By Stafford Attzs - The most objective way to measure greatness in boxing is to consider only three criteria: Dominance, Quality of beaten opposition and significant achievement(s). They are also to be weighted in that order. If we agree on these criteria then we can minimize bias when evaluating the careers of great fighters.
Dominance is first because it shows that he is/was foremost among his peers in his generation. It proves that the fighter was consistent and not a brief flame. It proves that he was versatile and had a variety of top qualities; for to dominate, presumably for a respectable period of time over a number of title fights, he would have had to have triumphed over a variety of styles and abilities. He would have proven to not have been a fluke that only looks good on certain nights against certain fighters.
Dominance is the first sign of greatness.
Read on for the full list after the break, or discuss in our boxing forum
Quality of beaten opposition speaks for itself. Dominance by itself is meaningless if you haven’t fought and beaten the best in your era, and/or objectively good fighters when compared with other eras. A high quality of beaten opposition shows that the fighter in question has steak as well as sizzle. It takes a good man to beat good men consistently.
Significant achievements refer to records broken, unbelievable triumphs against the odds, winning when it matters most. It refers to earning a unique spot in history. This criterion speaks to the historical impact factor in the equation of greatness.
And so, with these criteria in mind, I shall share my all time Heavyweight Top 10
1. Muhammad Ali
He was dominant in his first reign, before politics took his title away and forced him into a retirement. Ali had arguably the highest level of beaten opposition of any other Heavyweight champion, only Lennox Lewis has an opposing argument in that regard. Ali had beaten (among others) Liston, Patterson, Terrell, Frazier, Ellis, Bonavena, Quarry, Lyle, Shavers, Norton, Foreman and Young. He was only the second man in history to regain the title. He was the only Heavyweight to win the linear title three times. The significant achievement of his career is that he came back from a forced retirement and went on to regain the title at age thirty two by stopping the then undefeated George Foreman who was at the peak of his powers, having stopped both Joe Frazier and Ken Norton. Ali remains, to this day, the only man to have ever stopped Foreman. With that and winning the title three times we have to agree that he must be the Greatest.
2. Joe Louis
No Heavyweight champion in history was more dominant that Joseph Louis Barrow, who history knows as the beloved “Brown Bomber” Joe Louis. His heavyweight reign lasted almost twelve years and consisted of a record 26 successive title defenses. If his quality of opposition was near that of Muhammad Ali, he would undoubtedly top this list, but that is where he falls ever so slightly short. He did beat many former champions such as Max Baer, Jack Sharkey, Schmeling, Carnera and a Future champion in Jersey Joe Walcott, but for every good name on his record he had three names that were mediocre at best. Nevertheless, dominance is dominance, and he beat the opposition that was available to him. His significant achievement was beating Max Schmeling in the rematch. Never before or since were the stakes higher for a prize fight. He wasn’t just fighting an opponent; he was defending the American ideals at the brink of World War II against Hitler’s champion who had knocked him out in their previous fight. The pressure couldn’t be greater, but when the time came to perform, he triumphed in spectacular fashion: knockout in the very first round. And such is his legend.
3. Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis is only the second bonafide heavyweight in history to have beaten every single professional opponent that he has ever faced (Marciano was the first and Tunney spent most of his career at Light Heavyweight). That is dominance and that is significance. Neither Ali nor Louis can make such a claim. He also boasts a resume of beaten opposition that rivals that of Muhammad Ali: Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Donovan “Razor” Ruddock, Vitali Klitschko, Golota, Tua, Mercer, Mcall, Morrison. The only thing that prevents him from having a higher spot is the fact that he was knocked out twice, in early rounds, while he was in his prime and this interrupted the continuity of his reign.
4. Mike Tyson
Many would be surprised to see Tyson so high on this list as such was his fall from grace in the latter part of his career. But we mustn’t forget that Tyson was one of the most dominant heavyweight champions in history. The heavyweight division was in a mess after the retirement of Muhammad Ali. There were three titlists since the early 80s, with no dominant titlist aside of IBF champion Larry Holmes who had lost by the time Tyson emerged on the scene. “Iron Mike” cleaned up the division. He unified the belts beating Berbick, Smith, Tucker and began a reign of terror. Holmes, Spinks and Thomas, former champions that had never been stopped before, were destroyed by Tyson. Tubbs fell, as did Bruno, Williams, Biggs. He was 37-0 before he would taste defeat and he was universally recognized as head and shoulder above his peers. His dominance cannot be questioned and neither can his opposition at the time for he fought the who’s who of the division. The late 80s belonged to Mike Tyson. He lost to Buster Douglas in the upset of the century but came back strong defeating Tillman, Alex Stewart and the dangerous Donovan Ruddock on two occasions. Of course a chance to regain the title was interrupted by his rape conviction but he did regain two thirds of the Heavyweight belt post incarceration which is itself a tremendous achievement. Tyson was the youngest ever fighter to win a version of the heavyweight title and the second youngest undisputed champion in history. If not for the many humbling losses at the end of his career as well the two fights with Evander Holyfield, he could have rivaled Ali for the top spot.
