Greatest Heavyweight Boxer in their Prime

[rangercal]

I'm sure 90% of us would pick ALI as the best of all time OVERALL. But, who was at the highest peak during their Prime?

 

 

Some Notables I wanted to add , but couldn't due to 10 maximum Choices:

 

Jim Jeffries

Sonny Liston

Joe Frazier

Evander Holyfield

Riddick Bowe

[Rowand44]

I'm sure 90% of us would pick ALI as the best of all time OVERALL. But, who was at the highest peak during their Prime?

Some Notables I wanted to add , but couldn't due to 10 maximum Choices:

 

Jim Jeffries

Sonny Liston

Joe Frazier

Evander Holyfield

Riddick Bowe

Ali, and no offense to Lewis but he'd get his ass kicked by the others on this list in their primes.

Edited March 30, 2006 by Rowand44

[LDF]

oh man, this is going to be a fun thread to watch.

 

i love rocky, joe louis and people can pick sonny.

 

most will say ali is the best.

 

i don't know. you have to consider the old time fighters in the late 1800 like john l sullivan. the rules they fought were very different. can you imagine a 25 rounder with leather gloves not the pillows they used now. no fight call because of blood or injury. tough era to fight in.

[LosMediasBlancas]

Mike Tyson was the greatest at his peak.

[LosMediasBlancas]

hey no Leon Spinks or Ernie Shavers??

[Soxpranos]

Ali, was the best by far, in my opinion.

 

Holyfield takes 2nd all time based in my book.. guy just knew how to fight.

Edited March 30, 2006 by Soxpranos

[rangercal]

Mike Tyson was the greatest at his peak.

I belive his upper body was the strongest out of the list during his peak. I just don't know if he could have done the same damage to one of the heavyweights with great foot work. I think Mike (during his prime) would have been fatigued with someone like Louis or Ali.

[rangercal]

Ali, was the best by far, in my opinion.

 

Holyfield takes 2nd all time based in my book.. guy just knew how to fight.

Holyfield could fight. But he just wasn't among the best at D. The man took a beating most of his career.

[LosMediasBlancas]

I belive his upper body was the strongest out of the list during his peak. I just don't know if he could have done the same damage to one of the heavyweights with great foot work.  I think Mike (during his prime) would have been fatigued with someone like Louis or Ali.

 

Tyson had the most powerful punch of any heavyweight ever. Sure it might have taken him a while to tag Louis or Ali, but once he did, curtains.

[maggsmaggs]

Muhammad Ali was the best at his peak, but Tyson was a close second. If he was a little taller (maybe 2-3 inches taller) he would have been the best of all-time.

[Rowand44]

Tyson had the most powerful punch of any heavyweight ever. 

That he did, however, Ali would have outsmarted Mike and tired the guy out.

[Rowand44]

Holyfield could fight. But he just wasn't among the best at D. The man took a beating most of  his career.

Ya, Evander is down on my all time great list.

[rangercal]

That he did, however, Ali would have outsmarted Mike and tired the guy out.

That's exactly how I feel.

[Soxpranos]

Holyfield could fight. But he just wasn't among the best at D. The man took a beating most of  his career.

 

Thats why its called boxing.. still beat up guys allot bigger than him... did not have the height or weight in all his heavyweight fights and still kicked ass. Prob.. the smartest next to Ali.

[Guest JimH]

Ali is quoted as saying the following about his opponents:

 

Scariest: Sonny Liston

 

Most Skilled: Floyd Patterson

 

Best punch: George Foreman

 

Toughest: Joe Frazier

 

The reason Ali had trouble with Frazier is because Frazier stayed on top of him and was shorter, plus he worked to the body and had the great left hook. Ali's quickness and ring smarts were able to get the best of taller guys like Foreman and Liston, but guys who fought on the inside and had good left hooks gave Ali trouble. Frazier was one and Ken Norton was another.

 

Heavyweight boxing story ...

 

My dad tells of attending the heavyweight championship fight between Liston and Floyd Patterson, Sept. 1962 at old Comiskey. He had seats in the 2nd row in the right field lower deck.

 

Well, everyone kinda settled into their seats for the main event, and Liston destroys Patterson at about 2:00 of the first round ... a devastating KO.

 

Just as everyone is starting to file out, this well dressed guy and his even better dressed date come walking in ... they have seats in the front row. The guy is acting like a big shot because he's with this dolled up woman, he's got two big boxes of popcorn, binoculars around his neck, front row seats, etc.

