Top 15 Heavyweight champions list - 1892 - WW2 (1939)

Old time Heavies tend to miss out on the heavyweight lists we do on here...........So a heads up to  some special eras in Heavy boxing and hope not too many of you boys are spinning in your graves !!.......Sleep well guys....

1. Jack Johnson
2. Jack Dempsey
3. Jim Jeffries
4. Bob Fitzsimmons
5. Gene Tunney
6. James J Corbett
7. Joe Louis
8. Max Baer
9. Tommy Burns
10. Jack Sharkey
11. Max Schmelling
12. Primo Carnera
13. James Braddock
14. Jess Willard
15. Marvin Hart...............Honorable mentions to Burley,Langford and Sharkey who would probably be in If they's won the title..and John L who's only fight in 1892 was a loss..

Burley? I assume you mean Wills?

I think so Mate,............My mistake...  

Think Louis had done just about enough by '39 to take top spot.  Johnson a clear second with Dempsey and Jeffries dukeing it out for 3rd. I'd have Tunney above Fitzsimmons and would find a space for both Langford and Wills.  McVea and Jeanette probably there or there abouts too.  Never convinced by Tom Sharkey - controversy (particularly the Fitzsimmons fight) seemed to follow him round.

Tom Sharkey drew with and beat Corbett. He beat Ruhlin and Choynski along with giving Jeffries the toughest fight of his career.

Fitz took him out with solar plexus shot which was an innovative punch at the time. Sharkey was never the same after the second Jeffries fight.

Certainly have Louis top overall of that lot Mate...But with Schmelling and the fact he's only one year in...I think people like Fitz had done a bit more...

Corbett gets kudos for the Jackson draw a long with the john l performance..Also was outboxing Fitz too when nailed..

cheers..

Is hard to know where to place them. If we are talking exclusively title reigns then I personally think there is an argument for Jeffries to be top, in the likes of Fitz, Corbett and Sharkey he is beating hall of famers pretty much exclusively, this compares favourably with Johnson who pretty much fought dross as champion whilst ignoring eminently more qualified challengers.

Where things get a little more complicated is if we consider pre title reign because Johnson has one hell of a record in that perspective. Spent at least five years as the best heavy in the world and was pretty much unbeaten throughout that period, had the odd bit of trouble with Jennette and got the rough end of a poor decision against Hart but beat everyone else who was willing to face him with relative ease.

Also could perhaps make an argument for Burns above Baer. Baer is the better fighter but was extremely inconsistent whereas Burns was a pretty active and successful champion until Johnson cleaned him out.

interesting stuff

Love the duel in the sun days where history was made and changed forever..

List was a labor of love.....But some positions are very tight..