Put yourself in this situation. You’re a heavyweight boxer waiting for the bell to ring. Your opponent across the ring looks like a smooth-faced 17 year-old kid. He resembles a shy high school student. His trainer Cus D’Amato whispers words of encouragement in his young fighter’s ear.

The bell rings and your 5'11,189-pound opponent comes at you crouching and weaving with his hands up protecting his face as if he's playing a game of peek-a-boo. Once he's almost in range, you throw a jab but suddenly you see a bright light and the floor feels as if it rose and caught up with you. You lay on the ground in a daze. You never saw that left hook coming. It was impossibly fast and landed right on your chin with an explosive effect. Congratulations. You just went a few seconds with Floyd Patterson.

Let's try a different opponent. He has a physique men to this day are jealous of. He stands at 6'3, 220 pounds. The bell rings. You two circle each other a bit. He inches toward you, dragging his right foot. 

You throw a few jabs but he blocks them using a weird armadillo defense. You try another jab but before your lands, he's countered you with his own jab right to your face! You're surprised, but you try to jab again and he stuns you with another counter jab square on the nose. You finally say, “The hell with it,” and prepare to throw a mean hook, but he blasts you in the body with a body shot. As you grimace, he hits you in the jaw with a thunderous right hand. As you stagger backward and get caught by the ropes, you feel your jaw is really loose. It's broken. Congratulations. You just went one minute with Ken “The Jawbreaker” Norton.

​

Both Patterson and Norton were vulnerable to the heavy-handed sluggers. Floyd was damn near killed by Sonny Liston on two occasions. Norton was easily destroyed by Foreman and Shavers. But throughout their careers, Patterson was down more times than Norton was. I don’t see Norton getting floored seven times in one fight by someone like Ingemar Johanson. That’s one of several reasons I feel that Norton had a better chin than Patterson.
​

​Now let's fast forward back to 1962. It wasn’t until President John F. Kennedy expressed his wishes to see a Patterson-Liston fight that Floyd finally gave into peer pressure and offered Liston the title opportunity that he deserved for years.

Floyd was paralyzed with fear during both encounters with Sonny Liston. While Patterson doesn’t have the chin to ever survive Liston, he never gave himself a fair chance either. If you watch closely, Floyd was making Liston miss a lot of punches. His bobbing and weaving made him a hard target for Liston to initially hit. Instead of countering all of those missed punches the way Frazier or Tyson would have, Floyd just dodged the punches and waited to be hit. It didn’t take long. 
​
What I’m saying is that if Floyd had thrown counter blows to the body and the chin, he could have given Sonny to think about, or at least made a better fight out of it. Floyd was so embarrassed that he wore disguises in public after the fight. He once said in an elevator that someone casually said, “Hi, Mr. Patterson” while Floyd was decked out in a disguise. Funny.

Given his reputation for getting knocked out by huge punchers, Ken Norton likely would have gone down against Liston too, but he would have been a tougher cookie for Liston to crumble than Patterson was. Muhammad Ali nick-named Patterson “the rabbit” for good reason.
​

The black community was temporarily harsh on both of these men. In these blogs I rarely talk about things that happened outside the ring, but since both of these guys had trouble with the African American public at certain times, I feel the need to address it.
​
Norton was criticized by playing a slave in the 1975  movie, Mandingo. Years earlier, former light heavyweight champion Archie Moore faced similar criticism for playing Jim in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. But during Archie’s time, there were not many roles for African Americans that were not slaves, butlers, or dancing bug-eyed fools. Because of that, I don’t have a huge issue with Archie playing a slave. It was likely the only movie role he could get at that time in U.S. history.

By the 1970s, on the other hand, things had lightened up. For example, Duane Jones had already played the lead character in 1968’s Night Of The Living Dead. Ken Norton didn’t have to play a slave. He had more options. Because of this he was slammed by the black press.

Floyd Patterson was famously (and repeatedly) called an Uncle Tom by Muhammad Ali and other Civil Rights leaders. Here’s the thing. Guys like Joe Louis and Joe Frazier, for example, were not great speakers like an MLK, Muhammad Ali or Malcolm X. It just wasn’t their gift. The same is true of Floyd Patterson. But unlike Patterson, Louis and Frazier did what they could behind the scenes to make change for African Americans.

Joe Louis refused to entertain only white troops during WW2, and desegregated the United States Army as a result. Joe also desegregated the PGA golf program during the 1950s after his final retirement. Similarly, Joe Frazier stayed out of the spotlight with his good deeds also, most notably going to then-President Nixon to persuade him to give Muhammad Ali his boxing license back.

Louis and Frazier were not public civil rights activists, but they discreetly made change. Just because they were quiet about it didn’t make them “Uncle Toms” no matter what Ali said. That was wrong of him, especially publicly slamming Frazier, who went out of his way to give Ali a shot at his championship.
​

That brings me to Floyd Patterson, who not only didn’t do anything to bring about change for his people, but openly sucked up to the white man. Floyd publicly said that Muhammad Ali was “not an American.” What the hell, dude? And he also refused to call him “Muhammad Ali,” instead referring to him as Cassius Clay. Some fellow boxers (both white and black) such as Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano, initially didn't agree with Ali's new name and other political statements, especially refusing the induction into the Army. But once they got to know him, they understood. Louis confirmed this in his autobiography, and Peter Marciano mentioned this in his interview on the Marciano v. Ali Computer Fight documentary. 

But even Marciano and Louis didn't publicly slam Ali the way that Patterson did, and for Patterson to say these things about another black man (especially one fighting for Civil Rights) was a blatant sell-out move in my opinion.

