Heavyweight boxing never had a deeper decade, and this field mixes undisputed champions with the contenders and spoilers who gave them hell.
1Muhammad AliThree-time heavyweight champion whose Rumble in the Jungle and Thrilla in Manila defined the decade.1000pts
2Joe FrazierRelentless Philadelphia champion who handed Ali his first defeat in the 1971 Fight of the Century.550pts
3Larry HolmesJab-first stylist who outpointed Norton in a classic 1978 bout to take the WBC title.440pts
4Oscar BonavenaTough Argentine who took Ali the distance into the 15th round in 1970.440pts
5Ron LyleHard-hitting Denver contender remembered for his brutal 1976 slugfest with Foreman.440pts
6Jimmy EllisWBA champion entering the decade until Frazier unified the title in 1970.381pts
7Earnie ShaversOne of the hardest punchers in history, who rocked Ali and Holmes in title fights.381pts
8George ForemanFearsome puncher who demolished Frazier in 1973 before losing his crown to Ali in Kinshasa.314pts
9Teofilo StevensonCuban amateur great who won Olympic heavyweight gold in 1972 and 1976 while refusing to turn pro.314pts
10Jerry QuarryPopular Californian contender who fought nearly every top heavyweight of his generation.237pts
11Chuck WepnerBayonne Bleeder whose 1975 stand against Ali inspired the film Rocky.237pts
12Leon Spinks1976 Olympic champion who stunned Ali for the title in only his eighth professional fight.147pts
Photo credits
- Joe Frazier — Hans Peters for Anefo , Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, Rijksfotoarchief: Fotocolle, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Larry Holmes — Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Earnie Shavers — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Teofilo Stevenson — Thomas Lehmann, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Chuck Wepner — Igel B TyMaHe, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leon Spinks — Johnmaxmena (talk)John Mena, CC BY 3.0
