Top 10 boxing heavyweight greats of all-time

(Original Caption) Louis wins by technical knockout in eighth round. New York City: As Champion Joe Louis blocks with his shoulders, Challenger Arturo Godoy misses a right to his face during their title fight in the Yankee Stadium, June 20th. Louis won by a technical knockout in the eighth round. /

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Heavyweight boxing is having a resurgence with the likes of Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, and Tyson Fury. Here are our top 10 boxing heavyweight greats.

Sports fans are always questioning how past champions compare to current superstars. Greatness doesn’t come along often. It would take a specially crafted DeLorean by Doc Brown to pit the best athletes throughout history against each other. Fantasy matchups drive our imaginations to make these comparisons. Unlike team sports, boxing features individual contests of strength, skill, and heart. People argue over the top 10 best boxing heavyweights more than any other division.

Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, and Tyson Fury are the next wave of boxing hopefuls and have reinvigorated heavyweight boxing around the world. Fury and Wilder fought once to a compelling draw, but none of these men will achieve all-time status until they fight each other, and an outlier separates himself from the pack. Regardless, heavyweight boxing is in the public sphere for the first time in a long time.

John L. Sullivan was the first American crowned as the heavyweight boxing champion. ‘The Boston Strong Boy’ fought during the late 1800s when boxing was illegal in most of the United States. In his time, boxing barely resembled the sport we have today. Boxers didn’t wear gloves and fought using the London Prize Ring rules. Today, we use a derivative of the Marquess of Queensberry rules, but they didn’t take over until about 1890.

The first heavyweight title was invented by the American public to celebrate Sullivan in 1887. It has been a staple in American lore and sport ever since.

Boxing was crude in Sullivan’s time. James J. Corbett was the first boxer to fight with more of a modern-day style. Since then, boxing has undergone a metamorphosis from decade to decade.

There are several factors considered when compiling this list. Boxers are judged based on their entire body of work, not just single moments in time. The era of a fighter is also essential. People in the 1920s were smaller and less massive than today. Size is important, but it should be judged based on the time in history a boxer competed. We know a lot more today regarding health science and nutrition.

Here’s who topped the list. Enjoy the show.

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