Floyd was commonly referred to as “the good Negro,” especially in his fights against the “thug” Sonny Liston and the “militant black Muslim” Muhammad Ali. In fact, many former heavyweight champions like Rocky Marciano, Jim Braddock, Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe Walcott and Ingemar Johanson picked Patterson to beat Liston, but they were thinking with their hearts. I honestly think their prediction was a pick against Liston rather than a pick for Floyd. As former heavyweight champions, they had to know Patterson would lose, especially Ingemar, who basically made a habit of dropping Patterson. If he could hurt Patterson, surely Sonny Liston would. 

There’s more I could get into here...a lot more. But I prefer to talk about boxing rather than politics. Let's move on to the final segment.
​

 
​Both men had reputations for occasionally being dirty fighters, so it would not surprise me if anyone was blinded or headbutted in this fight.

Muhammad Ali was famously blinded during the 5th round against Liston in 1964. Now, being in the ring with Sonny is a scary enough thought, but to fight him without vision? Muhammad Ali was some man. He deserves all-time great status for this action alone.

You could argue that Ali being blinded was an innocent mistake. However, two previous fighters who were also fighting well against Sonny Liston (Zora Folley and Eddie Machen) both complained about something getting in their eyes. Unlike Ali, they couldn't turn things around and wound up losing.

Is it a coincidence that every guy who was on the verge of upsetting Liston suddenly got blinded during the fight? I seriously doubt it.

Evander had reputations for headbutting his opponents. In this writer's opinion, not all of them were on purpose.

If you closely watch “The Bite Fight” with Tyson, you'll see that Evander dips for leverage before unloading his punches. From his crouch, he'd spring upward and throw his blows with full force. Tyson fought like a bull, always charging forward. The result was a clashing of heads.

But this wasn't always the case. In their first fight in 1999, Holyfield deliberately charged into Lennox Lewis with his head. He also tackled him to the ground at one point.

On commentary, George Foreman called him out for these dirty tactics. Larry Merchant defended Holyfield's blatant cheating by saying, “He's a rough fighter because it's a rough game.”

​Foreman's reply? “You'd never see Joe Louis resorting to all of this.”

Larry Merchant's comment was just another example of Holyfield unfairly getting away with these shenanigans because people liked him. I don't like that. Just because he is a Bible-toting man healed by the Power of Jesus doesn't mean we should ignore his wrongdoings.
​

Holyfield should be favored on paper due to their distinctive styles, but Holyfield's biggest strength was also his biggest flaw - his heart. What happens if Sonny hits Evander after the bell? Evander would surely want payback and duke it out with the "big bear" in the next round and put himself in peril.

Holyfield has a granite chin. He withstood absolute bombs from Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe, Bert Cooper, Ray Mercer and others. With the exception of Bowe, none of these men knocked him out, and the Bowe loss had more to due with Holyfield being sick and weak due to Hepatitis A. You could argue that Evander was at his best against the sluggers.

But in a fierce shoot-out war, Liston would inevitably win. He was just too powerful. 

Could Evander get around that heavy Sonny Liston jab? I would say yes. Holyfield didn't have the gazelle speed of Muhammad Ali, but his mobility was enough to keep him out of danger. Lennox Lewis had a long 84-inch reach and telephone pole jab just like Liston. In their rematch, Holyfield neutralized his jab by jabbing him in the body. Lewis didn't like that and opted to slug it out. I'm sure Liston would do the same, so the Liston jab wouldn't be a factor for long.

What about Sonny's left hook? During clinches, Holyfield leaned his head on Tyson's left shoulder to avoid his uppercut while at the same time smothering his left arm, restricting Tyson from utilizing his left hook. Holyfield also did this against Mercer, and no doubt he'd do it successfully against Liston too.
​

​Evander was a four-time heavyweight champion, but he never dominated the way a heavyweight champion is expected to. Coming after the five-year reign of Tyson dominance, Evander wasn't really taken serious as heavyweight champion. He was fighting for respect.

Later in his career, Evander won the WBA title in a fight with John Ruiz, becoming the first man to win the heavyweight championship four times.

Sonny Liston only held the heavyweight championship from 1962 to 1964, but everyone knows he should have been given a crack at the title much sooner. Despite Floyd Patterson clutching the belt and blatantly ducking Liston for five years, Sonny Liston was dominating the heavyweight scene.

If you're comparing legacies between Holyfield and Liston, Liston looks better as far as win-loss ratios go. He adjusted to his declining skills much better than Holyfield did, evidenced by him winning 15 out of 16 out his fights after being embarrassed by Muhammad Ali. Not only that, but he won 12 by knockout. Aging or not, he was still a legitimate threat to anyone that fought him. That power was still there.

Evander picked up more championship wins and fought much better competition than Liston overall. He got some huge wins, but fought way too long and picked up some unnecessary losses that hurt his record.

Evander twice beat Tyson, who was the monster of his era. Sonny, however, lost twice to Ali, who was the biggest name he shared the ring with. Sonny was more consistent overall, but Evander was an overachiever with much more championship success, both at heavyweight and crusierweight.

It's really apples and oranges to compare. It depends on how you evaluate greatness.

But if I had to rank them I'd rank Sonny above Evander but not by much. Head to head Sonny had more success and lost fights less often than Holyfield did. Liston only lost four times. Marty Marshall broke Liston's jaw, a fight that Sonny understandably lost. Sonny's last loss was to Leotis Martin as an old fighter. Sonny's only huge losses were to Ali. I can forgive that.  

​
Before I start, remember that Evander is famous for standing up to bullies. He thrived on standing up to bigger men and surprising them. Sonny is just that kind of bully. There would be no fear from Holyfield.

Ring The Bell!!!!!

Ultimately, it depends on which Evander we put in the ring with Liston. The 1990 version of Evander that swiftly defeated Buster Douglas would get blown away by a peak Sonny Liston. At 28 years old and 208 pounds, Evander was too small. He had great experience as a cruiserweight, but Dokes and Qwai are like puppies compared to Liston. Besides, if Evander was hurt so bad by Bert Cooper, I'm sure Sonny would have damn near killed him.

