for 35 years. Click Agree to accept our use of cookies or you can choose to opt out of our use of cookies by following the instructions in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice. Bonecrusher Smith happened WAY too early. He ducked Shavers, Lyle and even an old Sonny Liston. Riddick Bowe Signature technique:Lazy Jab -> Powerful cross to the head. Max Schmeling (1924-1948, 56-10-4): 183, 22. A fearsome puncher no doubt, but see Holyfield above. Literally knocking over tomato cans. Cleveland Williams (1951-1972, 80-13-1): 186.6, 21. Holyfield was only person fought well with tyson in his prime. Many . Possessing an uncanny ability to absorb punishment and keep coming until he landed his crushing right hand, Marciano never looked like an elite boxer but try telling that to all the men he pulverised in the ring. Defeating a 26-year-old Michael Moorer at the age of 45 back in November 1994 to once again be crowned as heavyweight champion demonstrated how a heavyweights power is the last to leave his hands. Not a bad list, but a few observations: Ive read a couple of bios and researched that era. 5. Mickey Walker 64. Tyson 10. Fury has made a case to be considered one of the best heavyweights ever, but just how good is he? Thats why it was hard for them to defend them. Youre the only one with sense. Tyson would have torn apart Holmes in any era. As did fights from the greatest of the greats, from Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali to Larry Holmes . Thats because he has knockout power, especially with his right hand, but he wasnt effective at all when he needed to fight at a close range. Worst list Ive ever seen Deontay Wilder (2008 - present, 42-1-1): 122.8, 39. Montreal is The Fight City. For your information, 38 isnt your prime, so yeah. He was very precise with this counter. Posted below are the top 50 heavyweight boxers of all time. Both equally as boring and predictable. Tyson is a video-game. And Jersey Joe Walcott, who made him look amateurish and dropped him at like 39 years of age. Mike Tyson was knocking people out! 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. Mike Tyson earn his stripes. Boxing: The 10 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time The 50 greatest heavyweights of all time have been named - GiveMeSport Vitali Klitschko (1996-2012, 45-2-0): 349.2, 11. Division-By-Division - The Greatest Fighters of All-Time - BoxRec Name: Naoya Inoue. That way it was really hard for them to catch him. Any ranking also shouldnt be about which boxer beats which in some fantasy fight. Tyson should be number 2 or 3. Evander Holyfield 7. Topics:.css-wpf514{color:#72B97D;}Mike Tyson, Boxing News, Boxing, Joe Louis, Lennox Lewis, muhammad ali, Wladimir Klitschko, Drake has made TWO mammoth bets on Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, fans think he's 'cursed' one of them, 'Hold my hands up!' Bob Foster was one of the best light heavyweight boxers of all time. New BKFC champ Alan Belcher makes promise: It's no problem to KO Muhammad Ali 2. When was Tyson ever able to overcome anyone who fought back? Cant make this list without Tyson and Holyfield. 18.. Go play somewhere else, child. He was using his left hand, mainly to throw some fast but light jabs, to keep his opponents away or to measure the distance for his right crosses or uppercuts. The 10 Best Boxers in the World Right Now, Ranked - Business Insider Roscoe Toles (1931-1950, 45-10-6): 140.1, 31. Holmes defeated famous boxers including Trevor Berbick, Tim Witherspoon, Leon Spinks, Ken Norton, Gerry Cooney, and even the legendary Muhammad Ali. That way he was nullifying the reach and height advantages of his opponents. With his 25 title defenses,Klitschko has one of the longest title reigns in the heavyweight division. Back in the day, Leonard was also part of "The Fabulous Four.". George Foreman. Top 10 Boxers Of All Time: According to many experts and historians, the top 10 boxers of all time are: Muhammad Ali: Ali is widely considered the greatest boxer of all time, he was not only a three-time heavyweight champion, but also a cultural icon and political activist. Anyone know Bernard Hopkins? Pure sweet science, master class boxing skills on display from Lewis across his brilliant career. During the whole fight, he stood his ground and waited for Myke to attack first so he can counter him. Tyson is in the top 5, hands down. Listons Jab-Cross wasnt the normal 1-2 (jab-cross) combination with light but quick jab and powerful right hand. Melio Bettina (1934-1948, 83-14-3): 189.5, 20. Lewis 7. Check out which of today's heavyweight fighters make our top 10. Never knew defeat. He was also a very intelligent boxer, who was able to adjust his style according to the different opponents. He was 61 tall, but his reach was really impressive (84 in). 11. George Foreman (1969-1997, 76-5-0): 233.3, 19. Ranking Explanation . Bruce Woodcock (1942-1950, 35-4-0): 119.3, 41. Cunning and clever, The Galveston Giant didnt just defeat his opponents, but often humiliated them with his skill, smarts and unceasing control of the ring. Both fighters liked to jab their opponent while circling to their left. Nearly none of his games lasted more than 15 rounds. Without a doubt for me. Are you guys kidding me? Even one punch was enough as long as it connects clean. Age: 29. Tyson would never beat Sonny Liston or Joe Frazier or Deontay Wilder for that matter. No. Ranking the 10 Best Fictional Boxers in History Apollo is hands down the greatest boxer in . If only Cus would have lived ten more years I think Tyson would be top 5. Final record: 66-3, with 52 knockouts. Required fields are marked *. 