My Top Ten Greatest Heavyweight Champs Of All Time!

[butterfly1964]

We can make a case for Marciano being the best. Undefeated, KTFO Joe Louis (old or not), highest win-knockout ratio, broke bones, almost killed people, beat Ali in the computer fight (scripted is under debate), and the most determined fighter.

undefeated, undefeated, undefeated. that's all you marciano fans ever talk about. well, where you wan't to ignore it or not, ali had the potential to be unbeaten too, and he wouldn't be fighting the bums that marciano did. he was stripped of his prime years, where he would have stayed in shape and wouldnot have lost to frazier or norton, or spinks, then he would have retired. UNDEFEATED!

[Brockton Lip]

lol. I'm not against Ali at all. Him and Marciano are my favorite boxers, I'm just saying Marciano is considered the best by many people. As for my opinion; thats tough to decide. Louis, Ali, or Marciano. Robinson somewhere in there if you want to count any weight class.

[RockyMarcianofan00]

undefeated, undefeated, undefeated. that's all you marciano fans ever talk about. well, where you wan't to ignore it or not, ali had the potential to be unbeaten too, and he wouldn't be fighting the bums that marciano did. he was stripped of his prime years, where he would have stayed in shape and wouldnot have lost to frazier or norton, or spinks, then he would have retired. UNDEFEATED!

thee greatest thee greatest thee greatest,he danced and stung, thats all u ali fans ever talk about if he was so great why did he have to convince ppl that he was the greatest? Marciano was humble and never disrespected anyone

Marciano was the best guy in and out of the ring
sure his hand speed wasn't the greatest and he didn't have good boxing skills but i'm not talking about the best boxers we're talking about best heavywieghts and I know marciano was better then foreman but foreman is my 2nd favorite fighter

so even if you reply saying this is the worst post u ever read Marciano was still a more humble fighter and i can see him beating a prime ali

so i'll repost tomorrow arguing what ur response is of course
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[RockyMarcianofan00]

like archie moore said "marciano's style was wam bam i don't give a damn" and everybody always talks about how all he fought was bums but Jersey Joe Walcott in there first fight was in his prime that was his best fight.

"He could hurt you, sure, but it was the quantity of his punches. He just had more stamina than anyone else in those days. He was like a bull with gloves." -archie moore said that and archie moore was a hard hitter (most ko's)
and i'd bet anything that a prime ali didn't have anywhere as much stamina and no where near the heart marciano had
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[Imira]

My list changed. It won't be changing again for a while...

...at least, until I build my collection up some more.

1. Joe Louis - I think my sig says it all. LOL! But seriously, 25 title defenses over 11 1/2 years as champion. No mortal man ever took his title from him in the ring. A terrifying fighter in his day, some opponents were beaten as soon as they began walking to the ring. Definitely the best finisher in history, as no opponent ever got hurt and escaped the round. Fighters who brought the fight to him were brutally destroyed, while the runners who tried to outbox him found that it was nearly impossible to run from him for 15 full rounds, survive and get the decision all at the same time. The Brown Bomber also has a football team named after him.

2. Muhammad Ali - More than a fighter, he was an entertainer as well. One of only two heavyweights that are well-known for their quotes, as well as their ring ability. The first 3 time heavyweight champion, knocking this man out was found to be next to impossible. Generally agreed to possess: a set of the fastest hands, one of the hardest chins and the biggest mouth in heavyweight history.

3. Joe Frazier - Winner of one of the biggest fights in history. Exciting to watch, even his decisions. Had a heart the size of Asia and a chin of iron and fought one way: in the trenches. Smokin' Joe was said to be the first heavyweight champion since Rocky Marciano to get stronger as the fight progressed.

4. Lennox Lewis - The "Pugilist Specialist". Fought his way up to, and consistently fought at, the elite level of fighters. Always thinking one step ahead of his opponents, fighting him was like playing a game of chess where checkmate is a sledgehammer to your head. Being a larger fighter, Lewis, wisely, fought a smart battle behind his poleaxe jab in order to preserve his stamina. The only real legendary fighter since Larry Holmes.

5. Rocky Marciano - UNDEFEATED. Like it or not, no other heavyweight champion ever achieved the level of consitency that the Rock did. Especially since he did everything "ass backwards". Watching him slug his opponents into submission gives me goosebumps. His punching power, rock-like chin and never say die attitude always made the difference for him when his boxing skill failed.