5. Larry Holmes
Larry Holmes was 48-0, displaying his dominance before suffering his first defeat at age 35 in a close decision loss to Michael Spinks. After winning the WBC Title from Ken Norton in June of 1978, he went on the set the record for the highest number of successive knockouts in title defenses with eight. Overall he defended his title a consecutive 20 times (second only to Joe Louis) and was the dominant heavyweight between the reigns of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. Arguably, he can be ranked ahead of Tyson based on these credentials but I choose to not do so because a) he never unified the titles and b) he never managed to regain them in three attempts,
6. George Foreman
George Foreman’s first reign as champion was short lived, with only two successful defenses, and his second reign wasn’t anything to be taken seriously, but he achieves the number six spot on this list because of three things. First, he became the oldest man to ever win the heavyweight crown, reclaiming it over 20 years after first winning win it, an absolutely incredible feat. Secondly, he destroyed two fighters who gave Ali fits showing his ability against quality opposition; he was the first man to defeat Joe Frazier (the first man to defeat Ali), wiping him out in just two rounds and followed that up by destroying Ken Norton. Thirdly he proved to be one of the hardest punching heavyweights that have ever lived, boasting a prodigious knockout ratio of 68 KOs in 76 wins which includes victories over Joe Frazier, Ken Norton and George Chuvalo.
7. Evander Holyfield
Holyfield and Foreman have somewhat interchangeable positions on this list but I place more weight on Foreman’s career primarily because of what he achieved in the 1990s. Make no mistake about it; there is an argument to be made for placing Evander higher. Holyfield boasts a high quality of beaten opposition including such names as Riddick Bowe, Mike Tyson, Ray Mercer, Michael Moorer, Pinklon Thomas and Michael Dokes and has won a version of the Heavyweight crown an unprecedented four times, including two linear/undisputed titles. Beating Mike Tyson for his third title in a fight where he was a heavy underdog is his signature achievement. He falls short, however in that he was not a particularly dominant heavyweight Champion, losing the title all too frequently after brief reigns.
8. Rocky Marciano
Marciano was the only undefeated Heavyweight champion. That speaks to both his dominance and his unique standing in history. He’s a great one. However, he ranks relatively low in this list because the quality of his beaten opposition was mediocre. While he did have wins over the great Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott, but both had seen better days by the time Marciano got to them. Also he defended his title just six times in three years. So although undefeated, I cannot justify placing him any higher on the list.
9. Wladimir Klitschko
His appearance here is probably a surprise to many. However, if we are being objective, and consider the criteria, he has earned his place. Contemporary fighters are often overlooked in such lists, and fighters whose style is often maligned are typically omitted entirely. Wladimir Klitschko falls into both categories, but as I said in the beginning, we must attempt to remove bias and stick to the criteria. Since winning the IBF title in 2006 he has successfully defended it fifteen times and in the process he has also added the WBA and the WBO titles. He has pretty much fought and defeated everyone there is to fight in the post Lennox Lewis era of Heavyweight boxing, with the obvious exception of his brother, Vitali Klitschko. He’s been a dominant champion, whether we like his style of fighting or not. He would be placed higher on the list if not for a couple of humiliating early KO defeats at the hands of mediocre fighters while still in his prime. Nevertheless his resume is impressive which such defeated names as Chris Byrd, Ray Mercer, Sam Peter, Hasim Rahman, and David Haye.
10. Jack Johnson
Johnson was the first ever black Heavyweight Champion. He was also a dominant champion having defended his title nine times over a seven year period. The White establishment in their attempt to remove him as champion threw every “hope” they could against him during that period to no avail. Johnson fought the best of his era and was dominant. The limited abilities of the opponents in his era as well as the fact that some of the bigger names on his resume were either formerly retired or much smaller fighters, prevents Johnson from being placed higher in the list.
And so ends the most objective Top 10 Heavyweight list that you will find. I look forward to your comments. Next up, using the same criteria, I’ll share the Top 10 Middleweight list.