ESPN's 50 Greatest Boxers

[Mountaineer]

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/greatest/featureVideo?page=greatest150

Even though he fell apart at the end of his career (to put it mildly), but Mike seems kind of low at 50. xconfusedx Same for Roy Jones Jr.

[Gil Dobie]

I'm biased, Ali too low. Robinson was great, but Ali was the Greatest. :D

I always thought Tyson was over-rated. Lots of power, but was more of a streetfighter than a boxer.

[bison95]

No Ray Boom Boom or Marvelous Marvin?????????????????

[poly51]

Rocky Marciano is too low. The only heavy weight champion to never lose. 49-0. He never lost a fight.

[foghorn]

Ali overrated. 56-5 and should be 55-6; Jimmy Young whipped him in a 15 round decision which was a gift given to Ali.xcoffeex
Although we've only seen films of him, Joe Louis was champ for 12 consecutive years, a record of 69-3 and 55 KO's. xthumbsupx

[seantaylor]

Tyson shouldn't even be on this list. He fought in the worst era of heavyweight boxing, late 80's and into the 90's. The only two good fighters he fought(Holyfield and Lewis) beat him like a drum. No Shane Moseley? Hagler should be higher on the list.

[Gil Dobie]

Ali overrated. 56-5 and should be 55-6; Jimmy Young whipped him in a 15 round decision which was a gift given to Ali.xcoffeex
Although we've only seen films of him, Joe Louis was champ for 12 consecutive years, a record of 69-3 and 55 KO's. xthumbsupx

Ali vs Young was a pretty even fight, could have gone either way. The judges gave it to Ali in a landslide. That was in 1976, Ali was 34 years old, and a far cry from the vintage 1960's Cassius Clay, still good though.

[foghorn]

Ali vs Young was a pretty even fight, could have gone either way. The judges gave it to Ali in a landslide. That was in 1976, Ali was 34 years old, and a far cry from the vintage 1960's Cassius Clay, still good though.
Age didn't seem to bother Louis as he was champ for 12 years!!!

[Gil Dobie]

Age didn't seem to bother Louis as he was champ for 12 years!!!

They were both great fighters and probably either one could be the best of all-time. Louis retired in 1948 at the age of 34, with 1 loss. He came back 2 years later and lost to Ezzard Charles. Then he beat 8 slugs and lost to Marciano at the age of 37 and retired again. Not the vintage Louis either.

Ali's last 3 losses were after he was 36, Spinks at 36, Holmes at 38, and Berbick at 39 in 1981.

[EKU05]

As Louisvillian Ali is an icon in this town as you might imagine. Still, I'll agree that he's probably a little overrated.

Interesting story about my home state...

Sports Illustrated named Ali the greatest athlete of the 20th Century in a list they compiled. Then, they allowed each state to vote on the greatest athletes from their own state. In the vote among Kentuckians Ali finished second to DAN ISSEL! (Former basketball star for UK, the Kentucky Colonels (ABA), and the Denver Nuggets. He was also head Coach of the Nuggets for a while).

Interpret that story however you want to...

[*****]

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/greatest/featureVideo?page=greatest150The final list
1. Sugar Ray Robinson
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Henry Armstrong
4. Joe Louis
5. Willie Pep
6. Roberto Duran
7. Benny Leonard
8. Jack Johnson
9. Jack Dempsey
10. Sam Langford
11. Joe Gans
12. Sugar Ray Leonard
13. Harry Greb
14. Rocky Marciano
15. Jimmy Wilde
16. Gene Tunney
17. Mickey Walker
18. Archie Moore
19. Stanley Ketchel
20. George Foreman
21. Tony Canzoneri
22. Barney Ross
23. Jimmy McLarnin
24. Julio Cesar Chavez
25. Marcel Cerdan
26. Joe Frazier
27. Ezzard Charles
28. Jake LaMotta
29. Sandy Saddler
30. Terry McGovern
31. Billy Conn
32. Jose Napoles
33. Ruben Olivares
34. Emile Griffith
35. Marvin Hagler
36. Eder Jofre
37. Thomas Hearns
38. Larry Holmes
39. Oscar De La Hoya
40. Evander Holyfield
41. Ted "Kid" Lewis
42. Alexis Arguello
43. Marco Antonio Barrera
44. Pernell Whitaker
45. Carlos Monzon
46. Roy Jones Jr.
47. Bernard Hopkins
48. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
49. Erik Morales
50. Mike Tyson

[Eyes of Old Main]

A very arbitrary list. I'm not a boxing historian, but some big names from back before my time are not to be seen (Liston, Patterson). For that matter, what about Lennox Lewis?

As for Tyson, he wasn't as skilled or polished as many others and he did fight in a weak generation of heavyweights, but he defined intimidation for a while and changed the way a lot of fighters go about how they setup their strategy. I'd say he belongs on the list, but certainly not much higher.

[GoGuins]

No Ray Boom Boom or Marvelous Marvin?????????????????

Yea, where's Ytown's Boom Boom?

[ngineer]

Hard to compare boxers from different weights, as well as different times. I think Larry Holmes was always given lack of respect. He wasn't polished like Ali and lived in his shadow, but he had tremendous heart. His fight with Ken Norton when they stood toe to toe in the last round was unbelieveable--and Holmes had a torn bicep it was later learned. When he came within one of Marciano's record people didn't want to see him do it, and I was always suspicious of the split decision to Spinks.

[Gil Dobie]

When he came within one of Marciano's record people didn't want to see him do it, and I was always suspicious of the split decision to Spinks.

That's one thing about boxing, never a lack of controversy. xeyebrowx

[HIU 93]

Yea, where's Ytown's Boom Boom?

I'm sorry, but have you seen Miranda fight? I don't think Pavlik can handle the destruction that Miranda dishes out.

[HIU 93]

This list is hot garbage. One and two are fine, but Tyson 50? Hopkins 47? Barrera and Morales on the list, but no Floyd Mayweather? This list stinks.

[andy7171]

For that matter, what about Lennox Lewis?
xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

Say what you want about Tyson today, but in the mid to late 80's and early 90's he was feared by all. To put him at 50 is a joke.
Sugar Ray at 12 is alright, I guess, but to go 20+ spots down to find Hagler and Hearns?

This list belongs in the trash can.

[Cobblestone]

I remember the Ali vs. Jimmy Young fight. I didn't agree with the decision and neither did Ring Magazine.

As for the list, I'm too young to have ever seen Sugar Ray Robinson but I have to say that in films I've seen of him that he was a fighter who was way ahead of his time. He was probably one of the first (maybe THE first) fighter to use any sort of foot work in the ring. His fights against Jake Lamotta are true classics in every sense of the word.

I think Larry Holmes should have been rated much higher, possibly in the top 25. Many people say he didn't beat any name fighters in their prime but he was Heavyweight champ for a long time and I always felt that he beat some good fighters who just didn't look that good against a fighter as talented and quick as he was. It's too bad he got Ali way after he was past his prime. A fight between those two at the highpoint of their careers would have been one for the history books and ESPN Classic. In fact the best fight I ever saw was Larry Holmes vs. Ernie Shavers. Anybody remember that one?

BTW, I loved it when Holmes pummeled that media hype known as Gerry Cooney.

[HIU 93]

In fact the best fight I ever saw was Larry Holmes vs. Ernie Shavers. Anybody remember that one?

I remember that. It was a great fight. I also remember Holmes dismantling Gerry Cooney and Marvis Frazier.

[B&G]

Where is Soda Popinski?