6. George Foreman - Unbridled RAGE. Foreman is agreed to be the strongest puncher in boxing history. Street punk turned Olympic gold medalist turned 2 time heavyweight champion, Foreman was a picture of raw power tempered with youthful doubt. Came back 21 years after his prime and regained his title with a one punch KO to become the oldest fighter to ever become the champion.

7. Jack Johnson - The Galveston Giant battered and humiliated Tommy Burns to become the first Negro to hold the real world heavyweight title. Aside from the racism and bigotry he faced outside the ring, in the ring, he was nearly unstoppable. He muscled his opponents around the ring, swatted their punches aside and made a mismatch out of nearly every one of his fights. After losing the title, he continued fighting until he was nearly 60 years old.

8. Jack Dempsey - I can't get enough watching Dempsey. His bob and weave defense as he crawled his way in was certainly ahead of its time. He was deceptively fast and his hand speed is the stuff of legend. Against Jess Willard, he proved that his punch could crack just about any jaw. Against Luis Firpo, he proved that his recuperative ability backed him up when his chin let him down. Against Gibbons, he showed that he could win a decision over a "slick boxer" whose plan is to go the distance.

9. Larry Holmes - Spent most of his career frustrated at the fact that he was in Ali's shadow. However, looking at his body of work, one would wonder how that could happen. 20 successful title defenses, 7 year title reign. His is an example of what is expected of a champion. Domination. His ability in the ring is very nearly flawless. *******-like jab, blistering combinations and a damaging right hook. He was like Ali with more power.

10. Still working on it...

[butterfly1964]

thee greatest thee greatest thee greatest,he danced and stung, thats all u ali fans ever talk about if he was so great why did he have to convince ppl that he was the greatest? Marciano was humble and never disrespected anyone

Marciano was the best guy in and out of the ring
sure his hand speed wasn't the greatest and he didn't have good boxing skills but i'm not talking about the best boxers we're talking about best heavywieghts and I know marciano was better then foreman but foreman is my 2nd favorite fighter

so even if you reply saying this is the worst post u ever read Marciano was still a more humble fighter and i can see him beating a prime ali

so i'll repost tomorrow arguing what ur response is of course

ok, now what does being huumble have to do with being a better boxer? ali probably had more drive than anyone, including marciano. do you know why? well, most great fighters aspire and strive to be champions and great fighters. but this guy wanted to be the best fighter ever. his goal wasn't to be hw champion, or a great hw champion, or a top 10 hw all-time, or even a top 10 boxer period of all-time, this guy wanted to be the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be! that was his only drive. now if a fighter wants to be a great fighter, he would have to really work at it, and have drive like no other. but if a fighter wants to be the best ever, man he is going to have to do alot more than that! and that's what he did. many people believed that ali was a natural talent and gifted and all that. well, and most of ya'll think that i'm the biggest ali nuthugger on this forum, but i will say that he probably was 10 times as uncoordinated as marciano when he first started boxing when he was 12! when he would spar with the other boys in louiville, they kicked his ass, cause he couldn't fight that well. but he had one quality that the other boys didn't have. he was a hard worker. he spent about 5 hours in the gym even when he still was in grade school. he worked at it, and he became better. and soon, he started to beat everyone. he kept getting better and better through hard work. he worked hard on the speed bag to increase his hand speed. he sparred with the smaller kids to increase his foot speed and reflexes. by the time he was 18 he had already won 4 amateur awards in two weight classes, hw ans lhw. one of them were statewide, two of them national and one international (olympics) all because of hard work, not because of natural talent. and he worked hard to become the greatest, because that's what he wanted to become, no less than that. that is just out of this world! frazier beat him, cause ali was suffering from a layoff, and wasn'nt ready yet. norton beat him cause he trained for years just to fight him, and ali lost some of his speed during the layoff, and spinks beat him cause he didn't take him seriously. ali destroyed fighters that would destroy marciano, so how does marciano stand a chance? marciano wouldn't be able to hit him, and if by some luck rocky did catch him, ali's chin wouldn't be bothered, cause ali has one of the top 3 or 4 chins in history! so marciano either couldn't hit him, or hurt him, take your pick. ali's midsection is the strongest in history, by far, if he took foreman's frazier's and chuvalo's punishment. so your argument with marciano is pretty weak compared to mine, ali is lightyears ahead of marciano. in fact foreman is lightyears ahead, so is frazier, holmes, liston, tyson, louis, lewis, holyfield, vit. klitchko, johnson. i'll even pick dempsey to beat marciano, also patterson for that matter.

