Let’s take a dive into the heavyweight champions of the glorious past today. Comparing champions from different eras is very difficult, which is why we prefer to develop our special ranking starting from the 1930s of the last century. Legendary champions are left out: from Sam Langford, to Jack Johnson, to Jack Dempsey, and other pioneers of boxing’s early days whose exploits, however, took place in a context both environmental and regulatory too different from the modern one. The ranking, needless to say, will anger someone, but our advice is to take it for what it is: a subjective game where the weight that each of us attributes to individual parameters (duration of reign, value of opponents, technical qualities) is decisive.
10) Mike Tyson
Idolized by some, fiercely criticized by others, Iron Mike made himself the protagonist of a prolonged and dazzling reign, showcasing impressive physical and technical qualities for a heavyweight. Not equally admirable was his mental fortitude: unable to emerge from difficult situations, he lost all the big fights he fought and did not defeat prominent names, which penalizes him compared to those ahead of him in the ranking.
9) Evander Holyfield
Ranked at the top of many cruiserweight rankings, he rightfully earns a place in the heavyweight ranking thanks to the sensational battles fought among the giants. The double clashes with Tyson and Lewis, the trilogy with Bowe, the battle with the old but fearsome Foreman, and other thrilling challenges have consecrated him to the highest echelons of a category where he may have lacked in size but where he excelled in heart and courage.
8) Joe Frazier
Penalized by the catastrophic defeat to George Foreman, who swept him away in just two rounds when he was considered the man to beat, Frazier still has the merit of inflicting Muhammad Ali’s first career defeat in one of the most beautiful and spectacular fights of all time. Alongside the trilogy with the greatest, there are many other top-notch names swept away like snow in the sun and a resistance to pain and fatigue that seemed extraterrestrial.
7) Sonny Liston
A career shrouded in shadow, with doubts about his date of birth, ties to the underworld, and alleged fixed fights. Difficult to distinguish between evidence and mere suspicions, but the chronicles of the journalists of his time leave no doubt that Liston was a war machine with few equals in history. The only one ever to have made Foreman retreat in a sparring session, Sonny had a very brief reign but nonetheless left an indelible mark.
6) Lennox Lewis
Powerful, technical, simply devastating in the big fights. Lewis dominated the scene, silencing one critic after another who stubbornly refused to see him as a class apart. Inclined to some distractions, he suffered the two surprise KOs: serious setbacks but mitigated by subsequent rematches. Put in serious trouble by Klitschko when he was almost 38 years old and at his heaviest weight ever, he emerged as a champion from the abyss, marring his rival’s face.
5) Larry Holmes
It is difficult to pick up the legacy of Muhammad Ali. Even harder if everyone considers you a faded copy of him. However, Holmes ignored the chatter and one by one defeated the challengers who tried to dethrone him. Equipped with inhuman recovery abilities that allowed him to get up after blows that would have killed a bull, he created a very long reign, nearing Marciano’s record and remaining undefeated until physical decline. His victory over Ken Norton was memorable.
4) George Foreman
Big George may not have been a symbol of technique and elegance, but his ferocity inside the ropes was unparalleled in history. Capable of literally lifting opponents off the ground with his uppercuts, the Texan slugger struggled against elusive opponents but was unbeatable in toe-to-toe combat. Also to be rewarded for his crazy comeback to the scene after a ten-year hiatus, crowned by the conquest of the World Title against the undefeated Michael Moorer.
3) Rocky Marciano
Almost 65 years after his retirement, Rocky’s fabulous record of undefeated fights in the heavyweight division still remains unmatched today. A true master of rematches, he was put in difficulty by boxers like LaStarza, Walcott, and Charles the first time he faced them, but he ruthlessly destroyed them in their respective rematches. The greatest of punch absorbers, the most overwhelming of demolishers, the unbeatable by definition: the Italo-American could not be missing from the top podium.
2) Joe Louis
25 consecutive defenses of the World Heavyweight Title, many of which turned into heart-pounding matches won thanks to boundless class and spine-tingling power, mainly unleashed with his lightning-fast right hand. For over a decade, Joe Louis was the face of boxing, holder of a title that many still wanted to reserve only for white athletes. But as journalist Jimmy Cannon said about him: “He is a credit to his race, the human race.”
1) Muhammad Ali
Whether he was “the best” or not will forever be a matter of debate. Whether he was “the greatest” is a fact. With his charisma, his personal story, the unparalleled and planetary strength of his image, Ali transcended the boundaries of a sport to become an icon in every respect. The legendary victory in Africa over George Foreman is the icing on the cake of a career full of challenges worthy of the silver screen, which combined with what The Greatest represented outside the ring, places him at the top of our ranking.
Honorable mentions, in no particular order, for Jersey Joe Walcott, Max Schmeling, Max Baer, Ken Norton, Vitali Klitschko, and Wladimir Klitschko, all worthy of being close to the top 10.