But what about the older Evander from 1997? To me, this was the best Holyfield. He had bulked up tremendously, gained much more experience by this time, and could find a way to beat almost anybody. His best performance as a heavyweight in my opinion was his 1997 WBA/IBF Heavyweight Championship fight with Michael Moorer.

Evander never looked better on that night. He never punched harder and maintained his punch accuracy. He floored Moorer 5 times, and outsmarted him consistently once he figured out Moorer's fight patterns.

Even more impressive is that this was a clean win. No headbutts, no football tackles, nothing illegal. On that night, Evander combined the ring smarts of Ali and the vicious attack of Jack Dempsey. Perfect.

Now this version of Evander would give Sonny a fight!!

​Liston would make himself vulnerable by lunging with that long powerful left hook of his, leaving himself open to counter-punches, which is what Holyfield excelled at. It would be the phantom punch scenario all over again.

Sonny may temporarily hurt Evander a time or two, but Evander had the chin to recover fast and the wits to fight back or clinch to survive. Knowing that the left hook, jab and right uppercut were his most powerful blows, Evander would neutralize them using angles and clinches just as he did against Tyson.

I see Evander discouraging Liston throughout the fight with his mobility and combinations of hooks and uppercuts to the body and head. Evander also had much better stamina than Liston, hurting the Big Bear's chances if the fight went the distance. Sonny didn't necessarily fade during the later rounds, but he gradually became less effective the longer the fight went.

Eventually a frustrated Liston gets dropped by a perfectly timed counter-punch, and refuses to get up.

​Evander Holyfield Wins By 9th Round TKO

​“I am the hardest hitting puncher in boxing history, period.”

-Deontay Wilder. (WBC Heavyweight Champion, November 2019)

Easy there, fella. I really wish there was a George Chuvalo around right now to test Wilder's theory. I like Wilder, but all of this talk about his power is too premature.

Look, Wilder can punch. But he's not on the Foreman level. Did any of you see that punching bag in Zaire when Foreman pounded it? I've never seen any heavyweight punch like that. That's power on a whole 'nother level. Don't compare Wilder's power to Foreman. Don't even compare it to Earnie Shavers.

If I had to compare Wilder's power to anybody, it'd be someone like Razor Ruddick or Max Baer. I'm not even convinced that Wilder punches as hard as someone like Tommy Morrison or David Tua. Wilder is a giant heavyweight who has great accuracy. He has an easier time getting his punch to the target than the shorter men who have to swarm their way inside. Wilder can catch you coming in. This, and a lack of great competition, is how his impressive knockout percentage culminated. 

George Foreman recently stated that Joe Louis, Mike Tyson and Joe Frazier hit harder than Wilder. While all three of those men are among the all-time great sluggers, I disagree that Louis and Frazier hit harder than Wilder. I'll get to Tyson in a minute.

On the boxing section of this website, I started a thread a few years ago asking if Fight Night Champion Protagonist Andre Bishop was a real boxer, would he be an all-time great? The discussion among fans is pretty divided, both stating good opinions on why he is or isn't. However, one way to determine if he was the real deal or not is to see how he does head to head with some of the greatest heavyweight champions. 

Muhammad Ali would embarrass Andre the way he did most of his opponents. Too fast, too pretty. Andre was a very capable boxer, but what does he bring to the table that could help him beat Muhammad Ali? For starters, I don't see how Andre could cope with Ali's speed. Granted, Andre would be too smart to wear himself out trying to blast Ali with lunging haymakers the way Sonny Liston did. I don't think Andre would leave himself open for too many counters. But he would lack offensive opportunities against Ali. No way does Andre knock Ali out, especially considering Ali had one of the best chins of all time and Andre was not the world's biggest slugger. Andre would not give up, but I see Ali winning a boring decision over Andre, who would patiently try to press and catch Ali but not land enough punches to make a dent or score points.

Winner: Muhammad Ali by unanimous decision

Andre would show a lot of heart against Rocky Marciano, but that may be the exact thing that gets him killed. I would personally pick Andre to beat a lot of sluggers. But not Marciano. Unlike Isaac Frost, Marciano would not tire. No matter what strategy Andre attempts, Rocky is going to keep coming. To make another Isaac Frost comparison, Isaac got weaker and weaker as the fight progressed; Marciano had a habit of getting stronger. Due to Andre being a counter-puncher, it is possible that he takes advantage of Rocky's crude swings and hurts him with counters. Like Ezzard Charles, Andre could alternate between brawling and countering, which frustrated Rocky to a degree because he didn't know what to expect at any time. That would be Andre's best strategy.

But Andre never faced anyone quite like Rocky. Both guys had heart, but Rocky's was bigger. I don't see Rocky giving in and staying on the floor in a fight against Raymond Bishop the way Andre did. I dunno. This would be a fast-paced war of attrition that Andre would not be prepared for. I see Andre doing OK against Rocky in the early rounds, but once Rocky finds his rhythm, Andre would be unable to keep Rocky off of him and would take a beating, leading to a late round stoppage. I imagine this fight would be similar to Rocky's fights with Archie Moore and Ezzard Charles.

Winner: Rocky Marciano by TKO during the late rounds

I don't see any way for Andre Bishop to beat Joe Louis. He may surprise him with a good right hand, but that wouldn't be enough. Joe was arguably the best finisher of all time, sometimes setting you up for the knockout as early as round 1 and you wouldn't know it. In each round he's working you over at his own subtle pace.

​Joe would sometimes end things early if his opponent hurt him (Tony Galento, Max Baer) or if he viewed him as a threat - (Max Schmeling, John Henry Lewis, Buddy Baer, etc). Given Andre's reputation for winning fights with a broken hand, knocking out Isaac Frost, I believe Louis would see him as a threat and not waste time once the bell rings.

