The Greatest Heavyweight Boxing Champions of All Time

Nothing starts a pub argument faster than "who's the greatest heavyweight ever?" Every all-time list is subjective, including ours. Fighters from different eras never met, rules and training changed, and records only tell part of the story. Here's how we judged them, and the champions who belong in the conversation.

How we judged them

• Quality of opposition — who they beat, and when.
• Championship achievements — title wins, reigns and defences.
• Longevity — how long they stayed at the top.
• Impact on the sport and beyond.

The order below is broadly chronological, not a ranking. You can argue about the positions yourselves.

The champions

Jack Johnson

In 1908 Johnson became the first Black world heavyweight champion, beating Tommy Burns in Sydney. He held the title until 1915 in the face of open racism and enormous hostility. His importance goes far beyond boxing.

Joe Louis

"The Brown Bomber" won the world heavyweight title in 1937 and held it until he retired in 1949. He made 25 successful defences, a heavyweight record that still stands. His 1938 first-round knockout of Germany's Max Schmeling, in a rematch of his only defeat at that point, became one of the most symbolic fights of the century.

Rocky Marciano

Marciano won the title from Jersey Joe Walcott in 1952 and retired in 1956 as the only heavyweight champion to finish his career unbeaten, with 49 wins and no defeats. Critics point to his relatively short reign and the era's opposition. Fans point to the 49-0.

Muhammad Ali

As Cassius Clay, he won Olympic light heavyweight gold in 1960. He took the world heavyweight title from Sonny Liston in 1964 and soon changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He was stripped of his title and banned for refusing the US military draft. After returning, he lost the "Fight of the Century" to Joe Frazier in 1971, then regained the title by knocking out George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, 1974. He beat Frazier in the "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975. He became the first man to win the lineal heavyweight title three times. Many people's pick for the greatest, and few would call it a daft choice.

Joe Frazier

"Smokin' Joe" won Olympic gold in 1964. In 1971 at Madison Square Garden he handed Ali his first professional defeat, flooring him with a left hook in the 15th round. Their three-fight rivalry is one of the greatest in any sport.

George Foreman

Foreman won Olympic gold in 1968 and destroyed Frazier to win the world title in 1973. He lost to Ali in 1974, retired in 1977, became a preacher and returned to the ring a decade later. In 1994, aged 45, he knocked out Michael Moorer to become the oldest man to win the heavyweight title. The grill business came later.

Larry Holmes

Holmes held a version of the heavyweight title from 1978 into the mid-1980s, with a long run of defences. His jab is still held up as one of the best ever. He's often underrated because he followed Ali, but his record speaks for itself.

Mike Tyson

Tyson beat Trevor Berbick in 1986 to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history at 20. He went on to unify the WBA, WBC and IBF titles. His speed and ferocity made him a global star. His 1990 loss to James "Buster" Douglas in Tokyo is one of boxing's great upsets.

Evander Holyfield

Holyfield was the undisputed cruiserweight champion before moving up to heavyweight. He won the heavyweight title four times and beat Tyson twice, in 1996 and 1997. The second fight is remembered for the ear-biting disqualification.

Lennox Lewis

Born in London, Lewis won Olympic super-heavyweight gold for Canada in 1988. He became undisputed champion by beating Holyfield in their 1999 rematch, and he knocked out Tyson in 2002. He avenged both of his professional defeats, against Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, and retired as champion. Many rate him the best British heavyweight ever.

Wladimir Klitschko

Klitschko, an Olympic gold medallist in 1996, dominated the division for close to a decade in his second title reign, from 2006 until Tyson Fury beat him in 2015. His brother Vitali was a long-reigning champion too.

The modern era: Fury and Usyk

Tyson Fury's 2015 win over Klitschko and his trilogy with Deontay Wilder made him one of the defining heavyweights of his generation. In May 2024 Oleksandr Usyk beat Fury in Riyadh to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. It's too early to finalise their legacies, but both already have strong cases.

At a glance

So who's the greatest?

If we're forced to say, Ali and Louis usually top the expert lists, and it's hard to argue with either. Plenty of people would make a case for Lewis, Holmes or Usyk, depending on the criteria you favour. It's opinion; the records above are the facts.

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