Best boxer ever in their prime??

That's about the gist of it, yes. You're making an attempt at humor using someone else's lines, but the sentiment you're satirizing is valid.

Marciano must have been from Jersey or something for you to go out on a limb like this.

You do know there's a reason he was undefeated, don't you? It's because he never fought Frazier, Holmes, Norton or Foreman, let alone Ali. Matt, let's cut the crap and be serious here for a moment: do you actually think he could have gone the distance against any of those guys, let alone won?

 

Ali was the greatest ever, but I do think the poll should have included some boxers from other weight classes. Teofilo Stevenson, De La Hoya, Chavez, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler all deserve consideration if Holmes, Marciano and Lewis are included.

 

His time didn't include dominance of the boxers I mentioned.

Matt... you do know that you're not playing against the other golfers, right?
You're playing against the course, with the hope of playing against it better than the other guys. This is a poor analogy. And Tiger's not the best yet. He's eight majors away. Give him another five years.

Back to boxing. Marciano wasn't strong enough to beat Frazier or Foreman, not fast enough to beat Ali. He's like his cinema counterpart- a tough dude with no quit in him. Difference is, it was real, and Rocky Balboa would have gotten his ass beat to death by Creed the first, last and every time in real life. There would have been no need to bring on Clubber, Drago or anyone else, because Balboa and Adrienne would be back at the meat factory.

I checked Wiki (not that I buy everything it says). Dude was born in Massachusetts. You can quit now, or I can, because this is absolutely ridiculous. Every damn time boxing greats get brought up, this guy's support group tries to bum rush its way to the top. He's no Ali, never was, never will be. He's better than Quarry, tho, and that should be enough to raise Italian pride a bit.

 

"Iron" Mike Tyson

 

It's the same to say "ah, Schiaffino hasn't the feets of Ronaldinho, the speed of Roberto Carlos and the elevation of Luca Toni". Can you compare two generation's athletes in any sport? No. And Mike Tyson, when he was the true "Iron Mike", would have crushed anyday in this world Alì. Because he was better? No, because boxing technique has developed in the meanwhile.

For the level of development of boxing in those days, Rocky Marciano was absolute the best, and, as a side note, he's the only undefeated heavyweight champion.

 

Tyson = a bulkier, crazier, less talented Marciano. Meaning he gets danced around and drummed on by Ali, outbrawled by Frazier, and knocked into the third row by Foreman or Holmes a round or so qiucker than Marciano would have been.

Ali would never have allowed Tyson to get within three feet of him without feeling the fastest hands in heavyweight history. On those rare occurrences where Tyson did get a lick in, Ali would have taken it like he took them from harder hitters than Tyson. I don't think he would have KOd Tyson, but he TKOs or decisions him every time. Remember, Ali near, at and just past his prime was a heavyweight with damn near lightweight speed in both hands and feet. He fought in an era with more depth of talent (Frazier, Holmes, Norton, Foreman, Quarry, Spinks) than existed before or since.

Marciano = Holyfield at best. Let it rest.

 

Why are there only heavyweights on this list?

Pound-for-pound there were a ton of fighters better than some of these guys.

 

Julio Cesar Chavez.

 

Chavez was awesome in his prime. Sugar Ray Leonard was another who was dominate in his prime. Ali was great, but if you matched him with Tyson, Ali could win if he kept his distance and boxed. But if Tyson could get inside, Ali would get knocked out. Tyson had power in both hands, and had a viscous uppercut and hook. Plus he had great speed as well. Watch his fights from his prime, he would cut off the ring, get inside and punish the body and head with both hands.

 

For awesome power, I'd say Foreman in his prime. But he fought Ali in his prime and got beat. So, it's Ali.

Still, I remember how Foreman took apart Frazier and Norton. Foreman is my favorite one to watch. He had a jab that could kill. His power was truly awesome.

One of Ali's greatest strengths was that he could take a punch better than anyone. It's also probably why he became punch drunk later on. Watching that rope-a-dope fight in Zaire against Foreman, it's still amazing to me that he could withstand all that punishment until Foreman tired.

 

Foreman even when he made his comeback he took some serious shots and didn't go down. So that does say something for Ali's power from that fight. I don't recall, but did Foreman ever get a second shot at Ali?

Hagler was my favorite fighter to watch, then young Tyson and Chavez.

 

No, Foreman never fought Ali again. Ali wisely didn't book a rematch, he fought chumps for awhile. I seem to remember one guy who had the nickname "the bayonne bleeder"

If you want to see a great fight, the Ron Lyle-Foreman fight is worth searching for. They knocked each other down, twice each if I remember right, before Foreman finally put Lyle away. This was a year or two after the rope-a-dope fight.

 

Hagler was a great one. Another very entertaining fighter was Aaron Pryor. I also liked Duran back in his prime, as a lightweight he was dynamite.

 

Pryor was a helluva fighter. His beatings of Alexis Arquello (I know spelling is wrong) were something to see. I like Ray Boom Boom Mancini as well. But Branble ended his career.

Too bad we didn't get to see a Bowe v Tyson match when both were at the top of their game.

 

I always wished that Tyson and Holyfield had both peaked at the same time.

 

2 pages and no mention of

Sugar Ray Robinson? (Widely regarded as the best pound for pound fighter of all time)

Henry Armstrong? (Held the Featherweight, Welterweight, and Lightweight belts at the same time)

Willie Pep? (Best defensive boxer of all time)

Blasphemous

Others not mentioned

Pernell Whitaker, Roy Jones Jr., Eder Jofre, Fighting Harada, Salvador Sanchez, Ricardo Lopez, Aaron Pryor, Carlos Monzon, etc etc.

 

Never saw Sugar Ray Robinson fight so I can't make any comment one way or the other on him. We did mention Aaron Pryor, in fact in successive posts he was mentioned. Have to read a bit closer.

Roy Jones Jr. was a helluva fighter, he deserves mention, don't know the other fighters.

 

Salvador Sanchez was a great one. He beat Danny "Little Red" Lopez for the title, Lopez was a very entertaining fighter and one of my favorites at the time. Featherweights typically don't have much power, but Lopez and Sanchez both had good KO power. Lopez didn't have alot of defense, which made his fights fun to watch. Sanchez had it all.

 

Lennox Lewis is too much to handle. His strategy game, his size, power, and athleticism would be too much for people to handle. Out of ten, against anyone ever, he would win the majority.

 

No love for Jack Johnson?

I know the sport's changed so much that he really can't be compared to anyone after, say, Joe Louis' time. But you gotta give him props for stamina alone, the way boxing was back then, almost bare-handed, for several more rounds than they have today.