Once The Brown Bomber hurts Andre with his first significant punch, it would be the beginning of the end. That's when Louis would put his finishing blows together and put Andre to sleep. Andre can't out-slug Louis nor can he out-box him. Andre may get a good lick in here or there, but this fight only lasts as long as Joe wants it to.

Winner: Joe Louis by Knockout

I think Andre is capable of beating Lennox Lewis, just as the old version of Holyfield nearly did in late '99. I'm not saying it would be an easy task, however. Andre would have to get past the long telephone pole jab of Lewis and be aware of that right hand or uppercut when he gets in range.

But I feel that Andre could be smart enough to pull off a victory here. Lewis had a habit of abandoning his jab when guys repeatedly hit him in the body. (See his battle with Ray Mercer and his rematch with Holyfield for references). If he employs a constant body attack early on, Andre would be able to manipulate Lennox into a close-range brawl, which works to Andre's advantage. It's possible that maybe he'd counter Lewis and sneak something past him to get a knockout, but most likely he'd win a close decision in a toe to toe war. If old Holyfield and Ray Mercer could nearly push Lewis to the brink by forcing him into a shoot-out, then I think Andre has a real chance here.

Winner: Andre Bishop by decision, but it could just as easily go the other way.

This would be basically the same as my prediction on a bout between Andre and Rocky Marciano. Joe Frazier would be swarming all over Andre. I doubt Andre would be able to fend off an attack from Smokin' Joe.  Watch Joe Frazier at his peak during the years 1970-71. The way he cut the ring, combined with the fierce and relentless tenacity of his attack, makes him one of the best heavyweights ever. He fought at such a frantic pace that not many guys would survive.

Like Marciano, Frazier does not tire. So any hope of wearing Frazier down for a late stoppage is futile. Andre doesn't have the big punch of a George Foreman to stop Joe, and he's not built for a nose-to-nose 15 round slugfest with him either. Joe works him over with big hooks and body attacks, eventually stopping him with a thunderous left hook. Andre would be too battered and beaten to continue.

Winner : Joe Frazier by late TKO

I don't see Andre being able to cope with Larry's jab, stamina and toughness, both mental and physical. With big wins over men such as Shavers, Cooney, Norton, Witherspoon, etc, Larry has enough experience under his belt to make Andre look like an amateur. I just don't see Andre posing a threat to him unless he exposes Larry's weakness of dropping his left hand after the jab and cracking him with an overhand right. But if Larry could survive a near-fatal knockdown from Shavers (and keep in mind that it took THREE knockdowns from a peak Tyson to keep Larry down) then Andre doesn't have a puncher's chance of stopping Larry. Larry would give Andre a boxing lesson and Andre would not be able to keep up.

Winner: Larry Holmes by unanimous decision

Two counter-punchers. In this fight, Andre would be forced to fight as the aggressor. He can't sit back and try to counter Johnson. He'd have to lead, and it wouldn't go well for him. Jack (like Ali and Louis) has too much in his bag of tricks for Andre, who would be in far over his head in this fight.

But on the other foot, Andre has a puncher's chance against Johnson, who had a suspect chin. I think Johnson would slap Andre silly for the most part, but Andre has a puncher's chance and had a history of outsmarting some of this opponents. Would it work against Johnson? I'm not sure. Johnson might just be too tricky for Andre. But in a 12-15 round fight, Andre would find a way to set up the big punch he needs.

Winner: Andre Bishop by knockout

 Evander Holyfield is probably the best heavyweight to compare Andre to. Both guys had great strategies and ring intellect to make up for their lack of size, both were natural counter-punchers, and both achieved huge shock victories as underdogs. But Evander had more experience than Andre. Much more. And he beat much better competition than Andre, whose biggest victory was over Isaac Frost. The Evander Holyfield of '96-97 would find a way to beat Andre in a competitive fight while it lasts. The well-conditioned Andre Bishop who defeated Isaac Frost was a very patient fighter who has a legit chance against almost anyone, but the Evander Holyfield who demolished Mike Tyson and Michael Moorer in the late '90s was a more proven warrior with enough ring experience to get the win.

Winner: Evander Holyfield by TKO during the late rounds.

To make it short, the Klitschkos would beat Andre. They were a little too patient for Andre to find anything to play off of. While Isaac Frost was similar in size to the Klitschkos, he fought a predictable and stupid fight, trying to blast Andre out of the ring during the early rounds. The Klitschkos would bide their time and counter. With a lack of punches to counter and play off, Andre wouldn't be able to bring anything to the dance. He would be on the outside of their long jabs all night. Andre could attempt to work them over with body shots, a'la Isaac Frost, but the Klitschkos wear their trunks up so high that he might get disqualified for "hitting low." There's just too much against Andre in a battle with these guys. He loses by decision or maybe a knockout if the Klitschkos decide to later in the fight.

I realize that Wlad and Vitali are two different fighters and fans of theirs may be offended that I grouped them together. After all, Vitali is a more awkward fighter, but has the better chin and is more comfortable in a slugfest if the opportunity arises. Wlad, on the other hand, is more of the classic boxer-puncher type. He arguably hits harder than his brother, but doesn't take a punch as well and avoids aggressive encounters as much as possible. But to save time here, the Klitschkos would beat Andre the same way, which is why I put them together in this list.

Winners: The Klitschkos by Unanimous Decision or late TKO

Sorry to group these guys together, as they all had different styles. But I'm confident that Andre knocks them all out. Foreman and Liston were big, crude men who hit like trucks. But they could be outsmarted (as Muhammad Ali proved) and they faded during the later rounds. Ultimately, Andre facing them would be repeats of his battle with Isaac Frost.

​Max Baer had better stamina than Liston and Foreman, but his crude haymakers would leave him open for counters from Andre.

