Best Heavyweights of All-Time (Boxing)

Best Heavyweights of All-Time

As I get older, I'm starting to appreciate the sweet-science more and more. I've been watching HBO's series on the greatest fights of all-time. To be a good boxer requires so many different skills. And it's amazing how hard it is to both defend yourself and amount an attack. When you attack, it always leaves openings for the opponent. Here is my ranking of the top heavyweights of the sweet-science:

1. Joe Lewis: All I've seen are some clips. But he looks awesome in the clips. And people say he had everything. Power, speed, skill, a great chin, stamina and a will to win.

2. Muhammad Ali: Before his suspension, he probably was even better than Lewis. No heavyweight has ever been as fast -- both handspeed and footspeed.

3. Rocky Marciano: Again, I've only seen clips. But he had good power, and a great chin. He was hard to hit, too.

4. Joe Frazier: Great left-hook. Incredible determination. Good defense. Not real fast, and his face would get swollen-up.

5. George Foreman: Incredible power. Great size. Better than people think in terms of defense.

6. Larry Holmes: Great jab. Good chin. Used the whole ring. Hard to get inside on.

7. Lennox Lewis: The biggest of the bunch. Good jab. Really long reach. Intelligent fighter. Knows how to win ugly. Underrated power. Questionable jaw: Remember Hasim Rachman? Also, not very fast.

8. Mike Tyson: Hardest punch of all of them. In his youth, he had good movement. He was hard to hit. Questionable chin. And as he got older, he became too much of a sitting-duck.

People say Jack Johnson was great. But all I've seen of him is a little bit of really grainy footage. He's way before my time.

 

I agree. Also, Foreman did beat Frazier. "Down goes Frasier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!"

 

Norton and Liston were really good. I might have to re-think my list. Norton had an incredible physique. And he out-boxed Ali. Although Ali was way passed his prime then, Ali was still great.

The Ali/Joe Louis issue is tough. Louis had more power. But Ali in his prime was untouchable. It's freakish to watch "pre-suspension" Ali. It's like no human should be able to do that. He didn't even have to cover up. He was just too fast. One time I was explaining Ali's greatness to my Mom, and I said, "He was just so fast. You couldn't get a good shot at him."

But she said, "Yeah, but the boxing ring is so small. How can one avoid contact?"

I said, "Mom, I don't know how. But watch the films: He was able to do it!"

Also, Ali wasn't a small guy. And he had a great jab. His power was underrated.

I have to admit that one reason I'm putting Louis ahead of him is political. I never liked that racial stuff that Ali directed at Frazier. Frazier was a great champion and a good guy. I know Ali was trying to sell ticket and psyche-out the opponent, but he went over the line with that "Gorilla" stuff. In contrast, Louis was the consummate gentleman and professional.

By the same token, the Vietnam War was a terrible war. And Ali stood up against it, losing his prime years. That deserves credit.

Another factor that helps Louis was that Louis/Max Schmelling fight. What a remarkable moment for sports and society.

These HBO specials are really good. HBO is a good network: The Sopranos, Real Sports (except Frank Deford), Sex in the City, Six Feet Under, OZ, Da Ali G Show.

They had one episode on the Cooney/Holmes fight. I was a kid when that fight happened. We had a soccer game that day, three-hours away from my house. I remember my Dad and me wanting to get home so we could watch that fight. It was a really good fight.

There's been some revisionist history on that one. People make it out that Cooney was a second-rate fighter who got where he did only because he was white. The fact of the matter is Cooney was pretty darn good. He was no Larry Holmes. Holmes was much more skillful. And Cooney was so top-heavy. His legs were like sticks. I don't know how they kept him up. Sort of like Tommy Hearns -- the anti-soccer player physique. But Cooney was good. He knocked out Ken Norton. Norton was way passed his prime. But still… And Cooney had a lot of heart and a good punch. And he used both hands. That was a great fight.

HBO also had an episode on the Alexis Arguelo/Aaron Pryor match. Anyone who has a chance: Watch that episode! Pryor was a beast. Amazing. He maybe even could have beaten Leonard. Watch his movement, relentless and power. And he beat a great fighter in Arguelo. I always liked Arguelo because I used to live in Costa Rica, and he was a hero in Central America. He was an amazing counter-puncher. He had great heart, and a good head. He was so skinny, though. And Pryor was just too good. Too bad Pryor got into drugs.

Also, HBO’s episode on Hearns/Hagler is good. Hearns was a violation of the laws of physics: No guy that skinny should be able to have a punch like that. His long, wiry arms seem to give his punch some sort of sling-shot affect. Watch when he Roberto Duran, another great boxer. It’s terrifying. Duran was out before he hit the mat.

I don’t know the middleweight divisions as well. But here is my initial list:

1. Sugar Ray Robinson: He was amazing. A fighter with no flaw. Well, I guess he did have just one: he stayed in the game too long. But he was so fluid and powerful
2. Sugar Ray Leonard: Great movement and speed. If I would have been one of the judges for Leonard/Hagler, I would have voted for Leonard. Hagler didn’t get any good shots on him, so then you have to go for the artistry, aesthetics and showmanship. It’s a sport, afterall. And Leonard wins on those counts. But if they would have fought 5 times, I bet Hagler wins 4 out of 5.
3. Marvin Hagler
4. Jake Lamota
5. Tommy Hearns
6. Roberto Duran

Where do you put Roy Jones? We can’t really say he’s a middleweight. And he’s no heavyweight. But, whatever he is, he's a darn good boxer.

Did you guys catch the Tua/Rachman fight? Both those guys are huge. Heavyweights today are bigger than they used to be. But neither of them moved much: They just sort of stood there in the middle of the ring.

I wish boxing wasn’t so brutal. It seems like every retired boxer has sort of slurred speech – like Anna Nicole Smith.