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Boxing is known as the 'sweet science' and the heavyweight division has been the most popular weight category since the Inception of boxing.Today let us have a look at the top 7 heavyweight boxers of all time who changed the sport along with their fighting styles.
7- Wladimir Klitschko (69M-64W-5L)
Stance- Orthodox
Style- Out Boxer- A out boxer is known for his/her mobile footwork and strong technique. They tend to maintain a distance from their opponent and hit them with their quick jabs and deadly hooks. Out boxers are not known for their power but they also score big knockouts often.
Gold Medalist of 1996 summer Olympics and known by the ring name Dr. Steel Hammer, Wladimir holds a Ph.D. degree in sports science. Even though his style resembles to an out boxer but still he is known among the hardest hitting heavyweights of all time who won 54 fights by Knockout in his total 64 wins. He ruled over the heavyweight division for over a decade before losing to Tyson Fury in 2015. His clash with Anthony Joshua in April 2017 was his most popular fight. Klitschko's straight right hand and left hook were his most formidable weapons. He was the most powerful out boxer who ever lived.
Wladimir's only problem was his chin. Out of 5 fights which he lost 4 were by Knockouts and that is why he was considered as one having a Glass chin but still he deserves to be in the top 7 because of his great record and his long reign as the heavyweight champion.
6- Mike Tyson (58M-50W-6L-2NC)
Stance- Orthodox
Style- Swarmer-A swarmer is known for his/her aggressive style of play who chases down his/her opponent and applies constant pressure. A swarmer is the opposite of an out boxer who has great power but the footwork is not as sharp as an out boxer. Swarmers are also known for their strong chin which allows them to absorb quick jabs of the opponent.
Probably the most feared boxer ever born Mike Tyson often used to Intimidate his opponents even before the start of the match. Standing only at 5'11'' he proved to the world that size does not matter. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion and holds the record of the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title.
Evander Holyfield proved to be his nemesis who defeated him twice which includes the famous biting incident in their second clash. In his prime days Mike Tyson was unstoppable. In his first 19 fights he won 12 fights by knockout in the first round itself. He had a troubled personal life which also affected his game in the last stage of his career. After he was outclassed by Lennox Lewis it became evident that Mike Tyson was no more the same fighter as he was before.
5- Lennox Lewis (44M-41W-2L-1D)
Stance- Orthodox
Style- Boxer puncher- A boxer-puncher has the skill set of an out boxer which includes hand speed, effective jab, and counter punching. A boxer-puncher can also switch to an aggressive swarmer style if the condition requires. This kind of boxer lacks defensive skills and mobility of a pure boxer. Boxer Punchers are hard to categorize because they keep switching their style depending on the opponent they are facing.
Lennox Lewis is the last undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. He is also the 3 times world heavyweight champion of the world. A gold medalist in the 1988 summer Olympics Lennox Lewis was a complete boxer who had a great skill set, effective chin, and a sharp boxing brain.
He defeated both Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson in his career as they both were outclassed by him. In his last fight against Vitali Klitschko, Lennox had a tough time but came out of it and defeated the elder Klitschko brother who was known for his granite chin. The only notable loss which he suffered was against Hasim Rahman but he managed to defeat him in a rematch. Lennox was sharp enough to realize the right time of his retirement and hanged his gloves after defeating Vitali Klitschko.
4- Joe Frazier (37M-32W-4L-1D)
Stance- Orthodox
Style- Swarmer- A swarmer is known for his/her aggressive style of play who chases down his/her opponents and applies constant pressure. A swarmer is the opposite of an out boxer who has great power but the footwork is not as sharp as an out boxer. Swarmers are also known for their strong chin which allows them to absorb quick jabs of the opponent.
Famous for his trilogy of fights against Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier is among those few people who managed to defeat Muhammad Ali. Frazier and Ali were two undefeated fighters when they faced each other and Ali was defeated by Frazier in the first fight which is also known as the 'Fight of the century.' Ali managed to defeat Frazier in the next two fights. According to Muhammad Ali Frazier was the second best heavyweight fighter after him.
