“Mythical Dave’s” Top 20 Heavyweights of All Time: (#20-11)
Loading ...By Dave “Mythical” Siderski (Who else would it be by?)
In finalizing this list, I looked at a series of names and struggled to decide which one deserved the last spot. Ultimately, I settled upon Patterson. Floyd was an outstanding fighter with terrific hand speed. He was the first man in Heavyweight history to capture the title twice and had a respectable 8-5, 8 KO’s record in World Championship fights. Patterson suffered from two fatal flaws as a Heavyweight, his lack of size and a suspect chin. This was exposed first by Ingemar Johansson and then Sonny Liston who obliterated him twice. However, although Floyd was past his prime, he still remained a contender in the division for nearly a decade scoring victories over Eddie Machen, George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper and Oscar Bonavena. Patterson’s longevity earns him the final spot on this list.
19. Sam Langford
Sam Langford is among the top five all-time pound for pound fighters who ever lived and the greatest to never to win a world title. Standing a diminutive 5’7’’, Langford was best suited to the lower weight classes but more than held his own as a Heavyweight. Langford’s resume included
8 victories over Joe Jeanette and 7 over Sam McVea. Of all of the greats he faced, only Harry Wills truly had his number with all of their bouts occurring after Sam passed the age of 30. Sam Langford was a true legend who belongs among the top 20 Heavyweights who ever lived.
18. Ezzard Charles
Ezzard Charles was a much better Light Heavyweight than he was a Heavyweight. Some experts regard him as the greatest fighter ever in that division. That said, Ezzard also had a strong run as Heavyweight Champion, reigning for two years and defending 8 times. Charles had the misfortune of emerging as champion in the shadow of the legendary Joe Louis. Charles held a decision victory over the faded former champion during his ill-advised comeback. Ezzard also engaged in a classic four fight series with Jersey Joe Walcott, both winning and losing twice. He also took Rocky Marciano to hell and back in two losing efforts as a challenger. I considered both Charles and Walcott for a place among the top 20 with Ezzard gaining a slight edge based on the greater longevity of his title reign.
17. Harry Wills
Harry Wills was another among the group of great African-American Heavyweight boxers from the late-19th and early 20th century that were unjustly denied a chance at the Heavyweight championship. Including newspaper decisions, Harry had a record of 87-10-6 (54 KO’s), which includes 
no less than 18 victories over fellow members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He beat the legendary Sam Langford 13 times and also held wins over McVea, Fred Fulton, Denver Ed Martin, Kid Norfolk and Luis Angel Firpo among others.
It’s a shame that he never got to face Jack Dempsey. This would have been a legendary matchup. Ultimately, Wills’ body of work and performance against the best fighters of his era earns him a place on this list.
16. Sonny Liston
Yes, Sonny Liston was a monster in his prime. The Liston who twice destroyed Floyd Patterson in less than one round was a fearsome sight in the ring. In the end though, Sonny reigned as Heavyweight Champion for less than 18 months and made only one successful title defense. This hardly represents a noteworthy championship reign.
The only fighter in the top 20 he defeated was an undersized Patterson. Although he did defeat a series of other good fighters on the road to the championship, Cleveland Williams and Eddie Machen come to mind, none came anywhere close to greatness.
One must also take into account his two dismal performances against the best fighter he ever faced in Muhammad Ali. Murky circumstances or not, what’s indisputable is neither reflects well on his legacy. Sonny belongs on this list but much closer to the bottom than the top.
15. Vitali Klitschko
It must have been frustrating for Vitali to be one of the two signature Heavyweights of his generation and to never have the opportunity to test his skills against the other guy, who just happened to be his younger brother. Sigmund Freud would probably have had a field day with this one. Klitschko vs Klitschko will remain one of the great what ifs in boxing history. One could make a case that he was actually a better fighter than his brother. Lennox Lewis was vastly better than anyone Wladimir ever faced and Vitali gave him fits before suffering a stoppage due to cuts in the 6th round.
