After his sixth-round win over Dillian Whyte Briton claimed he was ‘one of the greatest of all time’
Tyson Fury cemented his place at the top of the heavyweight boxing tree with a destructive victory over Dillian Whyte on Saturday in his second successive title defence to retain the WBC championship.
The win sets up a winner-takes-all showdown against either Oleksandr Usyk, the current WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion, or Anthony Joshua, depending on who emerges victorious from their likely summer showdown this July – should Fury return to the ring as doubt over a potential retirement continues to loom.
But after two world championship victories, four-and-a-half years apart between his upset of Wladimir Klitschko seven years ago and his demolition of Deontay Wilder in 2020, and his own claims of being “one of the greatest heavyweights of all time”, where does he rank in our top 10?
1. Muhammad Ali W: 56 (37 KOs), L: 5
Renowned as ‘The Greatest’, Ali bestrode the heavyweight division and society like a Colossus. A thrilling fighter, fast hands, fast feet, ideal size for a heavyweight at 6ft 3ins tall and 220lbs, Ali was amongst the greatest sports stars of the last century. He also beat a series of great hall of fame fighters: Sonny Liston, Floyd Paterson twice, George Foreman, Joe Frazier twice, Ken Norton twice. When Ali retired for the first time in 1978 he was a three-time heavyweight champion who had avenged all his defeats. However, he came back twice, when he was almost 40.
2. Joe Louis W: 66 (52 KOs), L: 3
The legendary American made a record 25 world title defences and reigned as heavyweight champion from 1937 until a temporary retirement in 1949. Heroic figure to the American public, and took part in one of boxing’s most famous fights – a historic rematch with global overtones depicted as Western Democracy against Nazism with German boxer Max Schmeling in 1938. With a ramrod jab, and heavy right hands, he knocked out 52 of his 66 opponents.
3. Jack Johnson W: 72 (38 KOs), L: 11, D: 11, N/C: 3
The first African-American heavyweight champion was a colourful and, in those times 100 years ago, a controversial character who was a keen exponent of the sweet science. Not unlike Tyson Fury today, Johnson had his own style, cleverly defensive behind the jab and with an ability to land his own shots heavily and effectively.
4. Larry Holmes W: 69 (44 KOs), L: 6
The ‘Easton Assassin’ worked everything behind the finest jab in the sport, massive boxing IQ, and a ruggedness which saw him go to 48-0 in his career with 20 defences of the heavyweight world title. He earned victory over a very aged Ali, and finally succumbed to a controversial defeat by Michael Spinks nearing the age of 36.
5. George Foreman W: 76 (68 KOs), L: 5
Renowned as the blue-riband division’s biggest puncher. A world champion for the first time in his 20s, Foreman came back to win the title again at the age of 46, defeating Michael Moorer with a single punch knockout in 1994. In his early era, there were two great victories over Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, but he was dethroned by Ali’s ‘rope a dope’ tactics in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974, in ‘The Rumble In The Jungle’.
6. Jack Dempsey W: 64 (53 KOs), L: 6, D: 9
Dempsey was the heavyweight star of the sport a century ago, and was a brutal, rugged fighter whose popularity led to him setting the first ever million dollar gate.
7. Lennox Lewis W: 41 (32 KOs), L: 2, D: 1
One of the first superheavyweights, Lewis carried power, ranginess, vast ring generalship and avenged his two defeats to Hasim Rahman and Oliver McCall. But he beat all genuine rivals in his era. He was an undisputed champion and had wins over Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Razor Ruddock, David Tua and Vitali Klitschko, and walked away at the very top.
8. Rocky Marciano W: 49 (43 KOs), L: 0
If Fury retires, he will share with The ‘Brockton Blockbuster’ alone an unbeaten heavyweight record. Marciano, who went 49 fights undefeated, was short, aggressive and incredibly resilient with a granite chin, prepared to go toe-to-toe with all his rivals to land his brutal right hands.
9. Joe Frazier W: 32 (KOs 27), L: 4, D: 1
With a left hook from hell, relentless engine and a pressure fighter, ‘Smokin Joe’ defied the odds as a small heavyweight, inflicting the defeat of Ali’s career and famous for his trilogy fight with ‘The Greatest’. Frazier only lost twice to two men, Ali and Foreman, in the most competitive heavyweight era the sport has known.
10. Tyson Fury W: 32 (KOs 23) D: 1
Fury moves into the top 10 of the all-time greatest heavyweights, edging out Mike Tyson for the final spot on the list. Undefeated, dominant in this era, and a two-time world champion Fury has become a star in the sport with his skills – and remarkable storyline.
The 6ft 9ins tall, 19 st Fury said on Sunday: “I had a meeting with Bob Arum in 2019 and I said, ‘What’s the motivation, Bob? Why, at nearly 90 years old, do you want to be involved with a British heavyweight?’. He said, ‘I came into this game promoting the best heavyweight in the world (Muhammad Ali) and I’m going out promoting the best heavyweight in the world.”