Tyson and Dempsey were smaller than Baer, Liston and Foreman, but they were at their best during the early rounds. Andre was smart enough to avoid getting caught up during their early blitz and would take them apart when they slow down after round 4 or 5.

Winner: Andre Bishop by late knockout

​I realize that Andre is a fictional video game character and these fights naturally will never happen, but the guy was quite tough. I have him going 7-8 against the top heavyweight champions of all time, which isn't terrible by any means. And I pick him to put on a good show against most of the men that would beat him. Also, here is the thread on my boxing site where we discuss Andre's legacy. If you're a Fight Night Champion fan, take a look and share your thoughts!

Larry Holmes is seriously underrated. It's a real shame, because he was a terrific talent during his era. Why is he overlooked? For starters, he reigned during the early 80s, sandwiching himself right between the eras of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, two of the most popular boxers ever. And secondly, he didn't have any memorable rivalries in the squared circle. He beat Gerry Cooney, Tim Witherspoon, Earnie Shavers, and many others. But chances are, if you're not a boxing fanatic like myself, you probably haven't heard of these people!!

Despite that, Larry was an outstanding fighter. Countless historians share the opinion that Larry had the best left jab in the history of the sport. Many of Larry's adversaries found themselves fighting the jab rather than Larry himself. Holmes could also brawl when he needed to. (Watch his slugfest with Ken Norton) He had a strong chin, evidenced by the fact that he survived a thunderous blow from Earnie Shavers; even rising from the canvas to knock him out. It took a prime Mike Tyson three knockdowns to keep Larry on the canvas. (Larry was destroyed by Tyson while making an ill-advised comeback in 1988.) After the loss to Tyson, Holmes regained steam by out-boxing younger fighters like Ray Mercer and Butterbean. The Easton Assassin retired for good in 2002.

2014 Update: Check out my recent interview with Larry Holmes and hear his thoughts on his fights with Tyson, Ali, Norton, Shavers and others.

Joe Louis is regarded by many historians as the best heavyweight of all time. Most boxing writers have Mr. Louis or Muhammad Ali at the top of their all time lists. Don't let his babyface in the picture fool you. I've seen Louis fight, and I can see why he's awarded so much praise. He was almost the perfect fighter--lightning quick hands, dynamite power in both hands, beautiful combinations, and great countering and boxing ability. Louis held the championship for almost 12 years with 25 title defenses. Jimmy Braddock (who lost the World Title to Louis) said that Louis' jab felt like "an electric light bulb being smashed in your face." The Brown Bomber conquered a diverse array of opponents, from giants like Buddy Baer and Primo Carnera, to slicksters like Billy Conn and Jersey Joe Walcott, and murderous sluggers like Max Baer and "Two-Ton" Tony Galento. All of these men were knocked out before the 15th round.

Joe Louis was terrific, but I have my reservations. He was often put on the canvas by punchers who are not in the league of the boxers I'll mention later in my countdown. Jersey Joe Walcott, Max Schmeling, Buddy Baer, Jimmy Braddock, and some of the others who decked Louis do not compare to George Foreman or Mike Tyson in terms of punching power. If Louis was hurt by 195 pound fighters like Walcott, I don't know how he would survive against the power of modern heavyweights, all of whom are well over 200 pounds. I'm not saying that Joe would definitely lose to guys like Foreman or Liston, but he'd have to knock them out first. It's essential. I know Joe had the power to put them to sleep, but I also see them hurting Joe pretty bad if they catch him. Could Joe Louis cope with the long jab and brute power of Lennox Lewis? Perhaps he could, but again, I'd have to see it happen.

Plus, Louis said himself that he hated to be crowded and smothered, which is certainly what Joe Frazier or Mike Tyson would do to him. I don't see Louis maintaining his composure against a swarming Jack Dempsey attack, either. Although Louis was over the hill when he fought Marciano, I feel that Rocky's smothering style would have troubled him anyway. In fact, I'd give any pressure fighter a good chance at knocking out Louis, mainly because he didn't cope well with pressure. With his flat-footed stance, he was relatively easy to maul over to the ropes and pound on. 

Famously, the Brown Bomber also had trouble with "stick and move" fighters like Billy Conn, Bob Pastor, and Jersey Joe Walcott. However, he knocked them dead when he caught them. Because of his style, Muhammad Ali would also give Louis trouble, but Louis would likely stop him late. 

Joe Louis was great, but I'm convinced that a few modern fighters would take advantage of his vulnerabilities.

2017 Update: Looking back, I ranked Louis waaaaay too low here. My main reasoning was that he was dropped regularly by 195 pound men like Jersey Joe Walcott, Jim Braddock, etc. This, coupled his relatively small size, made me uncomfortable predicting him to beat guys like Lennox Lewis, for example.

But watching Louis destroy giants like (Buddy) Baer, Primo Carnera, etc, shows me that Louis had the speed and the punch to destroy modern monsters as well. Lewis, the Klitschkos, Bowe, etc, are better boxers than the giants Louis KO'd, but Louis had the speed and attack to get them first, and he knew how to weave his way past a jab and get to the body and land his barrages. Seeing how Louis destroyed men of all sizes and styles, (and almost always by knockout) I should have ranked him #2 behind Muhammad Ali. 

Right under Joe Louis, I've listed the man who retired him...The undefeated Rocky Marciano. Rocky is perhaps the most overrated and underrated boxer of all time. He was a small guy, (5'10, 187 pounds) but he had freakish power. He could knock you out cold with either hand. Rocky's record is 49-0 with 43 wins by knockout. He often threw wild, looping punches that sometimes missed, but he had such a tornado of an onslaught that it really didn't matter--you couldn't protect yourself from his attack. Rocky threw punches from all angles, and unloaded so many that countering him wasn't easy. Ask Archie Moore.

