Opinions on the "GOAT" (Boxing)

[bobbyw8469]

How is Mike Tyson not even on the list?

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

How is Mike Tyson not even on the list?

If it was a most collectible list he would likely be on it.

A best boxer list, he doesn't necessarily belong. Admittedly there's several names on there that are kind of reaches.

[Writehooks]

Instead of merely downloading other people's opinions, you might find it more rewarding to do your own research, watch some old video ... and then compile your own "Top 10" list. I've earned my living writing about boxing for the past 30 years and have been a collector of ring memorabilia even longer, and while my choices are no more or less valid than anyone else, at least they're MINE.
You might also want to consider simply collecting 10 fighters who mean the most to you -- not necessarily the best, but guys whose styles/stories/accomplishments strike a chord. From that perspective, my "heavyweight heavy" Top 10 are:

1) George Chuvalo
2) Muhammad Ali
3) Joe Louis
4) Sonny Liston
5) Luther McCarty
6) Roberto Duran
7) George Foreman
8) Henry Armstrong
9) Young Stribling
10) Jimmy McLarnin

[Exhibitman]

The OP list is pretty much consistent with what I've seen over the years. I might quibble here and there, perhaps add Sugar Ray Leonard to the top ten and drop Willie Pep out of there, but it is pretty strong.

SRR is definitely the GOAT. No one else has the breadth of accomplishments and length of highest level achievements.

Homicide Hank at one point held the lightweight (135) and welterweight (147) championships at the same time. And he started as a featherweight...Just remarkable.

I rank Louis a hair better than Ali so I'd change their places, but I wouldn't quibble.

Harry Greb I hadda look it up: he had 298 fights...yup, 298. He fought 46 bouts against HOFers.

The guy I'm surprised not to see anywhere on the list: Emile Griffith. 339 championship rounds fought.

As for rookie cards, sam, you just have to do your homework, make a choice, and be ready for a new discovery that moves the date back. Definitely not as clear cut as modern baseball, but we've always had debates, even in baseball, as to older players. 1925 Exhibit Gehrig or later card from a different set? And so on.

[Arazi4442]

Thanks, Adam.

Like I said earlier, I ended up making my own list of top 10 fighters to collect since there were so many I wasn't familiar with and obviously hadn't seen. I just thought it was interesting who was ranked and who wasn't. Looked like a pretty good list of boxing experts/historians.

Did the same list for my other sport collections but I thought boxing contained the only real surprises.

[Exhibitman]

I collect Louis and Leonard, so those are my top guys and I'd rank them 1st at heavyweight and lightweight but I could not argue with Ali and Duran.

[let’s go champ]

1.walker smith jr
2.henry Jackson Jr
3.joseph Barrow
4.Cassius Clay
5.Guglielmo Papaleo
6.Benjamin Leiner
7.Edward Greb
8.Joseph Gant
9.Ray Leonard
10.Roberto Duran


Just rite off the top , 5-8 interchanges depends on how I’m feeling

[profholt82]

Pound for pound, I've always considered Sugar Ray Robinson the greatest.

[Dpeck100]

I am not a boxing aficionado but I will never understand how Tyson is not in the running. He had most opponents beat before the bout and his sheer knockout force was simply unmatchable.

I have a neighbor Burch who is 70 and a good friend and he knows boxing and insists Casuius Clay is the best ever. I say Tyson would have knocked him out. We will never know.

Tyson just demolishing dudes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOHvMqAgcmc

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Dpeck100

I am not a boxing aficionado but I will never understand how Tyson is not in the running. He had most opponents beat before the bout and his sheer knockout force was simply unmatchable.

I have a neighbor Burch who is 70 and a good friend and he knows boxing and insists Casuius Clay is the best ever. I say Tyson would have knocked him out. We will never know.

Tyson just demolishing dudes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOHvMqAgcmc

Tyson could be intimidating and scary, but he was mentally weak and a frontrunner. Similar to Sonny Liston.

Ali would have had him beat halfway through the first press conference.

Todays version of Mike Tyson would probably admit that to you right now.

Drama and Knockouts sell however, which is why Tyson's stuff sells for far more then many others I rate ahead of him.

[Exhibitman]

I agree with Dave's analysis re Ali. Tyson was ready-made for Ali's head games.

I understand the intrigue of a Tyson but his career is dominated with "ifs": if Cus D'Amato had lived five more years, if Kevin Rooney had trained him, if he hadn't used a woman like a toilet seat. His record is not impressive. He beat an old, fat Larry Holmes. The two other HOFers Tyson fought beat him 3x. He clobbered tomato cans, bums of the month, blown up 175# and 200# fighters, and journeymen. Compare that with Louis: He lost to Schmeling in 1935, Charles in 1950 and Marciano in 1951. All three are HOFers. And those last two losses occurred during a comeback he started at age 36 because he needed the money and was a shot fighter; in his prime he lost only once, at age 22, when he got KTFO by Schmeling. In the 16 years from 1934-1948 he went 56-1. In that run he beat HOFers Schmeling, Baer, Braddock, Lewis, Bivins, Conn (2x) and Walcott (2x). Just head and shoulders above Tyson.

[Bored5000]

Guys who were big punchers were made to order for Ali. No heavyweight in boxing history had a better chin than Ali did.

George Foreman was Tyson before there was Tyson from an intimidation and huge punching standpoint. Foreman 40-0 with 37 knockouts and seven years younger than Ali in the "Rumble in the Jungle." George Foreman's biggest punches could not take out Ali, but Tyson would?

Buster Douglas and Evander Holyfield were guys who were not terrified by Tyson, and stood up to him. Ali was not intimidated by Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman; he would not be intimidated by Tyson, either.

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by Dpeck100

I have a neighbor Burch who is 70 and a good friend and he knows boxing and insists Casuius Clay is the best ever. I say Tyson would have knocked him out. We will never know.

Hahahaha!!! When Tyson got put into the ring with solid competition, he couldn't knock any of them out, so how on earth do you think he would have been able to knock out Ali?

Now people always bring up Buster Douglas, but I am not going to go that route because there were a lot of guys Tyson struggled against. Go watch his fight against Mitch Green.

[Dpeck100]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Hahahaha!!! When Tyson got put into the ring with solid competition, he couldn't knock any of them out, so how on earth do you think he would have been able to knock out Ali?

Now people always bring up Buster Douglas, but I am not going to go that route because there were a lot of guys Tyson struggled against. Go watch his fight against Mitch Green.

If you have ever watched MMA you would know better than to laugh. It only takes one Tyson punch to go down if it lands.

He may have lost but none of us will ever know. There were a ton of fighters that said they had Tyson's number only to wind up laying on the canvas.

[HasselhoffsCheeseburger]

It only takes one punch from anyone for anyone to go down. I thought we were talking about skill.

Arthur