The best heavyweights at their best

1. Muhammad Ali----November 14, 1966

Weight: 213 lbs, Age: 24

Record: 26-0-0

Result: Knocked out Cleveland Williams in Round 3

Punchcount: Ali 55, Williams 11

Why: If you watch Ali in this fight, you see blazing speed, combination punching, perfect ring generalship, extremely elusive defense and even good punching power, flooring Williams (who was 65-5-1 at the time) 4 times. He completely dominated a quality fighter.

2. George Foreman-----January 22, 1973

Weight: 217 lbs, Age: 24

Record: 37-0-0

Result: Knocked out Joe Frazier in Round 2

Punchcount: Foreman 38, Frazier 11

Why: Foreman was quick, focused and strong. His power punches completely devestated Frazier, who was the undefeated champion at the time. Foreman knocked Frazier down 6 times and seized the Heavyweight Title in spectacular fashion.

3. Joe Louis------June 22, 1938

Weight: 199, Age: 24

Record: 35-1-0

Result: Knocked out Max Schmeling in Round 1

Punchcount: Louis 23, Schmeling 2

Why: Louis avenged his only defeat in extraordinary fashion, completely crushing former champion Schmeling. Louis landed everything he wanted to in a spectacular display of skillful power punching.

4. Mike Tyson--------June 27, 1988

Weight: 218, Age: 21

Record: 34-0-0

Result: Knocked out Michael Spinks in Round 1

Punchcount: Tyson 10, MSpinks 0

Why: Tyson was so fast and so powerful that the undefeated champion Spinks was actually afraid of him. Tyson hit him so hard that he essentially quit. Spinks was floored twice in only 91 seconds as Tyson unleashed hooks, rights and body shots.

5. Joe Frazier---------March 8, 1971

Weight: 205, Age: 27

Record: 26-0-0

Result: Beat Muhammad Ali by 15 round Decision

Punchcount: Frazier 185, Ali 167

Why: Frazier was probably as prepared for this fight as any heavyweight ever was. He was so determined to beat Ali, and it showed. Frazier unleashed power shots and a vicious body attack that was so constant and so severe that Ali simply couldn't overcome it. He capped off this tremendous performance with a 15th round knockdown.

Some More about Rankings

I stand by the fact that all-time heavyweight boxers can be ranked against each other. However, sometimes it's easier to rank the fighters on a level system than it is to specifically rank them in an exact order.

For me, these are the levels (and within these levels, I fully accept differing opinions)

TOP LEVEL: Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali. No question for me, these guys are the best.

LEGENDARY CHAMPIONS: Lennox Lewis, Larry Holmes, Jack Johnson, George Foreman, Rocky Marciano, Jack Dempsey. These guys were dominant champions in their time and competed at a championship level for many years.

GREAT CHAMPIONS: Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson. Achieved great things, but too many memorable losses; when they left the top, they fell hard.

TRULY IMPRESSIVE IN THEIR TIME: Riddick Bowe, Ezzard Charles, Ken Norton, Floyd Patterson, Wladimir Klitschko, James J. Jeffries, Vitali Klitschko, John L. Sullivan. These guys lack the number of top-level victories to call themselves great. All respected champions.

NEVER QUITE ACHIEVED GREATNESS: Jersey Joe Walcott, Max Baer, Max Schmeling, Harry Wills, Sam Langford, Michael Moorer, Tim Witherspoon, Ingemar Johansson, Sam McVea. Short stays at the top, or careers that had too many flaws.

GOOD HEAVYWEIGHTS: Jimmy Bivins, Jack Sharkey, Primo Carnera, Buster Douglas, Jerry Quarry, Ray Mercer, Oscar Bonavena, Michael Dokes, Mike Weaver, James J. Braddock, Ernie Terrell, John Ruiz, Chris Byrd, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers, Jimmy Young, Pinklon Thomas, James J. Corbett, Tommy Morrison, Jimmy Ellis, Tony Tubbs. Moments of greatness mixed in with many moments of not-quite-good-enough.