One thing about Rocky is that he always found a way to win. He certainly had some close calls, especially against Jersey Joe Walcott and Ezzard Charles. But he managed to gather himself and knock them both out. That's what a true heavyweight champion is supposed to do. The Rock applied constant pressure to his opponents. He went into each fight with superb conditioning, endless stamina, and a will to win. The Rock didn't take any fight lightly. He didn't duck anyone, either. In a time of racial divide, Rocky took on every top ranked black heavyweight. He didn't fear anyone in the ring, no matter how big, slick, or skilled they were. He had the courage and the punch to scramble anybody. 

Most other heavyweight champions got lazy or unfocused at some point and lost a fight they shouldn't have lost. Not Rocky. Some critics say that Rocky fought weak competition. While it's true that he didn't fight the high class competition of Muhammad Ali or Lennox Lewis, he fought some decent contenders when you really examine them. Rex Layne, Henry Matthews, Roland LaStarza, Carmine Vingo-- all of these guys were good fighters. (They might even be in the top ten if they were fighting today). Archie Moore and Ezzard Charles were great light-heavyweight fighters, but folded when they stepped up to fight heavyweights. Jersey Joe Walcott had a late prime, (he was fighting the best fight of his career against Marciano until he got cracked) and Joe Louis was still somewhat of a threat despite being 37 years old when he fought Rocky. The Brown Bomber was still fundamentally sound. I have no problem saying that Rocky Marciano was the greatest of all time. I just feel that the men coming up on my list would have likely stopped him. However, you can never count Rocky Marciano out against anyone. 

Smokin' Joe Frazier is one of my personal favorite fighters. I named my dog after this guy for a reason!!! He's an exciting fighter to watch. He was a relentless brawler who made his opponents miss by bobbing and weaving while he countered with his own power shots. He stayed in close on his opponents, smothering them and not giving them any time or space to counter. Frazier had the perfect style to trouble the swift-moving Muhammad Ali. Frazier cut the ring on him and banged him in the body, which slowed his speed. With his bullying style and fierce left hook, Frazier would have cleaned up any era of boxing. His only losses were to Ali and the powerful George Foreman. 

Note: I view Rocky Marciano and Joe Frazier as equals. They're really the same fighter, but it's hard to say who is better. Frazier had faster hands, but relied on his left hook for his knockouts. He was also a more accurate puncher than Marciano. Rocky was lighter than Frazier, but a harder puncher. Marciano could get the job done with either hand, but was prone to cut easy. Both men applied relentless pressure, worked the body, cut the ring, and got stronger as the fight progressed. They both had endless stamina and could take a punch. I guess it's a matter of opinion who was the greater fighter. 

2013 Update: Whew boy. I feel basically the same, although I give Frazier a slight edge. Frazier fought at the pace of Henry Armstrong. For a heavyweight to fight at such a fast pace is amazing. If Frazier and Marciano would fight each other, I feel that Frazier would beat Rocky to the punch in most exchanges because his hands were quicker and more accurate. Both guys were tough but I think the smoke would be victorious against the hard rock from Brockton.

2014 Update: If you're a Frazier fan, check out my interview with his son, Marvis Frazier!!

One word describes Jack Dempsey...ruthless. The man was Mike Tyson's hero. Here's a guy who used to literally fight for food while living as a hobo. His massacre over the giant 6'6 Jess Willard has to be seen to be believed. Jack's left hook was a fast and explosive weapon.(The first left hook he threw against Willard broke his jaw in seven places). He also possessed a chilling right hand, and was a durable fighter. Jack was as tough as they come. He paved the way for the other swarming brawlers in his wake, including Joe Frazier, Rocky Marciano, and of course, Mike Tyson.

The Manassa Mauler was the "Mike Tyson" of the 1920s. Like Tyson, Dempsey steamrolled his opponents at the opening bell and allegedly has more first round knockouts than anyone else. (Not all of his fights are on record). In fact, boxing's first million dollar gate was attributed to Dempsey's popularity. Everyone wanted to see this kid fight. Luis Firpo knocked Dempsey out of the ring, but Dempsey jumped back through the ropes to knock him out. The fight had 11 knockdowns in only two rounds before Jack ended it. Phenomenal. 

Unfortunately, Dempsey went Hollywood soon after winning the heavyweight crown. By the time he returned to the ring years later, he wasn't the same fighter, and was easy pickings for Gene Tunney. After retiring, Dempsey trained other sluggers like Tony Galento and Max Baer, but none of his proteges could live up to Jack's success. In his prime, Dempsey was certainly one of the best ever.

2013 Update: Not much has changed here. I'm a fan of Dempsey but I wish the fight footage of him was better. The grainy fight films make it difficult to analyze him. For example, the late boxing historian Bert Sugar once stated that Dempsey had a quicker and "more ferocious" left hook than Joe Frazier. How can you prove that by watching such bad quality fight films? I wish better footage existed so I could analyze him better. It's hard to enjoy a fight when there are frames missing.

Lennox Lewis impresses me more than any of the other fighters. (No, it's not because we wear the same hairstyle.) LOL. Lewis could do it all. He could use his long jab and reach to punish you from the distance, or he could mix it up and brawl with you. He had crushing power in both hands, and his uppercut was on par with George Foreman. Not only could the 6'5 Lewis adapt to any situation, but he beat some quality opponents during his reign. Tommy Morrison, Riddick Bowe, David Tua, Evander Holyfield, Andrew Golota, Michael Grant, Shannon Briggs, Vitali Klitshko, Frank Bruno, Razor Ruddock, Mike Tyson, Franis Botha, Ray Mercer, Oliver McCall, Hasim Rahman, and countless others. 

