Who among passionate boxing fans can resist a ‘Greatest-Ever’ list? Be it the greatest fights ever, the greatest rounds ever, the greatest KO’s ever, or – the toughest-to-answer question – the greatest fighters ever.
The folks at ‘The Bible of Boxing,’ Ring Magazine, have taken on the herculean task of listing the five greatest fighters ever in all 17 weight divisions – from heavyweight all the way down to strawweight.
The results of the gargantuan, thought-provoking poll – certain to cause debate, even controversy – will be listed in full in the forthcoming December issue of Ring. But the results can be seen now on the Ringtv.com website.
Passionate and knowledgeable experts, Steve Farhood, Doug Fischer, Tom Gray, Lee Groves, Stephen Edwards, Cliff Rold, Bob Yalen and Anson Wainright, Ring Magazine contributors all, were tested hard in coming up with their picks for the greatest ever in all 17 weight classes.
Each person’s pick for #1 got five points; each second pick got four points, each third pick got three points, and so on.
Here are some of the most interesting (and, again, sure to cause debate) results.
Heavyweight:
1: Muhammad Ali
2: Joe Louis
3: Larry Holmes
4: Lennox Lewis
5: Jack Johnson
Right off the bat, it’s almost certainly a good many fight fans will find fault with this top-5. No Rocky Marciano? No Sonny Liston? No Joe Frazier?
But again, it’s tougher than tough to come up with this kind of a list, while one that pleases everyone is simply impossible to fashion. (Ring’s poll had the next four greatest heavyweights listed as follows: George Foreman, Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano, Evander Holyfield).
Middleweight:
1: Sugar Ray Robinson
2: Carlos Monzon
3: Harry Greb
4: Marvin Hagler
5: Bernard Hopkins.
No argument here as far as this top-5 goes, but what about you? (Ring’s next two (no five close calls are listed), Jake LaMotta, Stanley Ketchel.)
Let’s wait and see how fans fully react to this, the ultimate of (17) top-fives, and let’s buy the forthcoming issue of Ring to really get into it!
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Are you👺sure they know the sports of boxing? Without the undefeated Rocky Marciano’s name who knockout all the best heavyweights, including the brown bomber, your list is a farce!
Your totally right you couldn’t leave him out .
That is a very hard answer. Through the years there were some great fighters. In every decade there are great fighters. Every year heavyweights got bigger, stronger, faster and could hit brick hard. Who is the greatest depends on how many good fighters a fighter fought and beat. How long a reign a champion was. Did he fight better opposition. How did he do going to other weight divisions. Who had the better all around skills. It is a very hard question.
Ali’s the greatest
And as always, the ONLY undefeated heavyweight champion of all time, not on the list, not even mentioned, gee, I wonder why? And I’d bet a farm, my comments will disappear, won’t they?
Rocky Marciano doesn’t deserve to be on any top five list let alone top ten who did he fight he fought his on cousin for one of fights he was overrated
Lennox Lewis b4 George foreman Joe Frazer Jack Dempsey rocky Marciano is a joke like saying Mayweather is the greatest lol
Mayweather is way over rated. Not even in the top ten.
Stanley Ketchel. Number 1 he knock down. Johnson on your top5
Yes that was a fight that they pay Jack Johnson $100,000 to throw the guy wasn’t supposed to hit him that hard so when he got up he knocked the guy out and two of his teeth was stuck in his Boxing glove that’s what really happened