Greatest Boxers Of All Time ??

[gsb876]

Was looking into this and there seems to be no definitive answer, but of course this is always due to personal opinions.

My top ten list would be as follows:

10 - Manny Pacquaio
9 - Roberto Duran
8 - Jack Dempsey
7 - Sugar Ray Leonard
6 - Mike Tyson
5 - Jack Johnson
4 - Rocky Marciano
3 - Muhammad Ali
2 - Sugar Ray Robinson
1 - Joe Louis

From these the dodgy one is Rocky Marciano, it is widely regarded that his career was laced with the mafia and betting circles meaning that his record may not be all it seems to be.

I am sure many will dispute a certain Tyson as 6th but remember at his peak he destroyed the whole heavyweight division and was champion at 20yrs of age. He also held all 3 belts at the same time and there has never been such a feared fighter in the history of the sport.

Muhammed Ali - for me it comes down to his big mouth, had he not shouted to all the world would he have been considered the greatest at all ? He was a very very good fighter but not the greatest of them all, he even conceded that should he have fought Tyson at his peak he would have lost, many might disagree but the better fight would have been tyson v Foreman

Discuss ?

[jetpilot]

Not a great boxing enthusiast so my knowledge really only extends the era i have been able to see! So i really enjoyed watching obviously Tyson but also enjoyed the middle weight battles of Eubank and Ben etc I know they were probably not the greatest of boxers but when they stepped in the ring you knew sparks would fly! Also really enjoyed Naseem Hamed, but he was just such a coc*y sh*te i always watched to see him get beat, i think his father perhaps annoyed me more though!

I think its just a shame Tyson lost his way as it damaged his career!

[CharlieP]

What about Henry Cooper? He\'d have beaten Ali if they didn\'t let Ali rest!

[BlitzBoy]

I think your Top Ten is what most pundits would pick as well. I would put Louis,Sugar Ray and Ali Equal first. Ali and Louis both should have retired earlier to make an even greater legacy instead of taking the last fights in their career.

[gsb876]

I would say that Mayweather is currently the most gifted boxer out there, but needs the Manny fight to really seal his legacy. Mosley had him wobbled but after that it was an exhibition in boxing finesse.

Loved boxing from a young age and it was the sport i found easiest to get to grips with, not for everyone as you do get hit :o but awesome for fitness.

Manny Pacquiao is a weird one as there is definitely up in that camp as they refused the fight with Mayweather as he wanted more blood testing randomly, say what you want but Manny has increased weight and increased power and durability through 7 weight classifications ? dodgy :Nono!

[gsb876]

What about Henry Cooper? He\'d have beaten Ali if they didn\'t let Ali rest!

Maybe, i have seen that footage but what about the rest of his career ? Nearly beating one of the all time greats does not get you on the all time list dude :Thumbs-up

[turbo boy]

My fave is Joe calzaghe

[Nik da Greek]

If it\'s the greatest boxers OF AL TIME surely Heracles should be in there somewhere?  :p:rollin

[Will66]

Wasn\'t he a wrestler?

[Nik da Greek]

I think he turned his hands to most things, wrestling, boxing, Hydra extermination, cleaning out stables, you name it :Giggle

[Dan Norton]

The Eubank, Watson, Benn, Collins cruiser / middleweight class from the mid nineties are some of the best bouts anyone has ever witnessed.
We had a real golden spell of boxers back then.

I would put Eubank in that top ten Gurj, just for the fact he was a beast before that almost fatal fight with Micheal Watson.

[gsb876]

The only other boxers who might feature in people\'s 10 are:

Chavez
Marvin Hagler
Manny Pacquaio
Willie Pep


For me the likes of Lennox Lewis dont feature because he did not fight the two best fighters of his generation till they were over the hill (Holyfield / Tyson) and he only fought them when he knew he could beat them.

Eubank was good, absolutely no doubt about it but not quite there for the all time top ten which is over any weight category.

[gsb876]

After watching Manny Pacquiao fight last night (morning), i think when he retires he will indeed make the top ten list at perhaps 5th or 6th

Top quality performance last night, Magarito gained some respect back as he took some serious punches but he was simply outclassed. Now i am a Mayweather fan but i think he has done the clever thing and avoided Pacman as i dont think he can beat him :mmmm

[Dan Norton]

Manny\'s speed and variety of punching is phenominal......i watched the two hour special build up (behinds the scenes thing) before the fight and Freddy Roach said it was the worst build up / training camp he\'d had with Manny........simply because there were so many distractions with TV interviews / his congress role etc.

Freddy was getting real fed up at one point, Manny just grinned at him and said "dont worry Freddy, i\'ve beaten this guy before he even steps in the ring".

[gsb876]

watched all of the lead up stuff, very quick and powerful hands