Search results
People also ask
Who is the most feared heavyweight of all time?
Who has the best heavyweight record?
What are the two greatest heavyweight fights of all time?
Who is the tenth greatest heavyweight of all time?
Bill Caplan’s 20 greatest heavyweights. The big men of boxing made a comeback last year. From Deontay Wilder’s WBC title-winning victory to Tyson Fury’s monumental upset of long-reigning RING champ Wladimir Klitschko, the heavyweight division recaptured the public’s attention with an influx of new blood in 2016.
- Ring Digital Subscription - The Ring
Join our newsletter to get info about latest events and...
- From THE RING: The greatest heavyweight of all time
Sonny Liston was the best heavyweight in the world for five...
- Ring Digital Subscription - The Ring
- Mike Tyson
- Lennox Lewis
- Joe Frazier
- Rocky Marciano
- Jack Dempsey
- George Foreman
- Larry Holmes
- Jack Johnson
- Joe Louis
- Muhammad Ali
W: 50 (44 KOs), L: 6, N/C: 2 Best win: KO1 Michael Spinks (1988) His prime was a bit like ‘Iron Mike’ himself: short, sharp and explosive. Few fighters have had the menacing aura Tyson carried to the ring and while brutal punch power was his trademark, peak Tyson also boasted fast hands, a sneaky jab, head movement and a strong chin. It fell apart ...
W: 41 (32 KOs), L: 2, D: 1 Best win: W12 Evander Holyfield (1999) Beat every fighter he ever faced, avenging his two defeats plus the (ridiculous) draw he got in the first Holyfield fight. A tall, rangy, Olympic gold medallist with a pulverising jab, high ring IQ and KO power, British-born Lewis could be even higher on this list. Except that he was...
W: 32 (KOs 27), L: 4, D: 1 Best win: W15 Muhammad Ali (1971) A thunderous left hook, relentless work ethic and an awkward pressure-fighting style: ‘Smokin Joe’ was a force of nature. The first man to defeat Muhummad Ali, Frazier only lost to two men (Ali and George Foreman) despite fighting in the most competitive ever heavyweight era. The Philadel...
W: 49 (43 KOs), L: 0 Best win: KO1 Jersey Joe Walcott (1953) The ‘Brockton Blockbuster’ owns the most famous heavyweight record: 49-0. Critics point out that Marciano was small, clumsy and only made six title defences, mainly against ageing opponents. But Marciano did one thing really well: win. Possessing an uncanny ability to absorb punishment an...
W: 64 (53 KOs), L: 6, D: 9 Best win: KO3 Jess Willard (1919) Ferocious. The first boxer to set a million-dollar gate, Dempsey was the US superstar attraction of the 1920s with his savage fighting style, devastating power and rugged good looks. He was thrill-a-minute, exemplified by his fight with Luis Angel Firpo, where Dempsey knocked his opponent...
W: 76 (68 KOs), L: 5 Best win: KO2 Joe Frazier (1973) Arguably the division’s greatest puncher. Unarguably the division’s greatest comeback. Peak ‘Big George’ demolished unbeaten Frazier inside two rounds, then did the same to tough Ken Norton. But it’s his late-career comeback that sealed Foreman’s greatness. Aged 46 and pudgy and smiling, rather ...
W: 69 (44 KOs), L: 6 Best win: W15 Ken Norton (1978) The ‘Easton Assassin’ was, for a long stretch, the most underrated heavyweight champion. Following in Ali’s footsteps, Holmes could be as cold as Ali was charismatic – but he could fight. With a sublime jab, toughness and an elite boxing brain, Holmes was a terrific all-rounder. His numbers speak...
W: 72 (38 KOs), L: 11, D: 11, N/C: 3 Best win: KO15 James J Jeffries (1910) The first black heavyweight champion was a flamboyant, controversial character but in the ring he was a scientist. A master boxer, Johnson didn’t own the raw one-punch power of other heavyweight greats but he was a cunning defensive genius who knew how to land his own shots...
W: 66 (52 KOs), L: 3 Best win: KO1 Max Schmeling (1938) Stone-faced, unstoppable, with a jab that felt “like someone jammed an electric light bulb in your face” (said opponent James J Braddock). US legend Louis made a record 25 heavyweight title defences and only lost once in his prime: to Max Schmeling, who picked out a flaw in Louis’s technique. ...
W: 56 (37 KOs), L: 5 Best win: KO8 George Foreman (1974) Try to forget his social impact, good looks, quotes and even that unique fighting style that saw a 6ft 3in adonis float around the ring like a featherweight - his fists by his sides, daring you to hit him - what makes Ali the No 1 heavyweight ever is something far more concrete. Simply, he be...
Sonny Liston was the best heavyweight in the world for five years. His left hand – jab and hook – were beyond frightening. If he’d been allowed to fight for the championship when he deserved it, all those fights against Cleveland Williams, Eddie Machen and Zora Folley would have been successful title defenses.
- Muhammad Ali: Why is Ali number one? Simple: no heavyweight in history faced, let alone defeated, a trio of deadly greats like Liston, Frazier and Foreman.
- Joe Louis: Deadly power, astonishing timing and accuracy, and an amazing 25 defenses of the heavyweight crown make “The Brown Bomber” one of the greatest boxers who has ever lived, at any weight.
- Jack Johnson: Boxing’s first Black champion of the big men was remarkably quick, very hard to hit, and dangerous with either fist. Cunning and clever, “The Galveston Giant” didn’t just defeat his opponents, but often humiliated them with his skill, smarts and unceasing control of the ring.
- Harry Wills: Vastly underrated today, it’s easy to forget that for a time in the 1920’s “The Black Panther” was the best heavyweight in the world, and there was great demand for a showdown with official world champ Jack Dempsey, but it never came to be.
- Hardtack
- Muhammad Ali. Just call him "The Champ" Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, in Louisville Kentucky, was a globally recognized boxing legend and social activist.
- Joe Louis. Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981), best known as Joe Louis was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951.
- Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson, born on June 30, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York, emerged from a challenging upbringing to become one of the most influential figures in the sport of boxing.
- Rocky Marciano. Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969), best known as Rocky Marciano (), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956.
Apr 24, 2022 · A staggering 49-0 record — 43 of which by knockout — and counting wins over the likes of Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore, Marciano was among the most feared heavyweights of all time. Plus, he’s the only heavyweight world champion to have finished his career undefeated.
Mar 19, 2010 · From rising officially to Heavyweight in 1988 through the Rahman win in 1992, Holyfield remained as or among the best Heavyweights in the world for a remarkable fourteen years.