There's only one reason why I can't put Lewis as my number 1 Heavyweight....his chin. Lewis was knocked out twice by a single punch. He avenged those losses, yes, but his chin always kept me on the edge of my seat. With a shaky beard like that, it's difficult to rank him. For example, Rocky Marciano could knock Lewis dead with one shot if he caught him clean. 

Other than his questionable ability to take a punch, Lewis was great. He only suffered two defeats. He even unified all three heavyweight titles when he defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999. He finished his career by knocking out Mike Tyson in 2002, and stopping current WBC title-holder, Vitali Klitshcko in 2003. Lennox Lewis is the last Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of The World.

2013 Update: I've somewhat changed my views on his chin. He took some big punches from sluggers like Ray Mercer, David Tua, Tommy Morrison, Vitali Klitschko, Shannon Briggs and many others. When McCall KO'd Lewis, his balance was poor and he didn't see the punch coming. You could argue that the stoppage was premature. As for the Rahman knockout, I'm sure that punch would have put many other former champions to sleep, too. As Lewis bounced off the ropes, the punch broke through his guard and destroyed him. It's one of the more devastating one-punch knockouts I've seen. In both of Lewis' knockout defeats his balance was bad. His chin is better than I originally stated, but not good enough to survive against....

Big George Foreman is another all time great. His punching power was frightening. He won the heavyweight title by easily destroying Joe Frazier in two rounds. He then gave Ken Norton a similar beating. But, he lost his status as an invincible fighter when he was KO'd by Muhammad Ali in 1974. He retired after another shocking loss; this time to Jimmy Young in 1977. George became a born-again Christian after that fight and started preaching. Incredibly, he returned to the ring in 1987 and won the heavyweight title again by knocking out Michael Moorer in 1994, exactly 20 years after losing it to Ali. (He even wore the same trunks, mind you.)

Ironically, I think the old version of George Foreman is more dangerous than the prime one. Young George had stamina problems (something exploited by Ali) and threw wild, looping punches that could be countered. The older George didn't have these issues. He developed a heavy jab reminiscent of his idol, Sonny Liston. His punches were now short and compact. He even put together effective combinations. Remarkably, he was never knocked off his feet during his second career. The mature George surprised many people by giving Tommy Morrison, Shannon Briggs and Evander Holyfield a lot of trouble in their primes. I suggest watching Foreman's fight with Ron Lyle on youtube. Both men hit the canvas several times. Lots of action. Probably the most exciting fight since Jack Dempsey-Luis Firpo.

Next up is the man Muhammad Ali referred to as "The Big Ugly Bear." Charles "Sonny" Liston was one of the greatest fighters to step foot into the ring. Like Joe Louis before him and Mike Tyson after him, Liston often had fights won before the opening bell. His scowling stare intimidated many fighters, especially Floyd Patterson, whom Liston destroyed twice within one round and took his title. Liston had a long, powerful jab and a thunderous left hook. In short, Sonny could knock you out with any punch he chose to throw, including his jab. Chuck Wepner fought an emerging George Foreman and a declining Sonny Liston. The contender revealed that the 40 something year-old Sonny punched harder than the 22 year-old Foreman. Wow.

Several mysteries surround Sonny Liston. No one knows his age, no one knows how he died. Heck, people still debate over what hand he wrote with! Liston's career was derailed when he lost two controversial fights to Muhammad Ali. However, despite his age, he was making a successful comeback and had a long string of knockouts before his untimely death.

Everybody knows the man pictured above. In fact, everybody knows how "pretty" he is and how he's "the greatest of all time." Muhammad Ali was light-years ahead of everyone else. To this day, boxers are inspired by him, adopting his "stick and move" strategies and shuffles. But no one comes near him. Ali lacked true knockout power, but he had the fastest hands of all the heavyweights. He had the legs of a dancer, often floating or skipping out of harm's way. He had a solid chin as well. Honestly, who else could lay on the ropes and let George Foreman punch him repeatedly for several rounds? 

NOTE: No fighter was perfect, and Muhammad Ali was no different. He made mistakes in the ring that would have gotten him killed by certain boxers. He fought with his hands down low, he leaned back to avoid punches, and he couldn't block a jab. Fighters like Joe Frazier and Ken Norton punished Ali for these mistakes. Ali also didn't know how to cut the ring or fight as the aggressor. (Watch his fights with Doug Jones and Jimmy Young) 

Muhammad Ali was a great fighter, but people overlook his flaws. People never talk about the fact that he ducked George Foreman, never giving him the rematch he deserved. Wonder why? Because Big George wouldn't fall for the "rope-a-dope" trick twice. Ali would inevitably have to meet George in center ring and slug it out. In the 1970s, Ali didn't have the speed to allude Foreman, so he would have been clobbered and seriously hurt. Don't get me wrong. Ali did great things for boxing. He brought theatre to the sport. I enjoy him as much as everyone else. But is he the "greatest of all time?" I doubt it.

2013 Update: I still stand by this for the most part. However, I've changed my mind about the outcome of an Ali-Foreman rematch. Following his loss to Ali in Zaire, George became obsessed with maintaining his stamina and was hesitant to "pull the trigger" during his fights after 1974. I still feel that George wouldn't fall for the rope-a-dope again, but he'd be too afraid to let loose. Ali would get a comfortable decision over an insecure Foreman who would be too tense to let his fists fly.

Regarding Muhammad Ali, I have a high level of respect for what he did during the 1960s concerning Civil Rights and his religion. But in the ring, I'd still pick several guys to beat him, even at his best. Ali's speed on hand and foot was tremendous but he wasn't untouchable even during his prime. During the 1960s, George Chuvalo landed plenty of body shots and even stunned Ali with a right cross. (Watch the 13th round for the right hand I'm talking about). Karl Mildenberger and Henry Cooper also caught Ali with great shots but couldn't finish him. These guys were decent fighters at best and even they had success catching Ali. Even at his peak, Ali fought with his hands down low, leaned his head back from punches and couldn't parry or block a jab. 