Frazier was known for his sheer strength, durability, formidable punching power, and relentless pressure style.Frazier's style was often compared to that of Henry Armstrong and occasionally Rocky Marciano dependent on bobbing, weaving and relentless pressure to wear down his opponents. His best-known punch was a powerful left hook, which accounted for most of his knockouts. Throughout his career, he was defeated by only 2 fighters George Foreman and Muhammad Ali and both defeated him twice.
3- George Foreman (81M-76W-5L)
Stance- Orthodox
Style- Slugger- Sluggers are the hardest hitting boxers of all the categories. Sluggers lack mobility and struggle to hit a very fast moving opponent. Their punching speed is also slow but their one punch is enough to destroy an opponent. Sluggers are often confused with swarmers, sluggers are not as mobile as swarmers but they have very strong chins.
George Foreman was the Mike Tyson of Muhammad Ali's Era. He is regarded as the hardest hitting boxer of all time by many who used to destroy his opponents quickly and brutally. His famous fight against Muhammad Ali known as 'The Rumble In The Jungle' is considered one among the greatest fights of all times. In that fight Muhammad Ali tired Foreman by using the ropes and Foreman kept punching Ali but without much success. In the later rounds Foreman got tired and Ali who was conserving his energy unleashed his punches knocking him out.
Goerge Foreman is also the oldest Heavyweight Champion who won the belt after his second comeback when he was 45 years of age defeating Michael Moorer. His record of 76 wins is also the highest in the heavyweight boxing.
2-Rocky Marciano (49M-49W-0L)
Stance-Orthodox
Style- Swarmer- A swarmer is known for his/her aggressive style of play who chases down his/her opponents and applies constant pressure. A swarmer is the opposite of an out boxer who has great power but the footwork is not as sharp as an out Boxer. Swarmers are also known for their strong chin which allows them to absorb quick jabs of the opponent.
The only heavyweight boxer who retired undefeated. Rocky Marciano is considered by many as the greatest of all time. He won 43 fights by knockout out of his 49 wins and his KO% of 87.75 is among the highest ever. His style of boxing was very unusual as he had limited technique but he had brilliant stamina, formidable punching power, and exceptional chin. His chin is considered by many as the strongest ever among all the heavyweight boxers who have existed.
In a computer game fight known as the 'Super Fight' Muhammad Ali Vs, Rocky Marciano was shown through a fictional fight. In this fight, Rocky Marciano was shown knocking out Muhammad Ali in the 13th round but there was another version of the fight in which Muhammad Ali would knock out Rocky Marciano in the 13th round. The debate could never be settled down as both these fighters never fought each other.
1- Muhammad Ali (61M-56W-5L)
Stance- Orthodox
Style- Out Boxer- An out boxer is known for his/her mobile footwork and strong technique. They tend to maintain a distance from their opponent and hit them with their quick jabs and deadly hooks. Out boxers are not known for their power but they also score big knockouts often.
Who can say that Muhammad Ali is not the greatest? Born as Cassius Clay he later converted to Islam and became Muhammad Ali. Probably the best out boxer who ever lived, his footwork was the best and he had exceptional reflexes to dodge punches. Muhammad Ali was invincible in his prime. His footwork was so quick that the saying 'Float like a Butterfly sting like a Bee' suits perfectly to his boxing style.
Highly technical but at the same time he also had granite chin which he proved on more than one occasion. In his fight against George Foreman, he absorbed numerous deadly punches but did not fall and eventually emerged the winner. His ability to land quick jabs was such many opponents often could not see the punches coming. He was a complete boxer.
Not just a champion inside the ring Muhammad Ali was also a champion of social change. He became a symbol of hope for all the black people who were highly oppressed in that era. He would never compromise on his principles and always took stand for what he thought was right. Muhammad Ali was not just a fighter inside the ring but also outside the ring and he deserves to be called THE GREATEST!
