The Top Five Heavyweight Champs Of All Time

These guys simply rise above the rest

Let's face it, the heavyweight division is getting hot again - finally. So, during this transition period, I've decided to look back and think about just who the greatest heavyweight champs were. You may not like the list, but that's fine. Comment and tell me where I'm wrong.

The truth is, guys like Corbett, Johnson and Dempsey, great as they were, probably wouldn't do to well against the guys on this list. Boxing, frankly, simply moved on beyond their skill sets. Then again, you won't find names like Klitschko and Fury on this list, either. They may be big, but just imagine them facing the Tyson who faced Michael Spinks.

1. Muhammad Ali - Hey, they called him The Greatest for a reason. Liston. Frazier. Foreman. Spinks. He beat them all. That's saying something. What's particularly great about the man is he didn't rely on an undefeated record. When defeated, he would simply come back and win. Admirable stuff.
2. Larry Holmes - Surprised?You shouldn't be. The man was that good. Yeah, he's known as the guy who held the belt in between the reigns of Ali and Tyson, but ask yourself this - would the Holmes who fought Cooney have lost to a prime Ali and Tyson? Maybe. But then again...
3. Lennox Lewis - Here's a man who had the misfortune of never fighting Tyson or Holyfield in their primes. That's too bad, because I wouldn't write him off against either of those two. In fact, I'd favor him against both. And their both on this list.
4. Mike Tyson - If you want to know why Iron Mike's on this list, then with all do respect, you don't know boxing all that well. Pure dominance. Dempsey on steroids (no, not literally). Too tough to swing with, too fast to run from. Truly the baddest man on the planet. 
5. Evander Holyfield - My favorite fighter of all time is still a tough sell on his list. Riddick Bowe won two out of three against the man. What's more, it's hard to figure out if Holyfield could have beaten Joe Louis if both men were at their best. Regardless. Some fighters just have other fighter's numbers. It's been said, for instance, that Ken Norton had Ali's number. Yet Norton truly doesn't belong on this list. Bottom line: Bowe never went on to achieve what Holyfield did. And yeah, prime Evander could probably have bested prime Louis.