In the 1970s, Ali received gift decisions in the fights with Ken Norton, Jimmy Young, and the 1974 fight with Frazier. You could also argue that Earnie Shavers was robbed in his fight with Ali as well. I think people are caught up in the excitement and legend of Muhammad Ali more than anything else. He was an outstanding fighter. But if we're talking head to head, was he the best of all time? No. That award goes to....

Head to head, Mike Tyson is the greatest of all time. If you fought Tyson during 1985-1988 with Kevin Rooney in his corner, you were in trouble. What made the young Tyson special was his technique. We know he was a powerful puncher, but the guy was intelligent. Bobbing and weaving, he was a hard target to hit cleanly. Once you miss, he'd counter you, and it's over in a heartbeat. Not only could he destroy you with either hand, but he also threw devastating combinations. My personal favorite was when he threw a right hand to the body, and then came up the middle with an uppercut from the same hand. 

Trained by the late Cus D'Amato, Tyson adopted the crouching style of Floyd Patterson, but combined it with Sonny Liston's power and Jack Dempsey's aggression. Tyson also had quick hand speed and scary punching accuracy. This, juxtaposed to his bone-crushing power, made him one explosive puncher. 

With Kevin Rooney in his corner, the self-confident 19 year-old Mike Tyson would smash most of the other Heavyweight legends during a head-on collision in the ring. Does he beat Ali? I think so. We saw what Joe Frazier did to Ali--he had him pissing blood. He also had him on the verge of quitting in The Thrilla In Manilla. Mike Tyson was a bigger, faster, and more talented version of Smokin Joe. Like Frazier, Tyson would cut the ring, corner Ali against the ropes, and bang him in the ribs. Tyson would slip the swift Ali jab, get inside, and land some crushing counters. Like I mentioned earlier, Muhammad fought with his hands down--not smart against Tyson. Ali said himself on the Arsenio Hall Show that Tyson would put him to sleep if he caught him. 

On the rare occasions when an opponent remained on his feet, Mike stayed on them, relentlessly pressing and battering them to get the decision. Watch his fights with Tony Tucker and Mitch Green. 

To be objective, I only see George Foreman or possibly Sonny Liston giving a peak Mike Tyson any real trouble. Things began to go south for Tyson in 1988 when he fired Kevin Rooney, hired Promoter Don King, and married Robin Givens. He lost focus, and things deteriorated from there. 

Tyson's youth was his blessing as well as his curse. He got too much, too quick. Less than five years after robbing people, he was the Heavyweight Champion of The World. The leeches, the women, the money, the fame; all of it came to Tyson before he was mature enough to handle it all. Tyson's prime was only five years, but during that time period, he ruled the heavyweight division with an iron fist.

Everyone knows that Tyson began to lack stamina and self-confidence later in his career. He crumbled like a cookie when his opponents stood up to him and fought back. But I'm not talking about that version of Mike Tyson. You can't compare the sensational 20 year-old Mike Tyson to the insecure 30 year-old version. 

To really evaluate Mike Tyson, watch him during 1985-1988. He became the youngest Heavyweight Champion of all time. He was also the first fighter to unify all three World Heavyweight Championships. During that time period, he was the best fighter ever. I don't think we'll ever see a specimen like that again.

Recap:

10)Larry Holmes
9)Joe Louis
8)Rocky Marciano
7)Joe Frazier
6)Jack Dempsey
5)Lennox Lewis
4)George Foreman
3)Sonny Liston
2)Muhammad Ali
1)Mike Tyson

Here's a list of the fighters who almost made the list, but fell short. I'll briefly explain why.

Jack Johnson-- Everyone on this list would knock him out.

Evander Holyfield--Too inconsistent as a fighter. Struggled with old Foreman and Holmes. Lost to Moorer, Bowe, Ruiz and others.

Floyd Patterson--Skilled fighter, but had a glass jaw. Too many losses.

David Tua--My favorite boxer. He never lived up to his potential, though. Never won a world championship.

2017 Updates: My views have flip-flopped a lot over the years. I have a new list (head to head) and it's almost nothing like the list I wrote here several years ago. Without further adieu..

1) Muhammad Ali - His speed and toughness would allow him to prevail over anyone. 1964-67 Ali was light years ahead of everyone else, and I don't see anyone beating him, much less stopping him.

2) Joe Louis - He was mean, and combined fierce accuracy, speed and explosive power. I don't care how big you are; you will fall when Joe Louis has you hurt. He was also an intelligent ring general, setting you up for a big finish as early as round 1. 

3) Lennox Lewis - Basically a bigger and slower version of Joe Louis in some ways. When Lewis is focused, chances are you're not going to beat him. 

4) Vitali Klitschko - Lewis fought better competition, which is why he gets the nod over Vitali in my book. But Vitali's size and awkwardness would overcome the rest of the guys I'm about to mention.

5) Larry Holmes - Great jab and movement. Tough guy.

6) George Foreman - Need I say more?

7) Mike Tyson - Tyson drops much lower than I had him initially. He never lived up to his full potential and lost his legacy fights. These days I'm more into facts than the hypothical "What if's." For different reasons, Tyson blew it. But his speed and power make him a huge threat to anyone.

8) Sonny Liston - One bad mutha.

9) Wladimir Klitschko -Wlad was a monster in his own right. But his chin lowers his ranking here. Any of these guys above could slay him if they land.

10) Joe Frazier/Rocky Marciano - These guys were well-conditioned and put their opponents under so much pressure. They're so similar that if they switched eras Frazier would have gone undefeated and Marciano would have lost to Ali and Foreman. They fight like brutal energizer bunnies and make their opponents increasingly uncomfortable.

​Honorable mentions to Jack Dempsey and Evander Holyfield, who were also very capable fighters but not consistent enough to make the final cut.