4. Tyson, maybe, but I have no issue with him being left off. Many boxers thoughtthat this makes him predictable and easy to deal with. There will be many famous names and some iconic fights, knockouts, and upsets. Amen!! Roberto Duran 8. Following in Alis footsteps, Holmes could be as cold as Ali was charismatic but he could fight. Pure sweet science, master class boxing skills on display from Lewis across his brilliant career. Holmes had been out of action 2 years and was 38. Lennox Lewis: Of all the legendary names to inhabit a heavyweight era in the 1990s that was one of the deepest in boxing history, Lewis might very well be its best and most complete fighter. Mike tyson in his prime was unstoppable. But that allowed him to cover much more distance and surprise his opponents (nobody was probably expecting a pro boxer to move that way). He has done it all from being a boxing sensation to enjoying a successful career as an actor and a rapper. Before he went to jail and before Cus DAmato died, he couldnt be touched. He was a longtime contender who fought ranked fighters regularly beginning in the mid-1970s. Wladimir Klitschko (1996-2017, 64-5-0): 537.5, 5. Dominant wins over Eddie Machen, George Chuvalo, Jimmy Ellis, Oscar Bonavena, Doug Jones, Bob Foster, Buster Mathis, Jerry Quarry and Joe Bugner prove the point. I agree with you. Marcel Thil 68. Naturally, heavyweights of the 1950s couldnt compete in-ring with giants like the Klitschko brothers. The legendary Joe Louis was named the best of the best across all eras of boxing, with BoxRec awarding the 'Brown Bomber' a whopping 1,012 points. Here, DAZN lists its 10 Best Heavyweights of All Time, in no particular order. Walcott. Maybe thats not the most exciting boxing style but its definitely really effective when it comes to winning, without taking much damage. Really? Sugar Ray Robinson 3. Robinson cannot beat a heavyweight. Also, this is a ranking of the greatest boxers and not of the best ones. Foreman, who in 1994 knocke Boxing record: Total fights - 22, Wins - 20, Wins by KO - 14, Losses - 1, Draw -1. & Lennox Lewis could? And against George Foreman, he was staying at the ropes blocking all punches for several rounds, gassing Foreman out so he can finish him later. Holyfield I choose him because hes very contemporary to MT) doesnt talk trash. Ruslan Chagaev (1997-2016, 34-3-1): 123.1, 38. Then he just waited for his opponents to take the bait, so he can counter them with a short lead hook to the head. But that way Ali was much more mobile and was able to see the punches better and to slip them. Boxing legends Rocky Marciano and Sonny Liston finished third and fourth respectively, with Lewis rounding off the top five. Go back and watch the Norton fight, even just round 15 if you dont have the time. The top 10 heavyweights of all time Matt Christie lists the history's finest heavyweights 1. Division-By-Division - The Greatest Fighters of All-Time As selected by The Ring magazine in various years. He could do no more than beat them but, perhaps wisely, he didnt wait to face any up-and-coming boxers! Famous fight:Jack Dempsey vs Jess Willard. A three-time world heavyweight champion, Lewis outpointed Evander Holyfield (essentially twice), laid Mike Tyson flat on his back via a devastating knockout and let Vitali Klitschko know that hes not to be messed with as part of his polished resume. Rocky Marciano 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. Ken Norton (1967-1981, 42-7-1): 135.2, 32. Dempsey was also developed great head movement, footwork and he was able to fight in both stances. And the shots you dont see hurt the most. From THE RING: The greatest heavyweight of all time Usually, its easier to counter the jab by slipping it inside (moving your head to your left) but Marciano was leaning to his right most of the time while he was fighting, so it was much natural for him to move his head to his right and slip the jab outside. No iron Mike on top of the list? They usually, stay at a mid-range, in position dangerous for both for them and for their opponents. And he had more power than Ali, especially with his jab. (Legal and Illegal Clinching). The order in which we presented the respective lists had no logic; we started with the middleweights, before going on to rank the bantamweights, light heavyweights, flyweights, featherweights, welterweights and, most recently, the lightweights but naturally, we saved for last the guys at the top of the beanstalk: the big men; the heavyweights. Ketchel had no business at heavyweight. But that was way easier to be said than done. Top 10 Best UFC Heavyweight Fighters Of All time.. - YouTube 1. Marciano was a classical infighter. 1. His duels with George Foreman (Rumble in the Jungle, 1974) and Joe Frazier (Thrilla in Manila . Shut the hell up! But its his late-career comeback that sealed Foremans greatness. Unarguably the divisions greatest comeback. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. The Top 10 Best Boxers of All Time - Players Bio You can see that in his fight against Joe Frazier. The top 25 greatest heavyweight fights of all time - Bolavip US Some sort of elaborate prank? Clarence Henry (1948-1954, 34-6-1): 167.9, 25. And he had a real power in his punches no matter what he was throwing. Few fighters have had the menacing aura Tyson carried to the ring and while brutal punch power was his trademark, peak Tyson also boasted fast hands, a sneaky jab, head movement and a strong chin. His 68 knockouts speak for themselves. Many cite this as a feat of Marciano. Tyson Furys second title defence a sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte followed his October trilogy rematch victory over Deontay Wilder and kicked off more discussion as to where he stands among the greatest heavyweights of all time.