Greatest Heavyweight Boxing Champion

[anvi]

I'm including who I think are the dozen best candidates.  There are a number of bases you could chose to vote on, like 1.) who would have beat all the others if everyone was in their prime?  2.) who stood up to and beat the toughest opposition during their reign?  3.) who was the best all-around fighter?  Or some combination, of course.

One vote for the best fighter, but you can change your vote.  Bonus points for those who are willing to rank them in their posts.

I'll give my vote and ranking after some people have contributed.

Go.

[DC Al Fine]

In their primes it comes down to Tyson v Ali. The old timers are just too poorly conditioned to compete.

Ali's style is well suited to combating Tyson and he has an amazing chin. Having defeated some extremely hard hitters like Frazier & Foreman, I lean Ali.

[anvi]

In their primes it comes down to Tyson v Ali. The old timers are just too poorly conditioned to compete.

Ali's style is well suited to combating Tyson and he has an amazing chin. Having defeated some extremely hard hitters like Frazier & Foreman, I lean Ali.

Yeah, without giving away my whole hand, I will agree with you about this matchup.  A late 1960's Ali on a night where he fought, say, Cleveland Williams against a Tyson who fought, say, Trevor Berbick for the championship, I'd definitely go with Ali.  Too much speed and ring generalship for the short-armed Tyson, and the chin to withstand close quarters on the few occasions he couldn't tie Iron Mike up.  Ali by late-round knockout or decisive decision.  (By the way, I assume good old-fashioned 15-round fights here.)

[politicus]

In a poll like this more recent fighters have an unfair advantage because they are better known.

I would say Jack Johnson. Ignoring all racial conventions at his time he was also the biggest FF of them all.

[anvi]

Johnson was indeed a major freedom fighter in very literal senses of the term--not too many heavyweight champions are to that degree, but there have been some.  Johnson was also extremely physically imposing and powerful, as well as a very crafty, intelligent fighter.  This is sometimes hard to discern given the quality of old film reels, but is the case. 

[anvi]

My rankings:

12.  Lennox Lewis
11.  Evander Holyfield
10.  Mike Tyson
9.    George Foreman
8.    Jack Johnson
7.    Jack Dempsey
6.    Larry Holmes
5.    Joe Frazier
4.    Gene Tunney
3.    Rocky Marciano 
2.    Muhammad Ali
1.    Joe Louis

[anvi]

Incidentally, I had a very hard time deciding whether to include, as the twelfth possible choice on this list, Lennox Lewis or Jersey Joe Walcott.  Walcott was, as heavyweight champions go, a very historically underrated fighter--highly brilliant ring master, devious--knew how to bait his opponents and fool them in the ring, a rare skill, very fast hands for a heavyweight, great resilience and heart.  Though he was relatively old when he became heavyweight champion, he would have been champion much longer had Rocky Marciano not been around.  In fact, even now, I'm not sure I made the right choice on that twelfth spot.  But Lewis in the end struck me as a naturally gifted and more complete fighter than Walcott, and then way he captured the crown, and in particular the way he completely dominated Tyson, another legitimate heavyweight great in his prime, garnered him the spot in my top dozen in the end.

[anvi]

To me, the final choice between Louis and Ali for the top spot is a true tossup.  Both faced and defeated the greatest opposition of their days, which was relatively more plentiful than for other champions, both were, though with distinctly different styles, almost superhumanly proficient in the ring, and both, in their primes, would have beaten Marciano in his prime--Louis more quickly than Ali.  The dream match is a mid-to-late 1960's Muhammad Ali vs. a late 1930's Joe Louis.  It's entirely realistic to see, provided he can stay away that long, Ali sticking and moving his way to a fifteen round decision.  But Louis' size, his long arms, his own admirable boxing ability, his caginess and patience, made him capable of walking Ali down in a long fifteen rounder.  If Louis had even as little as thirty to forty seconds close to Ali during that fifteen round stretch, he indisputably had enough power to knock Ali down and out (Louis was much more powerful than other fighters who put Ali on the canvas).  I say Louis in a late-round, come-from-behind KO over Ali.