Top 10 heavyweight boxers of all time revealed with Muhammad Ali the greatest and Mike Tyson amazingly missing out
MUHAMMAD ALI was officially been named The Greatest heavyweight of all time in 2019.
Ali is ranked No1 by respected boxing site BoxRec - who have surprisingly left fan favourite Mike Tyson out of the top 10.
Ali, who died at age 74 in 2016, reigned as world champion three times, winning eight titles in a 61-fight career spanning 21 years.
KO king Tyson - who is in talks over an incredible comeback fight against Evander Holyfield in the Middle East in November - remains the youngest heavyweight champion of all time, beating Trevor Berbick in 1986 at the age of 20.
But his inconsistent career after the death of mentor and trainer Cus D'amato leaves fans fearing “Iron Mike” under achieved.
Here, SunSport runs down the top 10 from the 2019 rankings.
It is a lucrative list including the the likes of Evander Holyfield and Rocky Marciano.
1. Muhammad Ali
No one touches 'The Greatest' for cultural, social and political impact - and his boxing record may well have been even better had he not lost three years of his career after refusing to fight in the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1970.
The image of Ali standing over a battered Sonny Liston is one of sport's most iconic and his Thrilla in Manila win over Joe Frazier in 1975 the most famous boxing fight ever.
2. Joe Louis
The "Brown Bomber" was heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949 - a period in which he defended his title 25 times.
More than that, he is widely regarded as one of the first black athletes to achieve the status of national hero in the US. He died in 1981.
3. Evander Holyfield
Coming into the division as a cruiserweight, Holyfield’s slick boxing skills saw him defeat the likes of James “Buster” Douglas, Tyson, Riddick Bowe, Hasim Rahman and Larry Holmes.
“The Real Deal” reigned as heavyweight champ four times and became infamous for scoring an upset win against Tyson in 1996 before having his ear bitten in the rematch - which he won by DQ.
Holyfield, who has released his own training videos at the age of 57, seems intent on a trilogy fight against Tyson, even though current stars such as Dillian Whyte have warned against it.
4. Floyd Patterson
The first heavyweight champion to regain the title after losing it, Patterson also reigned as the youngest champ at 21 until Tyson broke the record.
Beaten by greats Ali and Sonny Liston, “The Gentleman of Boxing” retired with a record of 55–8–1.
5. Rocky Marciano
Surprisingly low on the list considering the American ranks as the only undefeated heavyweight, Marciano defeated legends such as Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore - all, however, past their prime.
Despite defending his title six times, the lack of marquee names on his 49-0 record have other legends held in higher regard.
6. Larry Holmes
After initially making his name as the sparring partner of Ali, Holmes first won the world title by beating the great Ken Norton.
“The Easton Assassin” would go on to beat Ali while recording wins against Earnie Shavers, Berbick and Leon Spinks but losing to Tyson and Holyfield.
7. Gene Tunney
The oldest of boxers on the list, the American fought from 1915 to 1928 and had two famous wins against Jack Dempsey.
Tunney, who died in 1978 aged 81, was famed for his style of technical, slick boxing, a style not popular in his era but what later paved the way for technicians like Ali.
8. Jack Johnson
Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight after defeating Tommy Burns in 1908 having been denied a title shot due to his skin colour since turning pro in 1898.
The “Galveston Giant” became a cultural hero having battled racism throughout his career but never got another shot at the belt after losing it to Jess Willard in 1915.
9. Joe Frazier
A former undisputed champion, “Smokin Joe” had an epic trilogy with Ali, the third of which the famous "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975 which Frazier lost to make the score 2-1 to his rival.
Frazier won the world titles against Jimmy Ellis in 1970 but twice lost to George Foreman in 1973 and 1976.
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10. Sam Langford
Amazingly, beginning his career at lightweight Langford took his power up to heavyweight and reportedly had 256 with 180 wins from .
The Canadian is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights to go under the radar, with his popularity suffering due to the fact he was never granted a world title shot.