The 12 greatest heavyweight boxers of all time
- Michael Oliver
- @MichaelOIiver
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In what looks like a very promising era of heavyweight boxing, we take a look at the greatest ever heavyweight boxers to step foot in the ring.
12) Sonny Liston
The former world champion was known for his granite chin and formidable punching power, with 39 of his 50 wins coming by way of knockout and will always be remembered for his bouts with Muhammad Ali.
11) Mike Tyson
The youngest boxer to win the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles at 20 years, 4 months, and 22 days old, Iron Mike was one of the greatest boxing prospects to ever emerge.
With 50 wins and six defeats to his name, Tyson marred his legacy with a number off personal life issues, as well as that infamous bite on Evander Holyfield.
10) Wladimir Klitschko
Holder of the second-longest world heavyweight reign in Boxing history, Klitschko’s ability to last in the ring is unprecedented.
A true technician and student of the game, Klitschko became an unbeatable force for most of the last decade before announcing his retirement.
9) Evander Holyfield
Rose to the top of a crowded heavyweight division in the 90s, Holyfield won several world titles throughout his illustrious career, embarking on classic feuds with Tyson and Lennox Lewis.
8) Rocky Marciano
Finishing undefeated at 49-0, Marciano still has one of the best knockout percentages of any heavyweight boxer in history with 87.75%.
7) Joe Frazier
An agile fighter with huge punching power, Frazier will be most remembered for his classic bouts with Muhammad Ali in one of the greatest rivalries in sports history.
6) George Foreman
Arguably one of the biggest punchers the sport has ever seen, Foreman made his name after that classic Rumble in the Jungle fight with Ali before becoming the oldest world champion in history at the age of 45.
5) Lennox Lewis
The benchmark for Anthony Joshua to meet, Lewis is regarded as the greatest British heavyweight of all time.
Over the course of his 25-year career, Lewis established himself as the complete boxer, matching power with mobility, making him a truly destructive force.
4) Larry Holmes
A former WBC, IBF and Ring Magazine champion, Holmes is one of only five men to defeat Muhammad Ali and successfully defended his titles on 20 occasions, the third most in history.
3) Jack Johnson
A pioneer of the sport, Johnson was the first African-American world champion in the sport’s history and fought in an incredible 104 fights.
2) Joe Louis
A world champion for 11 years and 11 months and defending the title on 25 consecutive occasions during that spell are both still records in the heavyweight division.
The ‘Brown Bomber’ was the first truly dominant force in the sport.
1) Muhammad Ali
The greatest ever to lace up the gloves.
Ali’s unparalleled levels of charisma and confidence outside of the ring was backed up by his tremendous skill and durability inside of it.
The three-time world champions inspired a generation of people as he revolutionised the sport and the lives of black people across the world.