1. Joe Louis.
To be honest with you, number two is way off. Joe Louis is in a class by himself.
2. Rocky Marciano.
Just look at Rocky Marciano's record. Nobody beat him. You can't take that from him.
3. Jack Johnson.
A big brave cat, because he'd do whatever he wanted and get out of the way.
4. Muhammad Ali.
Put him down as the GREATEST MAN to ever box, and a hero bigger than boxing. Once Ali lost his speed, it only showed that he'd never developed a great defense.
5. Joe Frazier.
Only because he depended solely on his left hook do I rate Joe Frazier below Marciano. Marciano could hit with both hands.
6. Jack Dempsy.
Jack Dempsy's very name means strength and courage. Other than Joe Louis, there is not a name in boxing or in sports with more meaning.
7. Mike Tyson.
A phenomenon. What Mike Tyson was able to do with his speed of hand and punching power is as phenomenal as what Muhammad Ali did when he was Cassius Clay with speed of feet. Tyson deserves to be in the top ten; this is where I put him, the youngest man to become Heavyweight Champion of the World.
8. Sonny Liston.
If Sonny Liston truly had not lost his cool, had not underestimated a young Cassius Clay; and kept the same mind set that he had as a contender, history would have been a lot kinder to him. Sonny Liston could not believe Muhammad Ali was so fast and had so much courage. It just made him fall apart.
9. Floyd Patterson.
The First Two-Time Heavyweight Champion of the World.
10. Evander Holyfield.
For standing up to Mike Tyson.
As you see, I didn't make the list...
The first time around, George Foreman was too mean and too crude.
The second time around, too sophisticated and too publicity conscious to
exploit his power...
