Top 10 heavyweight boxers of all time
Top 10 heavyweight boxers of all time: It might be argued that Fury deserves to be ranked among the all-time greats in the heavyweight division, but just how good is he?
Tyson Fury’s second title defense, a sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte, followed his October trilogy rematch victory over Deontay Wilder and sparked additional discussion regarding his place among the greatest heavyweights of all time. The fight took place after Tyson Fury defeated Deontay Wilder in the trilogy rematch.
But is it too soon to put him in the same conversation as the very best performers of all time?
Heavyweights of the 21st century are frequently mocked for being a poor replica of the legendary figures of the 20th century, whose legacies have been preserved for posterity. However, there is no disputing that the current generation — a field that includes Wilder, Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, and more with Fury, the WBC and The Ring champion, sitting atop the heap — has generated the most intriguing stretch for the 200-pound-plus arena in a considerable amount of time.
We have compiled a list of the top 10 heavyweights of all time, with no specific order in mind. This means that this is not a rating from 1 to 10, but rather the ten individuals who, in the view of this writer, are worthy of consideration.
ROCKY MARCIANO
Marciano was one of the most fearsome heavyweights in the history of the sport. He amassed a record of 49-0, with 43 of those victories coming through knockout. His list of victims included boxing legends Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles, and Archie Moore.
In addition to this, he is the first heavyweight boxer to ever win the world title and end his career with a perfect record. Unless… well, maybe Tyson Fury has something to say about that. Possibly.
TYSON FURY
In the middle of his rising supremacy, Fury has elevated his pure boxing abilities to a pinnacle level by combining them with an underestimated punching power.
Both of these aspects of his fighting game have been on display in all three of his fights against Deontay Wilder, who is widely considered to be one of the most powerful punchers in the history of boxing, as well as in his unanimous decision points victory against Wladimir Klitschko.
With a record of 31-0-1, the only thing that is left for the reigning WBC and lineal world heavyweight champion, as well as the former unified world champion to do, is to snag indisputable glory as the icing on the cake. But, to tell you the truth, his career and the fact that he has triumphed over personal challenges along the way to this point already place him on our list of the best heavyweights of all time.
JOE LOUIS
Louis became firmly established as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time after defending his title a total of twenty-five times in a row. Louis’ hatred was directed in equal measure towards Max Baer, Max Schmeling, James J. Braddock, and Jersey Joe Walcott.
GEORGE FOREMAN
As an example of how dangerous Foreman was during his heyday, consider the fact that he knocked out Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in the second round of their fights. The fact that Mike Tyson was able to regain his heavyweight title by defeating Michael Moorer, who was 26 years old at the time of their fight in November 1994, at the age of 45, demonstrates that a heavyweight’s power is the last to leave his hands. At the very least, the hands of the foreman.
JOE FRAZIER.
The character “Smokin’ Joe” was a complete buzzsaw. Proof of this can be found in the “Fight of the Century,” which took place in March 1971 and resulted in Muhammad Ali suffering his first defeat. Ali needed opponents who could challenge him in order to become “The Greatest,” and Frazier was one of his top competitors.
LARRY HOLMES
Holmes was able to maintain his title as world heavyweight champion for an impressive eight years thanks to his sharp and penetrating jab. Along the road, he defeated boxing greats such as Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, and Muhammad Ali. It is impossible to ignore Holmes’ role in the history of heavyweight boxing.
MIKE TYSON
Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis were able to dominate Mike Tyson because they did not fear him and because they were able to bully him. But they, too, are considered to be some of the best performers of all time, so I guess that’s not too bad.
Take a look at how much fear Mike Tyson instilled in his opponents during his reign of terror in the middle the to late 1980s and early 1990s by delivering vicious punches to people like Trevor Berbick, Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, Frank Bruno, and Donovan Ruddock, to mention just a few. In more recent years, Deontay Wilder has proved his own formidable punching strength and magnificence, neither of which should be disregarded. He has successfully defended his title ten times in a row.
EVANDER HOLYFIELD
Holyfield is the only fighter in boxing history to win the heavyweight world championship four times. His victories over Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe, in particular, more than highlight his warrior mark in the sport’s lore.
LENNOX LEWIS
Lewis is a three-time world heavyweight champion, and as part of his impressive resume, he has knocked out Mike Tyson, outpointed Evander Holyfield, and let Vitali Klitschko know that he is not to be trifled with. Lewis also outpointed Evander Holyfield (essentially twice), and he laid Evander Holyfield flat on his back.
Lewis has displayed during his spectacular career boxing skills that are of the highest mastery level. Pure delicious science
MUHAMMAD ALI
Ali’s name is universally acknowledged as being among those of “The Greatest” heavyweights.
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, Ali’s GOAT legacy resides on the heavyweight throne as the best. Ali is considered the greatest of all time (GOAT) in the sport of boxing.