ESPN.com: Top 10 Heavyweights

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband...ategoryId=2491554&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab7pos1 (video links)

This is their order:

No. 1: Joe Louis
No. 2: Muhammad Ali
No. 3: Jack Dempsey
No. 4: Jack Johnson
No. 5: Gene Tunney
No. 6: Rocky Marciano
No. 7: Ezzard Charles
No. 8: George Foreman
No. 9: Joe Frazier
No. 10: Larry Holmes

 

That honestly has to be the worst list Ive ever seen.

 

Not even close. Do you remember Tracy Callis' list with James Jeffries at #1? :: :laughing:

 

It's pretty bad.

 

Terrible List.

Ali should be #1, but even I can accept an argument for having Louis at the top spot...but...

Dempsey at 3 and ahead of Marciano?
Ezzard Charles?
No Holyfield, Tyson or Lewis?
But you have Frazier...and he's ahead of Holmes?


Madness.

 

The DEFINITIVE top 10 Heavyweight list is as follows:

1. Ali
2. Louis
3. Holmes
4. Foreman
5. Johnson
6. Holyfield
7. Lewis
8. Marciano
9. Tyson
10.Dempsey

 

JESUS!:eeeek:

 

First observation: you've misplaced Holyfield.

 

I'd have holmes higher, but otherwise, I don't think the list is that bad.

 

Why is Charles in the top 10???

 

Ezzard was one of the all time greatest fighters ever, that fact is undisputed.
But Charles was not one of the all time gretest heavyweights ever, not in my opinion, he wasn't.

 

holmes is the best heavyweight i've seen.

 

lewis should be ahead of holmes on any list....

 

While I have Holmes in the top 3 or 4, he does get BADLY overrated by some.

Also, I'm pretty sure that's just Bert Sugar's list. He had Ali at #1, Dempsey at #3 and Charles at #7. I can't imagine anyone else doing that.

 

I've never heard a good reason why lose-a-lot Dempsey should be ranked higher than Tunney.

 

7 year reign, 6 title defenses vs 2 year reign, 2 title defenses? :dunno:

 

Not to mention even completely old faded Dempsey did knock Tunney the fuck out ... Tunney had a very very long count ..
The clip is on youtube if anyone wants to count how long Tunney was out .... WAY longer then a 10 count , I'll tell ya that ..

 

Tunney looked aware though.

I remember a pretty honest quote from him saying something like:

"I could've gotten up (if the count wasn't slow), but could I have survived the follow-up?"

 

Did Diego Corrales say the same thing?

 

I think Joe Frazier deserves a spot on the top 10.

He fought in the toughest era in heavyweight boxing history. Has wins over guys like Chuvalo, Bonavena, Quarry, Ellis and a clear victory over most people's # 1 choice, Muhammad Ali.

 

Joe Luis
Muhammad Ali
Larry Holmes
Rocky Marciano
Jack Johnson
Lennox Lewis
Joe Frazier
George Foreman
Jack Dempsey

I really have a hard time understanding NOT seeing any of those names in a top ten heavyweights list.

 

Who's your #10?

 

Something a lot like that one above.

 

You listed nine, I was asking who your #10 HW was.

 

Oh, I don't read every word at 8am.

Sonny Liston.

 

Yeah, the more I learn about Liston, the higher I think of him as a fighter.

 

My top 20:

1. Muhammad Ali
2. Joe Louis
3. Larry Holmes
4. Jack Johnson
5. Joe Frazier
6. Sonny Liston
7. George Foreman
8. Evander Holyfield
9. Rocky Marciano
10. Lennox Lewis
11. Jack Dempsey
12. Mike Tyson
13. Ezzard Charles
14. Jersey Joe Walcott
15. Max Schmelling
16. Jim Jeffries
17. Gene Tunney
18. Sam Langford
19. Riddick Bowe
20. Floyd Patterson

 

Apart from having Lennox Lewis too low IMO, this is the best list so far.

Ali
Louis
Holmes
Lewis
Johnson
Foreman
Holyfield
Tyson
Liston
Frazier

 

Someone has to explain Holyfield being in the top 10, and being above Lennox Lewis.

Holyfield was so clearly below the level of Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis that it hurts him in any discussion. Furthermore, his performances against badly aged champions like Foreman and Holmes does little to justify him against the greats.

Holyfield gets a ton of credit from me as a fighter, for moving up in weight (though there have long been rumors of how he did it) and becoming a great heavyweight and multiple-time champion, and for restructuring his style during his career, but I don't think that makes him a top ten heavyweight.

And while I don't factor this in to my ranking because it's simply my opinion, I also believe that if Holyfield fought Tyson before Tyson went to prison, given his style and size at the time, he would've been knocked out.

 

Good list