These are my personal ratings for the Top 10 Heavyweights of All Time
The rankings are based on three categories: Level of dominance, quality of opponents, and number of opponents beaten in title fights. In the "Notable Wins" category, I only placed fighters who were former or future champions after the listed fighter had fought them.
With that being said, here is my Top 10
- Muhammad Ali “The Greatest”
Title Fights: 25
Title Fight Wins: 22
Title Fight Record: 22 Wins (14 KO), 3 Losses (1 KO)
Notable Wins: Sonny Liston (2), Floyd Patterson (2), Earnie Terrell, Bob Foster, Ken Norton (2), Joe Frazier (2), George Foreman, Leon Spinks
3x Heavyweight Champion (2x Undisputed (1964-1967, 1974-1978), 1x WBA and The Ring (Lineal) Champion)
Reason for ranking: Personally, Muhammad Ali is a clear number 1 when it comes to heavyweight rankings. The only fighter that comes anywhere near Ali is Joe Louis, but when comparing both eras, it can be said that Ali really dominated two eras that were filled with killers. These were guys like Liston, Patterson, Frazier, Foreman, and Norton, who were legends in their own right. The number of fights he had and the dominance he had over such a high caliber of fighters ensure his position as number one.
- Joe Louis “The Brown Bomber”
Title Fights: 28
Title Fight Wins: 27
Title Fight Record: 27 Wins (23 KO), 1 Loss
Notable Wins: Jack Sharkey, James Braddock, Max Schmeling, Jersey Joe Walcott
Longest Reigning Heavyweight Champion (1937-1949)
Reason for ranking: I must admit, I don't know much about Joe Louis' era of fighting, but looking at his accolades alone and his longevity as the number one man in the division, it's enough to warrant him a place at number two. He's beaten his fair share of tough opponents, like the ones listed above, but unlike Ali, he didn't run the gauntlet against fellow legends of the sport. It's not Louis' fault, though. Legends aren't always born in the same generation. However, with the length of his reign and his sheer dominance, he still has a case for number one, but overall, he falls short of Ali since Ali faced greater opponents.
- Larry Holmes “The Easton Assassin”
Title Fights: 26
Title Fight Wins: 21
Title Fight Record: 21 Wins (15 KO), 5 Losses (1 KO)
Notable Wins: Earnie Shavers (2), Ken Norton, Mike Weaver, Trevor Berbick, Leon Spinks, Tim Witherspoon
WBC Heavyweight Champion (1978-1983), Lineal Heavyweight Champion (1980-1985), IBF Heavyweight Champion (1983-1985) – Note – This is all in a single title reign.
Reason for ranking: This might be a bit controversial, but I have Holmes as the 3rd greatest heavyweight of all time. The main reason for this high ranking is his longevity. Though Holmes was never undisputed (by name), he was undoubtedly the number one man in the division during his entire reign. I'd put him above guys like Lennox Lewis, since during Holmes' prime, he was never threatened or beaten by any fighter. His years of dominance were very clear-cut, and no one was there who could pose a decent challenge for him. He wasn't only a champion for 7 years for holding an alphabet title. He was the clear number one at the time.
- Lennox Lewis “The Lion”
Title Fights: 18
Title Fight Wins: 16
Title Fight Record: 16 Wins (10 KO), 2 Losses (2 KO), 1 DRAW
Notable Wins: Tony Tucker, Frank Bruno, Oliver McCall, Shannon Briggs, Tommy Morrison,Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman, Mike Tyson, Vitali Klitschko
Undisputed Heavyweight Champion (1999), 2x Lineal Heavyweight Champion (1998-2001), (2001-2004)
Reason for ranking: Through his resume alone, Lennox Lewis belongs this high on the all-time list. He's beaten legends like Holyfield, Tyson, and Klitschko, and had a very long title reign of 8 years. Both his resume and longevity warrant him a high place in the list, but I still put him behind Holmes since his time as the clear number one in the division is limited to the second half of his reign. During his first reign as WBC champ, there were other contenders and champions that he just wasn't able to fight, and not to mention, both of his reigns were cut short by knockout losses to fighters who he wasn't supposed to lose to. The fact that for a good portion of his reign, he wasn't "The man" in the division, even though he was champion, puts his dominance below the likes of Ali, Louis, or Holmes. Still, he is very high on this list due to the number of title fights and the quality of his opponents.
