Top 10 Heavyweights of All Time

1. Muhammad Ali
2. Joe Louis
3. Larry Holmes
4. Rocky Marciano
5. Sonny Liston (a bit of a controversial one here but he was almost as good a brawler as Rocky Marciano... only he was black... and those 2 losses to Muhammad Ali would go down as the only black dots on his career)
6. Mike Tyson (what he did in his prime was more than good enough for me... BACK IN THE 1980s)
7. Jack Johnson
8. George Foreman
9. Joe Frazier
10. Jersey Joe Walcott

Honourable mentions go out to Ezzard Charles and Gene Tunney (who only ever had one defeat... and beat Jack Dempsey twice... but everybody... including yours truly... talk more about Dempsey than Tunney). Also... I'll mention Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield just for the hell of it... BUT I SAY AGAIN... TYSON IN HIS PRIME WOULD HAVE KILLED THEM!!! Other honourable mentions include Max Baer, James J. Braddock, James J. Jeffries, James J. Corbett, John L. Sullivan, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Jerry Quarry and my personal favourite Heavyweight Boxer of all time RONALD DAVID "RON" LYLE! CHEERIO!

NOTE: This Top 10 isn't my perfect defined Heavyweight List... I expect criticism... and I may change it here and there but it'll stay put for now... I'm sorry Gerry Cooney fans!

1. Joe Louis
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Rocky Marciano
4. Larry Holmes
Top 4, any could be #1
5. Jack Dempsey
6. Jack Johnson
7. George Foreman
8. Sonny Liston
9. Joe Frazier
10. Gene Tunney
11. Lennox Lewis
12. Evander Holyfield
13. Ezzard Charles
14. Mike Tyson
15. Floyd Patterson
16. Jim Jeffries
17. Max Baer
18. Max Schmelling
19. Bob Fitzsimmons
20. Michael Spinks

lazabrien9 said:

This is what hurts Joe Louis,The Rock,&Larry Holmes.When you hld a title that long in the case of Louis & Holmes(12 years,7 years,Undefeated)It makes you question.Strength of competition.If you got some competition, your not going to hold no title 12 years.Your not going to go undefeated.I dont care what sport it is.Maybe once every blue moon.Marciano 49-0 1972 Dolphins 17-0.It happens but not often.When I look at Joe Louis record or the Rocks,they were great fighters dont get me wrong.Look at the fighters.Strength of competion.Look at Joe Louis,The Rock,even Larry Holmes how good would they have been in the 70's.Ali,Forman,Frazier,Quarry,Norton,Shavers.Bonavena.Liston was still hanging until his death.Strength of competition.Ali wasnt that dam good unless he was superior over the competition.If your superior over the competition it aint much competition.To be superior it takes excepitional skills.I dont see that in those 3.

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So you don't see skills in Louis, Holmes, or Marciano? They all were great fighters in bad era's. They all were the top dog in their era for years. Louis had the title for 11 years, that is a really long time. He defended his title 25 times in the time he was the champ. Holmes was champion 7.5 years until he lost a controversial and disputed decision to Michael Spinks, and was flat out robbed in the rematch. Holmes was past his prime for those fights, and he still won, the judges were just bribed or drinking. You seem to be blaming Louis, Marciano, and Holmes for being in a bad era, when really they had no control over it. Both Holmes and Marciano started their pro career at age 23, and peaked at around 29, then their ended peak around 32. They both had limited amerature fights, and didn't start boxing until they were around 19-20 years old. Look at how long Holmes lasted. He started his career in 1973, at age 23 going on 24. Holmes was born in 1949, and didn't start his pro debut until 1973, that is a long time. Holmes retired in 2002, at age 52, damn near 53. Holmes retired in 86, then came back completely ill trained and rusty to fight a peak Tyson with no warm ups, and got TKO'd in the 4th with 6 seconds left to go in the round. Then Holmes came back in 1991, and gave Ray Mercer a boxing lesson at age 42. Then in 1992, he fought a peak Evander Holyfield at age 43, and went the distance winning about 4-5 out of 12 rounds. After that in 1995, at age 46, he fought Olivar McCall, and lost by 1 point on 2 score cards, that was his 2nd title shot in his come back of the 90's. After the McCall fight, Holmes threw up after he got out of the ring. Then, in 1997, at age 48, Holmes lost yet ANOTHER controversial/disputed decision to Dane Brian Neilson. IN 1999 he fought and beat Mike Weaver (one of his title shot victims in the 80's) for the 2nd time. Then in 2000 at age 50, almost 51 he beat Bonecrusher Smith for the 2nd time (another one of his title victims in the 80's). Then in 2002, at age 52, very close to 53, Holmes fought and beat Butterbean very easily.

I'VE GOT MY TOP 10!

1. Muhammad Ali
2. Joe Louis
3. Rocky Marciano
4. Larry Holmes
5. Jack Dempsey
6. Jack Johnson
7. Sonny Liston
8. George Foreman
9. Joe Frazier
10. Mike Tyson

I think that's it... with Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, James J. Braddock, Max Baer, Gene Tunney, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, James J. Jeffries, "Gentleman" Jim Corbett, and so on and so forth following not too far behind (they probably round out to 20... with The Bellflower Bomber "Irish" Jerry Quarry at 21!

NOTE: I know I had a thread about Mike Tyson being overrated... and he is... but like I said... he'll make my Top 10 and probably would've been way too much for even Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis if all 3 were taking on each other in their prime!