In 2020, during the isolation of COVID-19, a friend started talking about the greatest heavyweights of all time. It gave me an idea: who are my 10 greatest heavyweights of all time? So I drew up a list and wrote a column.

Almost five years later, the list has been updated, thanks mostly to Oleksandr Usyk's brilliance. At the time of my assemblage, Usyk was coming off an all-time cruiserweight reign and had just made his heavyweight debut, stopping Chazz Witherspoon in seven in October 2019. Since then, the Ukrainian Superman has been on one of the greatest winning streaks in heavyweight history.

Saturday, Usyk won a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury in a tremendous rematch of Oleksandr’s May victory. As usual, his angles, his boxing skill, and his intelligence were too much for a talented fighter who was six inches taller, 55 pounds heavier, and considered one of the greatest heavyweights of the modern era.

Ranking the top heavyweights

So where does Usyk fit into the all-time great list, circa 2024 (almost ’25)? Read below:

1. Muhammad Ali, 56-5 (37 knockouts), Louisville, Kentucky: The most influential athlete of all time was also the most physically gifted heavyweight boxer who ever lived, blending big man strength with middleweight speed at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. He uttered poetry and pounded heads with the same rhythmic intensity — hands down, lateral movement, firing combinations. But he also possessed the intangibles of a great champion: an indomitable will, an iron chin, and an uncanny ability to absorb punishment. His victims included all-time greats Sonny Liston; Joe Frazier in the “Thrilla in Manila” and George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle,” and was the first man to win the heavyweight title three times. “The Greatest” was just that.

2. Joe Louis, 66-3 (52 KOs), Detroit, Michigan: Owner of the longest single reign in heavyweight history, Louis made 25 title defenses from 1937-1949. The 6-1, 200-pound “Brown Bomber” hunted down his prey using a ramrod jab and a ferocious right hand. His punches rattled off in machine gun-like combinations. He was so dominant that he participated in a “Bum of the Month” club just to keep himself occupied. His biggest win was a 1938 destruction of Germany’s Max Schmeling. With the world on the precipice of World War II, Louis hammered Hitler’s symbol of Aryan supremacy to the canvas three times in 2:07 and avenged a 1936 knockout defeat. It is considered among the most important moments in sports history.

3. Larry Holmes, 69-6 (44 KOs), Easton, Pennsylvania: Made 20 defenses of the heavyweight title over a seven-year reign, and came within a fight of tying Rocky Marciano’s undefeated record of 49-0. The 6-3, 212-pound “Easton Assassin” had arguably the best jab in the division’s history, and could use it as an offensive weapon to make openings for his slashing right hand, as a flick to distract an opponent or as a defensive tool to fend off attacks. Possessed a rock-hard chin and a huge heart. He also had the best recuperative powers of anyone other than Ali, rebounding from devastating knockdowns by Earnie Shavers and Renaldo Snipes to win by KO.

4. Lennox Lewis, 41-2-1 (32 KOs), UK/Canada: In an era that included some of the biggest punchers in heavyweight history, Lewis emerged as the cream of the crop, with victories over Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Vitali Klitschko and David Tua. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 250, Lewis was a powerful physical specimen who used his long jab to set up a massive right hand - which was responsible for the KOs of Tyson and Andrew Golota; while his versatile boxing ability allowed him to outbox Holyfield and Tua. Knocked out by Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, Lewis avenged both defeats by knockout — having beaten every man he ever faced.

5. George Foreman, 76-5 (68 KOs), Marshall, Texas: Quite possibly the hardest puncher who ever lived, 6-3 “Big George” enjoyed two historic careers. The first, from 1969-77, when he was a surly, destructive, 225-pound terror who won the heavyweight title by dropping Joe Frazier six times in two rounds and brutalizing poor Ken Norton; and the second, from 1987-1997, in which he was a patient, calculating, 255-pound assassin who became the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history at age 45. Put them together and you have the most unique, compelling and hard-to-rank heavyweight champion ever.

6. Rocky Marciano, 49-0 (43 KOs), Brockton, Massachusetts: The only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated, Marciano only stood 5-10 and weighed less than 190 pounds. But, during his title reign, which lasted from 1952 until his retirement in 1955 and included six title defenses, the “Brockton Blockbuster” was head-and-shoulders above the rest of the pack. Built with remarkably powerful legs and a rock-solid core, Marciano started slow and revved as the fight wore on. He’d club opponents to the body, arms, and flanks, slowly wearing them down until they could no longer lift their gloves. It resulted in opponents Jersey Joe Walcott, Roland LaStarza, Ezzard Charles, and Archie Moore being hammered and finished in the late rounds.

7. Jack Dempsey, 54-6-8 (44 KOs), Manassa, Colorado: Dempsey was a hobo who came up the hard way and consequently fought with startling ferocity. A slender 6-1 and weighing 190 pounds, the “Manassa Mauler” knocked down the 6-6, 245-pound Jess Willard seven times in three rounds to win the heavyweight title in 1919. He then became an icon of the “Roaring 20s,” engaging in some of the most memorable fights in pugilistic history: the KO of Georges Carpentier in boxing’s first million-dollar gate; the all-time brawl with Luis Firpo that produced 11 total knockdowns in two rounds, including Dempsey famously being knocked out of the ring. And the famous “Long Count” rematch with Gene Tunney.

8. Jack Johnson, 54-11-7 (34 KOs), Galveston, Texas: The first black heavyweight champion in boxing history, the 6-foot, 200-pound “Galveston Giant” was ahead of his time — combining ring skills with raw power to dominate the early 1900s and transcend boxing. He won the title in 1908, battering and mocking the favored Tommy Burns so bad that police stepped in after 13 rounds. A year later, he fought famous middleweight Stanley Ketchel. Legend has it he hit Ketchel so hard that they had to pluck his teeth out of Johnson’s glove. In 1910, he destroyed former champ James J. Jeffries. After reigning for seven years, Johnson was knocked out by Jess Willard in the 26th round in 1915 — a fight many claim he threw.

9. Evander Holyfield, 44-10-2 (29 KOs), Atlanta, Georgia: Holyfield started as a great cruiserweight champion, working his way through the heavyweight ranks before knocking out Buster Douglas to win the undisputed title in 1990. Equipped with boxing skills, punching power, and endurance, the 6-2, 215-pound “Real Deal” perplexed opponents with four, five, and six-punch combinations. He also had a huge heart, fearlessly trading blows with fighters much bigger than he, including Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis. Won the heavyweight title for the third time with his 1996 upset of Mike Tyson. Also regarded as one of boxing’s most exciting fighters.

10. Oleksandr Usyk, 23-0 (14 KOs), Simferopol, Ukraine: Regarded as arguably the greatest cruiserweight champion in boxing history, Usyk, at 6-3 and 225 pounds, possesses a style that is brilliantly sound defensively and subtly damaging offensively – simultaneously frustrating and punishing the best fighters of two divisions. His use of angles, distance, space, and movement stymied much bigger and more powerful heavyweights Anthony Joshua in 2021-22 and Tyson Fury in 2024 to win the major heavyweight titles. A ninth-round TKO of Daniel Dubois came between the Joshua and Fury fights. At age 38, he is regarded as one of the most intelligent heavyweight champions in history.

@MatthewAguilar5 on Twitter

Did you agree with the scoring?

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