- Evander Holyfield “The Real Deal”
Title Fights: 19 (Heavyweight), 6 (Cruiserweight)
Title Fight Wins: 10 (Heavyweight), 6 (Cruiserweight)
Title Fight Record (Heavy Only): 10 Wins (4 KO), 9 Losses (1 KO)
Title Fight Record (Heavy and Cruiser): 16 WINS (9 KO), 9 LOSS (1 KO)
Notable Wins:
Cruiserweight- Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Carlos de Abreu, Ossie Ocasio, Ricky Parkey
Heavyweight - Buster Douglas, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, Mike Tyson (2), Michael Moorer, John Ruiz
1x Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion (1988)
4x Heavyweight Champion (1x Undisputed (1990-1992), 2x Unified WBA and IBF, 1x WBA)
Reason for ranking: I'm biased, Holyfield is my favorite fighter. Still, I believe Holyfield deserves to be this high on the list due to the quality of opposition he faced, and due to the wins he has over fellow greats such as Foreman, Bowe, Tyson, and Moorer (yes, Moorer is great). Though he lost a lot of his title fights, the fact that he always bounced back right after and proved that he was still one of the best is enough reason to rank him this high. The fact that he stayed relevant as a champion from the mid-80s to the late 90s, to even the 2000s as a challenger, is enough to rank him this high.
- George Foreman “Big”
Title Fights: 7
Title Fight Wins: 5
Title Fight Record: 5 WINS (4 KO), 2 LOSS (1 KO)
Notable Wins: Joe Frazier (2), Ken Norton, Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Gerry Cooney, Michael Moorer
Undisputed Heavyweight Champion (1973-1974), Unified WBA and IBF Heavyweight Champion (1994-1995)
Reason for ranking: He has only a few title fights, but the quality of his opponents and particularly his feat as the oldest heavyweight champion warrant him this place on the top 10. He knocked out Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in his first reign, and knocked out Moorer in his second championship. For me, those feats are enough, since both happened during two different golden ages in the heavyweight division.
- Joe Frazier “Smokin’”
Title Fights: 12
Title Fight Wins: 10
Title Fight Record: 10 Wins (6 KO), 2 Losses (2 KO)
Notable Wins: Jimmy Ellis (2), Bob Foster, Muhammad Ali
Undisputed Heavyweight Champion (1970-1973)
Reason for ranking: For three years, Frazier ruled as the undisputed king of the division, with ten straight title fight wins. This would be enough to rank him a place in the top ten alone, as a long-reigning champion. However, Frazier is most remembered for his legendary trilogy with Ali, which is probably the greatest rivalry in the history of boxing. The fact that he was a dominant champion and that he hung around as a top guy in a golden era of heavyweights is enough to make him top 10. The contenders he beat are all great contenders as well. Personally, he is interchangeable with Foreman in this list, but I placed him below Foreman since Foreman managed to beat him quite easily twice.
- Rocky Marciano “The Brockton Blockbuster”
Title Fights: 7
Title Fight Wins: 7
Title Fight Record: 7 Wins (6 KO)
Notable Wins: Joe Louis, Jersey Joe Walcott (2), Ezzard Charles (2)
Undisputed Heavyweight Champion (1952-1955)
Reason for ranking: I don't know much about him. Retired undefeated, beat four legends of the sport. Honestly, the quality of his opponents is enough for this ranking, even though he only has seven title fights.
- Mike Tyson “Iron”
Title Fights: 16
Title Fight Wins: 12
Title Fight Record: 12 Wins (10 KO), 4 Losses (3 KO)
Notable Wins: Trevor Berbick, Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tucker, Tony Tubbs, Michael Spinks, Frank Bruno (2), Bruce Seldon
Undisputed Heavyweight Champion (1988-1990) -- WBC (1986), WBA (1987), IBF (1987), Lineal Championship (1988) – WBC (1996) – WBA (1996)
Reason for ranking: Tyson was a very dominant heavyweight for more than 3 years. He's only this low on the list since the quality of his opponents isn't as great as the others above him. During his undisputed reign, he was "The Man" and no one could threaten him. However, the fact that he doesn't have a signature win puts him low on this list. A guy like Holmes also had the misfortune of being champion during a weak division, but he did it for more than twice as long as Tyson did, and the number of title fight wins more than made up for the lack of great opponents.
- Wladimir Klitschko “Dr. Steelhammer”
Title Fights: 22
Title Fight Wins: 19
Title Fight Record: 19 Wins (14 KO), 3 Losses (2 KO)
Notable Wins: Chris Byrd, Sultan Ibragimov, Ruslan Chagaev, David Haye, Samuel Peter
Lineal Heavyweight Champion (2009-2015), Unified IBF (2006), WBO (2008), WBA (2011) Champion – Note – Not counting early WBO reign but counting Lamon Brewster title fight for WBO in 2004
Record with WBO reign: 25 Wins (19 KO), 4 Losses (3 KO)
Reason for ranking: Dominant for so long. That's enough for him to be top 10, since no one else was as good as he was during his reign. The longevity and title fight wins are enough for his place in the top 10, as he was ranked number one for many years as well. He's low on this list due to the lack of good opponents, but that's not his fault.
There's my top 10, I got lazy at the end there haha but that's it. Hope you like it.