The Greatest Heavyweights Ever

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is ranked as the number one heavyweight of all time. He was undefeated and is remembered for being a fighter that had a lot of skill in the ring. He also had some great charisma and personality traits which made him a crossover superstar. He is also known to have carried his sport into politics at times, making him an influential figure outside the boxing ring as well.

Ali’s most famous fights include his bout with Sonny Liston, George Foreman and Ken Norton. His fight with Foreman earned him the title of The Greatest Heavyweight Ever after he defied medical advice from doctors by fighting him again 6 months after he originally won the title from Foreman.

His popularity and personality traits made him stand out from boxers of his time. And even today, people remember him for what he did in the ring rather than anything else he did outside it.

Jack Dempsey

Jack Dempsey was a two-time heavyweight champion. He was the first boxing champion to hold two titles simultaneously. This is still one of his most notable accomplishments.

Dempsey had a very successful career with a record of 60 wins, 7 losses and 3 draws. When he retired in 1927, Jack Dempsey was ranked as the number one heavyweight contender by both Ring Magazine and Boxing History.

Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano is a great example of a boxer who was able to dominate his opponents. He was the world heavyweight champion in 1956 and retired with an impressive 49-0 record.

Marciano's power, punching speed, and knockout percentage are still considered some of the best in history. He is also one of the few boxers to retire undefeated as a world champion.

In 1952, he knocked out Jersey Joe Walcott to become heavyweight champion.

In 1953, he defended his title against Walcott before retiring because he wanted to go out while still on top of his game. This decision was wise because he never lost another fight!

George Foreman

George Foreman, the youngest boxer on this list, started his career in amateur boxing when he was only 18 years old. He went from being an unknown fighter to a heavyweight champion in 2 short years. His rise to fame is a story for the ages as George Foreman switched from an unknown fighter to a heavyweight champion in just 2 short years.

He won the gold medal at the Olympics and then turned professional soon after. As a professional, George Foreman had one of the best records in heavyweight history with an 89% knockout percentage and 68 wins out of 76 fights. When he retired, he was undefeated and had never been knocked down or even seriously hurt while fighting.

Lennox Lewis

The best heavyweight boxer ever is Lennox Lewis. Lewis was born in 1962 and grew up in Great Britain. He first became a professional boxer after he won the gold medal at the 1988 Olympics. To win this, Lewis had to defeat a tough opponent named Tyrell Biggs during the championship match.

Lewis had a great career as a heavyweight and even won four of his fights by knockout. He also holds the record for being one of only two boxers to have beaten Evander Holyfield twice. His only loss came against Vitali Klitschko in 2003, who is also on this list! The other fighter that Lennox Lewis fought and beat more than anyone else is Mike Tyson, with three wins out of six battles.

Lewis retired from boxing in 2004 after he lost his title belt to Vitali Klitschko, but if you ask boxing fans who their favorite heavyweight champion is, most will say Lennox Lewis!

Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson is the youngest man on this list of great heavyweights. He became a professional boxer in 1985 and he was undefeated until 1989 when he fought Buster Douglas. The fight went on to be the most shocking upset in boxing history. Since then, Tyson has been one of the most famous boxers of all time.

Tyson had an incredible start to his career and was just getting warmed up when he fought Douglas in 1990. He was 27 years old at that time and had never lost a match. When he lost to Douglas, it ended his reign as undisputed champion of the world, which is an incredible feat for any boxer let alone someone who's only 27 years old. He would continue fighting for another decade but never regained the form and glory he once had in the ring with his quick knockout style that made him so great during his early years.