Basing their set of rankings on the following: Overall record, titles, ability in the ring, the folks at Give Me Sport have taken on the lofty task of coming up with the ten greatest American heavyweights in history, of all time. The list, certain to generate debate if it hasn’t already done so, makes for interesting reading.
Keep in mind this is US boxers only, therefore there will be no Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko, no Tyson Fury, no Lennox Lewis.
Here is the top 10:
1: Muhammad Ali
2: Joe Louis
3: George Foreman
4: Jack Johnson
5: Larry Holmes
6: Evander Holyfield
7: Joe Frazier
8: Mike Tyson
9: Deontay Wilder
10: Sonny Liston
The first thing that stands out here, for me at least, is the omission of one Rocky Marciano, as well as Jack Dempsey. While you, fellow fight fan, may feel aggrieved over the fact that Gene Tunney is not on the list, or maybe some of the older fighters from boxing history, such as John L. Sullivan and Jim Jeffries.
Of course, there is only so much room here, but is Deontay Wilder really worthy of a place anywhere in the top 10, let alone a position above the fearsome and often so very underrated Sonny Liston? But Wilder aside, the fighters on the list are all great, great heavyweights, each of them having done so much in the ring and all of them having ruled the world. Nobody will have any problem with Ali residing at the top of the pile here, while for me, it’s good to see the far ahead-of-his-time Jack Johnson feature so highly.
Make of the list what you will, and remember, it’s down to opinion and nothing more. Is Mike Tyson too high? Is Sonny Liston too low? Is George Foreman too high at number three? Ultimately, it’s up to you.
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