[RockyMarcianofan00]

well he's not the greatest fighter and i beleve that the reason everyone thinks he's #1 instead of like #6 or so is because he convinced ppl he was the greatest, he wasn't thee greatest he didn't have the strenght or heart of marciano, he didn't have larry holmes jab because holmes' jab was actually ali's jab but better, the only thing he did have was a good midsection and footwork and that sounds more defensive then offensive
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[butterfly1964]

well he's not the greatest fighter and i beleve that the reason everyone thinks he's #1 instead of like #6 or so is because he convinced ppl he was the greatest, he wasn't thee greatest he didn't have the strenght or heart of marciano, he didn't have larry holmes jab because holmes' jab was actually ali's jab but better, the only thing he did have was a good midsection and footwork and that sounds more defensive then offensive

i guess your backed in the corner so much that now you're spewing lies! holmes had a better jab than ali? just because a 38 year old ali with parkinson's and that was strung out on drugs fought a prime holmes and got crushed, doesn't mean holmes is better."the reason everyone thinks he's #1 instead of like #6 or so is because he convinced ppl he was the greatest". i think you just put your foot in your mouth right there. do you know how he convinced everyone that he's the greatest? because he demonstrated it in the ring. there is an undorstood norm that in sports, athletes evolve over time, but if a prime ali boxed today, he would crush anyone here. if marciano fought today he would be crushed by anyone here! in fact, he would be crushed in any era after the early 50s. ali did things that were thought of as impossible. he beat liston, he beat foreman, he leaned back on punches and were successful, he layed on the ropes and was sucessful. given the circumstances he was in at the time, he had the best legacy, cause louis wasn't stripped of the title and forced into 4 years of inactivity. "ali had a good midsection". name one person with a better one. you can't! ali took foreman's best shots, and foreman punched harder than anyone, including your idol marciano, so he didn't have a good midsection, he ha the best ever! i said it before but ali crushed people that would obliterate marciano, such as liston, foreman, williams, chuvalo, folley, even terrel. he beat people that would crush him like frazier, shavers, norton, and lyle. so how does marciano stand a chance?

[RockyMarcianofan00]

i'm not spewing lies
Holmes had a better jab then ali and i've never heard that disputed
i mean that doesn't make holmes better then ali cause i will give u one thing that the fight between holmes and ali should have never happened, and no cause a common saying lately has been saying "if u dug up marciano's bones and put gloves on him he'd reunite the belts", so don't say he'd get crushed cause thats not even true,of course if u dug up alot of old champs they'd reunite the belts cause good heavyweights to day are in short supply, also its not like i'm just sticking with marciano and saying he's the best i can admit that he had flaws too but it seems u can't all u want to do is talk about haow bad he was, he had a good chin and good body and he'd beat ali
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[butterfly1964]

i'm not spewing lies
Holmes had a better jab then ali and i've never heard that disputed
i mean that doesn't make holmes better then ali cause i will give u one thing that the fight between holmes and ali should have never happened, and no cause a common saying lately has been saying "if u dug up marciano's bones and put gloves on him he'd reunite the belts", so don't say he'd get crushed cause thats not even true,of course if u dug up alot of old champs they'd reunite the belts cause good heavyweights to day are in short supply, also its not like i'm just sticking with marciano and saying he's the best i can admit that he had flaws too but it seems u can't all u want to do is talk about haow bad he was, he had a good chin and good body and he'd beat ali

if he had a good chin then how come he was knocked down by middleweights? he'd beat ali? you keep saying that, but you have not supported it yet. yet i have bent over backwards to support it, and you haven't. the computer fight was a phony and everyone knows it. ali was throwing bodyshots at rocky, when he barely did that in a fight. ali was a headhunter, especially with guys as short as marciano. only people like cleveland williams and ernie terrel who were 6-6 ali would hit the body, so that was a fake. the whole thing was a fake. like i said before ali is not the only one who could beat him. i named about ten or twelve fighters who would crush him. before you worry about marciano beating ali, worry about him beating, liston, holmes, foreman, frazier, tyson, johnson, louis, holyfield, lewis, dempsey, ect, ect, ect.