There have been many great heavyweight boxers over the years. It is a really hard job to cut the list down to just 10 of the greatest heavyweight boxers. There have been many accomplished and talented boxers who never made the cut.

Over the years there have been many great heavyweight boxers. Some were renowned for their speed while others were famous for being heavy hitters.

In this article we will list 10 of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.

10. Joe Frazier (32-4-1, 27 KO)

Joe Frazier had beaten many great opponents including Buster Mathis, Doug Jones and Muhammad Ali (once). “Smokin” Joe had a fierce rivalry with Muhammad Ali but lost twice to him in their three encounters including losing the much publicized Thrilla in Manila.

Frazier had a mean left hook and would knock out many opponents with his left hook. In his whole career he only lost to two fighters; Muhammad Ali (twice) and George Foreman (twice).

9. Jack Dempsey (54-9-6, 44 KO)

Jack Dempsey was a aggressive fighter widely known for his punching power. His fights were known to beat records including the first boxer to set a million dollar gate. At his time he was one of the most popular boxers and reigned as heavyweight champion for 8 years including victories over the “Pottawatamie Giant” Jess Willard, Bill Brennan and Tommy Gibbons.

8. Mike Tyson (50-6-2 no contests, 44 KO)

“Iron” Mike Tyson came onto the professional boxing scene crushing then heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick and becoming the youngest heavyweight champion at 20. At his prime there were many boxers that fear “the baddest man on the planet”.

He could have become the greatest boxer of all time in our opinion had he not faced a number of personal problems, financial problems, a prison stint and towards the latter part of his career; lack of discipline.

7. Rocky Marciano (49-0, 43 KO)

Rocky was the only heavyweight boxer to win all his bouts and not lose a single fight. Although some argue that he never fought any worthy opponents and his title reign only lasted three years he still deserves to be on this list of greatest heavyweight boxers.

6. Evander Holyfield (44-10-2, 29 KO)

Holyfield won the heavyweight title four times in his career. He went on to defeat a myriad of opponents including George Foreman Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson. His win against Mike Tyson was one of the greatest upsets of the year and most people thought he would lose.

Evander Holyfield had great heart and was a very skillful boxer thus cementing his place as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers.

5. Jack Johnson (73-13-10, 40 KO)

Jack Johnson was the first black heavyweight champion winning the title in 1910. In a complete white society in which boxing was run by white men Johnson overcame the odds and adversities and still became the first black heavyweight champion.

He was an outspoken boxer and lived a lavish lifestyle. Some notable opponents that he beat include James J. Jeffries, Sam Langford and  Tommy Burns.

4. George Foreman (76-5, 68 KO)

George Foreman was a beast! The oldest heavyweight champion to win the title at 45 years of age. He won the title in two different eras; the first being the 1970s, arguably the best heavyweight era and again in the 1990s.

Foreman was known for his power and his hard punches. He knocked out many notable opponents including steam rolling Joe Frazier and knocking him down six times.

3. Joe Louis (66-3, 52 KO)

Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis’ record speaks for itself. Only losing 3 matches in his whole career. Like Johnson and Ali, Joe Louis also fought during a racist time. However Joe Louis never let this stop him. He paved the way for many African-American fighters. He was also a great professional golf player but that’s a different story for another day.

2. Larry Holmes (69-6, 44 KO)

Known as the “Easton Assassin” he beat many boxers including Muhammad Ali, Ken Norton, Gerry Cooney and Marvis Frazier.

Larry Holmes was known for his power punches and his left jab is still ranked the best in boxing to this day.

An underrated boxer he made 20 successful title defenses only 5 short of Joe Louis’ record.

1.Muhammad Ali (56-5, 37 KO)

Ali was a great boxer and was aptly nicknamed “The Greatest”. He tops our list of being the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He had notable wins against. Not only did he win the Olymipic Gold medal  in 1960 but he was also one of the youngest to win the heavyweight title beating Sonny Liston at the age of 22. He beat many top boxers at their prime including George Foreman, Joe Fraizer and Floyd Paterson.

Not only was he great in the ring but he was also great outside of the ring. He stood up for what he believed in by speaking up for racial segregation and religious hatred. He also refused to go to the Vietnam war. Most boxers at the time would not have done what he did because it could have potentially jeopardised his career but Ali firmly stood up for his beliefs. Muhammad Ali rightly tops out list and becomes the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.

This was our list of the greatest heavyweight boxers. There were still a lot of boxers that we haven’t included and many that just never made the cut. If you think any boxer deserves to be on the list let us know in the comments