Vitali was a three time Heavyweight Champion with an excellent record of 15-2, 12 KO’s in world title fights. He was still whipping world class fighters such as Tomasz Adamek, Dereck Chisora and Manuel Charr into his 40’s. Had he not lost four years of his boxing prime due to injury, Vitali might have ranked higher on this list. Ultimately though he goes down in history as the second best Heavyweight of his generation.
14. Mike Tyson
Ok, I’m getting my football helmet ready for this one. Yes, Mike Tyson is the biggest superstar boxing has seen over the past 30 years. Back in the day, he was as popular and well known in the sports world as Michael Jordan. If this list were based on 
However, ability alone does not define a great fighter. As impressive as Tyson was in his prime, who did he beat really? The biggest names on his list of victims were an over the hill Larry Holmes and a blown up Light Heavyweight Michael Spinks. Iron Mike took a serious beating at the hands of Buster Douglas and was also soundly thrashed by the two best Heavyweights of his era, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis. In the end, Tyson failed to rise to the occasion when seriously challenged. Consequently, he doesn’t get into my top 10.
13. Gene Tunney
Gene Tunney is one of the most underrated fighters who ever lived and is in my pound for pound top 10. Over an incredible 13 year career, “The Fighting Marine” only lost once in 85 career bouts. That said, his place among the all-time Heavyweights is very difficult for me to assess.
Although Tunney is best known as a Heavyweight champion, he spent most of his career and was truly at his best at Light Heavyweight. Gene’s only accomplishments of note in the Heavyweight division were his two victories over Jack Dempsey. This was an historic achievement and certainly enough to get him into the top 20 but not quite enough to get him into the top 10 in my view.
12. Evander Holyfield
Like Gene Tunney, Ezzard Charles and Sam Langford, Evander Holyfield is a much better pound for pound fighter than some of the men who appear above him on this list. Before he ever appeared at Heavyweight, Evander established himself as the 
Holyfield was also a terrific Heavyweight who made up for his lack of size with tremendous tenacity and a fighting heart. He is the only man in Heavyweight history to capture a world title on four separate occasions. As much as I’d love to put Evander among my top 10 Heavyweights of all-time, I can’t based on his mixed results against the best Heavyweights of his era. To his credit, he holds a victory over dangerous George Foreman and his two victories over Mike Tyson were truly legendary. On the other hand, Lennox Lewis whipped him handily twice (regardless of what the judges saw in the first matchup). And Evander also lost two of his three classic battles against Riddick Bowe.
Now I’m not saying these losses take away from Holyfield’s legacy. On the contrary, his courageous and spirited performances against men that were naturally bigger only adds to it. That said, one has to take these losses into account when evaluating his specific place among the all-time Heavyweights. In the end, #12 isn’t too bad for a guy who really was not a natural Heavyweight.
I wanted to award Wladimir Klitschko a place among my top 10. I truly and honestly did. I mean over nine years as champion and 23 defenses over the course of two title reigns, Dr. Steelehammer dominated the Heavyweight division in a way that very few men ever have. Until his recent loss to Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko was unbeatable and invincible for nearly a decade.
However, as impressive and historic as Klitschko’s reign atop the Heavyweight division has been, I just can’t put a guy in my top 10 on the basis of victories over the likes of Jean-Marc Mormeck, Chris Byrd, Samuel Peter, David Haye, and Alexander Povetkin. Can anyone name a guy that Wladimir defeated that would come anywhere near anyone’s top 50 Heavyweights of all-time? I also take into account his utterly lifeless performance against Fury last year. Yes, he was nearly 40 years old but rarely have I seen an all-time great abdicate his title in such as passive fashion.
Wladimir deserves credit for his dominance and longevity and that earns him a prominent place among the top 20 Heavyweights of all-time. But he falls short of top 10 status in my view.
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