 

Well, he's walking in looking for his seats and everybody starts telling him, "Hey man, forget it, fight's over". So this guy looks at the ring and sure enough the fight is already over.

 

So he flings the first box of popcorn over the wall and onto right field, yelling "mothaf***er, you mothaf***ers!" and then he throws the other box of popcorn and yells "You guys done fixed this fight! This fight is fixed!".

 

Well, everybody around him starts snickering as they're walking out and this guy is getting madder and madder. My dad is at the aisle watching all this with his co-worker and he tells the co-worker, "Let's wait, I wanna see if he heaves the binoculars".

 

The co-worker, just to rile this guy up, yells over to the him, "Hey! Hey man! This fight was fixed, didn't you know that?"

 

Sure enough, the guy takes the binoculars off, yells "You mothaf***ers, you lyin' mothaf***ers" and heave ho's the binoculars onto the right field grass.

[T R U]

Mike Tyson no question

[rangercal]

Thats why its called boxing.. still beat up guys allot bigger than him... did not have the height or weight in all his heavyweight fights and still kicked ass.  Prob.. the smartest next to Ali.

If he were so smart, he would have not taken a beating. You totally missed what I just said. Holyfield should have worked on his D. He would have been a lot better.

He had the most heart out of maybe anyone who ever boxed. But, that does not mean he is top 5 overall or even top 10. He could have been had he worked his all around game. He probably could have been more been a lot more successful the last five years of his career.

[Rowand44]

Good thread by the way ranger.

[Spiff]

You have to put Joe Louis, Marciano and Sugar Ray Robinson at the top (he's not even in the poll, but Larry Holmes is?). Louis was a tough S.O.B, and Marciano, though not as skilled, had the equalizer. He could duck, move, take punches, and then catch you with as powerful a punch as there's ever been. And it would be over.

 

Plus, Marciano never lost! 49-0-0. He took out Louis, Archie Moore (maybe the most skilled fighter ever), Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe Walcott; and that was back when boxing actually had good fighters. Nowadays it's garbage. Joe Louis would have wiped the floor with Evander Holyfield.

 

LDF is right on, and he's especially right to bring up Sullivan and the like. Back in the old days, they fought bare-knuckle and a round didn't end until somebody was knocked down. The fight didn't end until somebody couldn't continue.

 

Cassiuis Clay might be the most overrated athlete of all-time.

Edited March 31, 2006 by Spiff

[rangercal]

Good thread by the way ranger.

Thanks. I miss heavyweight boxing ( what we grew up with at least) I hope that russian guy is the real deal, so the class can make a climb again.

[Rowand44]

Thanks.  I miss heavyweight boxing ( what we grew up with at least)  I hope that russian guy is the real deal, so the class can make a climb again.

He's not.

[rangercal]

You have to put Joe Louis, Marciano and Sugar Ray Robinson at the top (he's not even in the poll, but Larry Holmes is?).  Louis was a tough S.O.B, and Marciano, though not as skilled, had the equalizer.  He could duck, move, take punches, and then catch you with as powerful a punch as there's ever been.  And it would be over.

Plus, Marciano never lost! 49-0-0.  He took out Louis, Archie Moore (maybe the most skilled fighter ever), Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe Walcott; and that was back when boxing actually had good fighters.  Nowadays it's garbage.  Joe Louis would have wiped the floor with Evander Holyfield.

 

LDF is right on, and he's especially right to bring up Sullivan and the like.  Back in the old days, they fought bare-knuckle and a round didn't end until somebody was knocked down.  The fight didn't end until somebody couldn't continue.

 

Cassiuis Clay might be the most overrated athlete of all-time.

Im not denying how good robinson was. One problem: He was not a heavyweight ( read the poll) he was a middle and welterweight.

[rangercal]

He's not.

yeah, I have to agree. It's a shame that no one seems even close to the top 10 guys of the 80's and 90's. Everybody's playing football or Basketball. That's the only logical reason I can come with.

[Spiff]

Im not denying how good robinson was.  One problem: He was not a heavyweight  ( read the poll)  he was a middle and welterweight.

 

haha oh yeah; brainfart.

 

whatever, i stand by everything else.

[ZoomSlowik]

Ali was untouchable before he was suspended for refusing to go to war.