Ranking the Top 30 Best Heavyweights of All-Time

Ranking all-time heavyweights is a challenging but fascinating task. Regardless of the era, the point of boxing doesn't change - try to hit your opponent without being hit yourself. That's what John L. Sullivan was doing in 1890 and that's what Wladimir Klitschko does today. Without question, the heavyweights of today lack the combination punching, bravery, one-punch knockout power, and fan appeal of heavyweights of the past. But some modern heavyweights crack the top 30 without question. Here they are, based on accomplishments, total skill set and overall success of their legacy: (Note: fighters such as Michael Spinks, Gene Tunney, Bob Fitzsimmons and James Toney not included due to fighting the vast majority of their careers in lower weight divisions)

1. Joe Louis (65-3, 51 KOs) - At his best: 1938 vs Max Schmeling II

2. Muhammad Ali (56-5, 37 KOs) - At his best: 1966 vs Cleveland Williams

3. Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs) - At his best: 1997 vs Andrew Golota

4. Larry Holmes (69-6, 44 KOs) - At his best: 1982 vs Gerry Cooney

5. Jack Johnson (74-13-10, 40 KOs) - At his best: 1908 vs Tommy Burns

6. George Foreman (76-5, 68 KOs) - At his best: 1973 vs Joe Frazier I

7. Rocky Marciano (49-0, 43 KOs) - At his best: 1953 vs Jersey Joe Walcott II

8. Jack Dempsey (66-6-11, 51 KOs) - At his best: 1919 vs Jess Willard

9. Sonny Liston (50-4, 39 KOs) - At his best: 1962 vs Floyd Patterson I

10. Joe Frazier (32-4-1, 27 KOs) - At his best: 1971 vs Muhammad Ali I

11. Evander Holyfield (43-10-2, 28 KOs) - At his best: 1993 vs Riddick Bowe II

12. Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) - At his best: 1988 vs Michael Spinks

13. Riddick Bowe (43-1, 33 KOs) - At his best: 1992 vs Evander Holyfield I

14. Ken Norton (42-7-1, 33 KOs) - At his best: 1973 vs Muhammad Ali I

15. Ezzard Charles (93-25-1, 52 KOs) - At his best: 1950 vs Joe Louis

16. Floyd Patterson (55-8-1, 40 KOs) - At his best: 1960 vs Ingemar Johansson II

17. Wladimir Klitschko (54-3, 48 KOs) - At his best: 2006 vs Chris Byrd II

18. James J. Jeffries (18-1-2, 15 KOs) - At his best: 1899 vs Bob Fitzsimmons I

19. Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs) - At his best: 2003 vs Lennox Lewis

20. Jersey Joe Walcott (51-18-2, 32 KOs) - At his best: 1951 vs Ezzard Charles III

21. Max Baer (66-13, 51 KOs) - At his best: 1933 vs Max Schmeling

22. Max Schmeling (56-10-4, 40 KOs) - At his best: 1936 vs Joe Louis I

23. Harry Wills (68-9-2, 54 KOs) - At his best: 1915 vs Sam Langford

24. Sam Langford (203-47-50, 127 KOs) - At his best: 1912 vs Sam McVea

25. Michael Moorer (52-4-1, 40 KOs) - At his best: 1994 vs Evander Holyfield I

26. John L. Sullivan (38-1-1, 32 KOs) - At his best: 1885 vs Dominic McCaffrey

27. Tim Witherspoon (55-13-1, 38 KOs) - At his best: 1985 vs Bonecrusher Smith

28. Ingemar Johansson (26-2, 17 KOs) - At his best: 1959 vs Floyd Patterson I

29. Sam McVea (65-16-10, 47 KOs) - At his best: 1909 vs Joe Jeannette

30. Jimmy Bivins (86-25-1, 31 KOs) - At his best: 1945 vs Archie Moore