ESPN.com: Top 10 Heavyweights

Joe Louis did. :doh: :dunno: :kick:

 

And what is that supposed to mean,............again, dumbass? Joe Louis did? Did what?

 

dsimon writes:

I am not nitpicking but Holy didn't even do his best work at heavy so the argument about prime would, if followed to its natural conclusion be that Holy fought what? one fight as a prime heavy? . Unless you think Bowe was really any good and I find tht debatable.

Shit in the day when people finally accepted Holy as a small heavy and not a blown up cruiser Moore, a real good small man, beat him! Holy beat Tyson what else is notable at heavy compared to Lewis? Lewis didn't just beat a Past it Holly he outclassed Holyfield and made it clear that no version of Holly belonged in the ring with him. Lewis also did the obligtory beating of Tyson and many more formidable fighters.... I'm just not feeling it Rubio.

Finally Lewis cleaned the division out to a point where it could be argued that the divisionis so weak today because Lewis wiped out the career of the prospects who might have ruled the roost. Holy never cleaned the division out, unless that means beating the diabetic and shot Buster Douglas up after his one shot of glory.

 

Joe Louis thought that Marciano was better than he ever was. George Foreman still thinks that Marciano is the greatest heavyweight of all time. Muhammad Ali repeatedly said that Rocky Marciano is the only champion before him that he wasn't sure he could beat.

You asked me if I thought Marciano would beat a prime Joe Louis. I replied that Joe Louis thought Marciano would have beaten him in his prime. :: :doh: :tease:

 

dsimon writes:

Agreed

 

Holyfield was the heavyweight Azumah Nelson. Lost a few fights, but tended to do better in rematches and benefited from the legnth of his career, rather than any particular period of absolute dominance.

I also think both fighters are overrated because of it. I tend to favour fighters who dominanted an era. Even if its just a couple of years, when you are unquestionably the best in the world and can maintain that over-time, that means something. Holyfield never satisfied this important criteria as far as I'm concerned.

 

That is outta respect dude. That is showing CLASS.

Do you really think that Muhammad Ali thought that he couldn't beat a guy who was 5 ft. 10 inches with a 67 inch reach and who weighed on his best day....190 pounds???

George Foreman woulda killed that guy,...you know it, I know it.....anyone who knows about boxing knows it.

Joe Louis would have been Rockeys best bet.....and in his prime, Joe woulda butchered Marciano.

Either grow a brain or get outta the "boxing forum posting business.'

 

Foreman was quoted (by the BBC, and later by other orgs, after the Tyson fight) as saying Lennox Lewis was the greatest heavyweight.

It doesn't end up determining anything...in part because they all have biases, some of which are known some maybe more obscure.

 

He nearly lost to the 188-pound Doug Jones and the 185-pound Henry Cooper. A lot of people argue that he should have. :doh: :tease:

 

Oh, I'm not arguing that George Foreman isn't a complete tool. When he was working for HBO, he always said that Lewis, Jones and De la Hoya were the greatest fighters of all time. A couple of years ago, he came out with a list of the greatest champions of all time, and Rocky Marciano was #1, pound-for-pound. ld:

 

Good post.

Regarding the last paragraph, that was Nigel Collins (whom lists both Holyfield and Tyson among his favorite recent fighters). He ranked Holyfield at #3 all-time on his HW list immediately after he beat Tyson the first time on this issue.




After Tyson lost to Lewis, Collins proclaimed that Tyson was never a great fighter even in his prime, because "he never beat a great fighter in his prime". It was in this issue.



In addition to the illogic behind the great fighter/prime thing, I found it funny how Collins sky-rocketed Holyfield's ranking to #3 all-time at HW for beating a guy whom wasn't great in the first place, according to Collins.

I wrote a letter to the Ring asking him to explain this.

They never printed the letter.

 

It's tough ranking fighters when they're still active. Everyone ranks Pacquiao #1 at 130, but he might lose to Marquez and Valero in back-to-back fights. Ranking fighters on an all-time basis is pretty fucked up to start with, but when you try to involve current fighters, it gets all messed up. Nat Fleischer was steadfast in not ranking Muhammad Ali among the top 10 heavyweights of all time; he was sure that Jim Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons were better. Basically, when ranking fighters, three things happen:

• Everyone nuthugs the musicians and athletes that were famous when they were in their teens.
• People who sell magazines have to overrate current fighters, so that their readers think that they're watching really good fighters.
• Complete retards will say that current fighters are better because of evolution.

 

.......

 

The best list in here.

:bears:

 

What a shit list.

Lewis number one?

::

:shit: :shit: :shit:

Look at Rubios's...he knows his stuff.

opcorn:

 

What the hell does this even mean? Only 2 people are better and if you put Holmes ahead of either of them, then and only then it becomes 'BADLY'?

Or do you just concede that you are part of the 'some' which makes a lot more sense?

 

It's easy to explain: It's bullshit.

 

Good post and I agree.

Holy lost more than a few, though.

 

:dunno: Why not?.. He fought everyone, beat everyone, and did it through perhaps the best era in heavyweight history, he's also a powerful, skillful, 250lb 6"6 behemoth who unlike Jess Willard, could FIGHT, and he'd dwarf those 70's midgets.

 

No comment on the 'best era' part, but I think Lewis can legitimately be put as high as you want, including #1.

 

People say that he would've beaten just about anyone. A LOT of people try to rank him above Joe Louis. I have no problem seeing him ranked as low as five or even six.

 

Prime Ali would've ropa-a-dope his ass silly, and prime George Foreman was no puny fella, he would've sent Lewis into a coma.

opcorn:

 

Well, because you say so, for one. You are to boxing history as Double L is to predicting fights.