Undefeated contender Bryant Jennings pushed himself firmly into the top 10 in 2014. It had been so long since Tyson had fought a boxer of his own calibre that no one knew the level of his skills. Tysons personal and professional exploits were recounted in the documentary Tyson, which premiered at the Cannes film festival in 2008, and in a one-man stage show, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, which he first performed in Las Vegas in 2012. He's a short heavyweight but explosively compact. Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. in 1942. Following his release from prison in 1995, Tyson resumed boxing and in 1996 regained two of his championship belts with easy victories over Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon. Tyson had his final professional win in 2003, a 49-second first-round knockout. He is not only the most recognizable name in mens heavyweight boxing, but also was a three-time heavyweight champion of the world. Here is a list of the top six best mens heavyweight boxers of all time. Chagaev won that vacant "title" by beating journeyman Fres Oquendo by majority decision, in perhaps the poorest performance of his career. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. He also holds the world record for most title defenses consecutively in his division and in boxing history with 26 title defenses. Without the deduction, the fight would have been a draw. Lyndon B. Johnson JobCorps saved him, and he went to California and met a Job Corps counselor, Doc Broaddus, who encouraged him to take up boxing. Nevertheless, Tysons self-control problems continued. Jennings struggled at times in the fight and benefited from a questionable point deduction against Perez. His boxing skill is obvious, but I wonder if he has the size and/or athleticism to truly contend at the top of the division. The question was settled when Lewis twice knocked Tyson to the canvas during the course of the fight before knocking him out in the eighth round. He qualified for the Olympics and won a bronze medal after a very brief amateur career. In 1991, however, he was accused of having raped a beauty pageant contestant, and he was convicted of the charge in 1992. Frazier quit school at the age of 13 and moved to New York City at 15. Alternate titles: Iron Mike, Michael Gerald Tyson. In 1978, he won the heavyweight crown in the World Boxing Council and defended his title 17 times. Are you game? The longtime contender was dropped four times, en route to a one-sided decision loss. Holyfield won his first world championship in 1986. What that means to me is that Klitschko is the WBA world champion and Chagaev is some guy with a meaningless belt. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Evander Holyfield was introduced to boxing by Carter Morgan when he joined the Boys and Girls Club at eight years old. The win over the gigantic Valuev made Chagaev the legitimate WBA champion, although he lost that belt to Klitschko in just his third defense. Rookie Road may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Tyson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011. And at 26, he's still very young for a heavyweight. In his October 2000 bout with Andrew Golota, Tyson won in the third round, but the fight was later declared a no contest because Tyson tested positive for marijuana. Perez was lucky to escape with a draw against Carlos Takam in January 2014. It should be noted, though,that his older brother, Vitali, did start tobreak down physically in his late 30s. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Deontay Wilder has not really beaten any single opponent that justifies putting him in the top 10. 1 spot on this list is the only one that isn't open to debate. Ali is also nicknamed The Greatest. During his impressive career, he fought 61 times, out of which he won 56. After the referee stopped a fight in June 2000 with American Lou Savarese, Tyson continued punching and inadvertently injured the referee. In comments made to the press after this fight, Tyson outraged boxing fans with bizarre and vicious remarks about British heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis. His stoppages of Alexander Dimitrenko and Alexander Ustinov put him on the map, and his unanimous-decision victory over former title challenger Tony Thomspon demonstrated that he can box with a well-schooled veteran. Kubrat Pulev's November title challenge against Wladimir Klitschko went about as poorly as it could have gone. Copyright 2017-2022 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. A former amateur world champion at light heavyweight, the Irish-based and Cuban-born Mike Perez is among the best technical boxers in the heavyweight division. It's difficult to imagine anybody supplanting the Ukrainian, anytime soon. It's simply not possible to argue that Klitschko is anything but the top heavyweight in the world right now. It will be the biggest heavyweight fight in North America in years. He successfully defended his title twice, and he even beat Jose Roman in only 50 seconds, which was the shortest heavyweight match at the time. We still don't knowhow the Bronze Bomber will react to a big puncher who will fire back at him. With Bermane Stiverne defending the WBC portion of the title against Deontay Wilder this Saturday night, the eyes of the boxing world will be on the big men as the 2015 boxing calender kicks off in earnest. Tyson had attacked and bitten Lewis during a press conference, which also had a dampening effect. Tyson lost bouts in 2004 and 2005, and he retired in the aftermath of the latter fight. But Perez is a former Cuban amateur standout and one of the most well-schooled fighters in the division. Vyacheslav Glazkov shot into the heavyweight top 10 last March when he beat two-division world champion and longtime heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek. When he was younger, he was a street fighter before getting into organized boxing in Easton, Pennsylvania, and turning professional at the age of 24. His memoirs Undisputed Truth (2013) and Iron Ambition: My Life with Cus DAmato (2017) were written with Larry Sloman. A myriad of assault and harassment charges were subsequently filed against Tyson. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). After Ali refused to fight in the Vietnam War, his championship was taken away, and he was criminally indicted and sentenced to five years in prison. In July, Jennings beat fellow top-10 contender Mike Perez by split decision. Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier Boxing Rivalry, Top 6 Best Men's Heavyweight Boxers of All Time. Chagaev is not out of place in the division's top 10, though. This is, of course, another case of the WBA pulling its clown move where it calls Klitschko a "super" world champion and Chagaev a "regular" world champion. He's knocked out the first 32 opponents he's faced in his career, with nobody getting out of the fourth round. Stiverne will face Deontay Wilder on January 17, in his first title defense. He fought twice in 2014, knocking out former title challenger Manuel Charr in May and tough contender Carlos Takam in October. Mens heavyweight boxing is arguably one of the most physically demanding sports to exist today. Arreola is known for having stiff whiskers. Jennings is not big by modern heavyweight standards. Won the bronze medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, California, Won the gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Only heavyweight boxing champion with a perfect record. He quickly established an impressive amateur record and turned professional in 1969. But Fury has out-paced "Del Boy," and in their rematch, Fury was able to absorb some tough body shots whilepunishing Chisora for 10 rounds beforemaking him retire in his corner. Chisora isa much better fighter now than he was when the two faced off the first time, in 2011, when Fury won by decision. Glazkov is an Olympic bronze medalist. Sadly, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at 42 and passed away in 2016. A ten-gallon hat holds only about gallon. In January, he stopped fellow unbeaten Artur Szpilka in Round 10. Prior to this, Frazier worked at a slaughterhouse and would often punch slabs of beef; this inspired scenes in the film Rocky. At the reform school, social worker and boxing aficionado Bobby Stewart recognized his boxing potential and directed him to renowned trainer Cus DAmato, who became his legal guardian. He took up boxing after he was drafted to the Army in 1943; he fought as an amateur after he was discharged. But there's no denying that he has steadilyimproved overthe past few years. His trademark technique, which highlighted a crushing overhand right, was taught to him by trainer Charley Goldman. Tyson eventually was relicensed, and he returned to the ring on January 16, 1999, when he knocked out Franz Botha in the fifth round. His only previous stoppage loss had come against Klitschko, and in that case, he was stopped in his corner. It was a significant win, but Adamek is clearly on the back end of his career as was proved when he lost his subsequent fight to Artur Szpilka. 1 contender for the WBO portion of Klitschko's world title, but there's a line to get to the champ right now. Pulev fought a tactically weak fight against Klitschko. Alexander Povetkin came up well short when he challenged Wladimir Klitschko in October 2013. Both men were contractually bound to different promoters and cable television companies. Fury already has German Christian Hammer scheduled as his next opponent for this February. Klitschko holds three of the four legitimate belts and is the lineal champion as well. Rocky Marciano was born Rocco Francis Marchegiano in 1923. Szpilka is a tough contender with grit but not somebody Adamek would have lost to a few years ago. Corrections? He made 10 successful defenses of his world heavyweight title, including victories over former champions Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks. Undefeated British-Irish heavyweight Tyson Fury stands 6'9", making him the tallest fighter in the top 10. In 1988 Tyson married actress Robin Givens, but the couple divorced in 1989 amid allegations that Tyson had physically abused her. Bermane Stiverne jumped into the spotlight in April 2013, when he pounded veteran contender Chris Arreola, breaking his nose en route to a unanimous-decision victory. This gives him tremendous offensive and defensive advantages. He was forced to retire after being diagnosed with a heart condition, but he returned to boxing a year later. Although he was not a heavyweight champion, his 68 total knockouts in 74 wins were extremely impressive. On February 11, 1990, in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, Tyson lost the championship to lightly regarded James (Buster) Douglas, who scored a technical knockout in the 10th round. In a rematch against Holyfield on June 28, 1997, he was disqualified after he twice bit his opponents ears, and, as a result of the infraction, he lost his boxing license. In 1951, Marciano knocked out his hero, Joe Louis. Still, the heavyweight division entering 2015 is as exciting as it has been in recent years. The tough veteran is a skilled boxer, and his only two career losses came against Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin. After he defeated Tony Tucker on August 1, 1987, Tyson was unanimously recognized as champion by all three sanctioning organizations (WBC, WBA, and International Boxing Federation [IBF]). At 38,the champion has yet to show signs of slowing. Foreman won the world heavyweight championship in 1973. Who are the best mens heavyweight boxers of all time? By knocking out Kubrat Pulev in just five rounds last November, Wladimir Klitschko sent a clear message. Glazkov truly struggled against journeyman Derric Rossy last August and was lucky to escape with a majority decision. His powerand athleticism are completely legitimate. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He's also fresh from one of his best performances in years, a Round 5 stoppage of undefeated Kubrat Pulev last November. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The Rumble in the Jungle was one of the most famous fights in the history of boxing, and it was between Foreman and Muhammad Ali in 1974. Later that year he filed for bankruptcy, claiming to be $34 million in debt after earning an estimated $400 million over the course of his career. There are big questions about Wilder heading into his WBC title challenge against Bermane Stiverne this weekend. He fought Mike Tyson in what Ring Magazine named the fight of the year and upset of the year. After dreaming of becoming a professional boxer all his life, Frazier entered the ring in 1961. He was the heavyweight champion in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Joe Frazier was the heavyweight champion from 1970 to early 1973 and fought in the Thrilla in Manila in 1975. Ali took up boxing when he was 12 years old. The loss to Povetkin was a gritty, competitive effort. Joe Louis has won 27 heavyweight title bouts, which is the most of all time. Still, I'm not convinced that Povetkin would havefared any better, even with a more vigilant referee. With a record of 23-0and 17 KOs, he's coming off the best performance of his career, a Round 10 stoppage of Dereck Chisora last November. It had been difficult to schedule this fight. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content. At 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 metres) tall and weighing about 218 pounds (99 kg), Tyson was short and squat and lacked the classic heavyweight boxers appearance, but his surprising quickness and aggressiveness in the ring overwhelmed most of his opponents. Mike Tyson, in full Michael Gerald Tyson, byname Iron Mike, (born June 30, 1966, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.), American boxer who, at age 20, became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. Out his hero, Joe Louis has won 27 heavyweight title, but also was a gritty competitive. 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shortest heavyweight boxer today