Choosing only 5 great heavyweights from over 100 years means that some exceptional champions must be overlooked.

Any ranking should also not be based on who wins a fantasy fight between two boxers. Heavyweights of the 1950s, of course, couldn’t battle in the ring with giants like the Klitschko brothers. All a boxer can do is dominate their own age and demonstrate their greatness.

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And everyone of these remarkable heavyweights, from mammoth punchers to brilliant boxers, did just that.

Mike Tyson

His peak was similar to ‘Iron Mike’ himself: short, sharp, and explosive. Few fighters have possessed Tyson’s fearsome attitude in the ring, and while crushing punch power was his signature, peak Tyson also possessed quick hands, a sly jab, head movement, and a strong chin. It all came apart too soon for the youngest heavyweight champion, whose life and career unravelled too swiftly – but Tyson ripped through the division like no one before or since in the 1980s.

Joe Frazier

‘Smokin Joe’ was a force of nature, with a massive left hook, a persistent work ethic, and an odd pressure-fighting style. Despite competing in the most competitive heavyweight era in history, Frazier only lost to two opponents (Ali and George Foreman). The Philadelphia legend couldn’t handle ‘Big George’s otherworldly power, but he gave every other boxer he faced, including Ali, hell.

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Evander Holyfield

As the only four-time heavyweight world champion in boxing history, Holyfield’s victories over Riddick Bowe and Mike Tyson, in particular, more than demonstrate his warrior legacy.

George Foreman

Possibly the division’s best puncher. The division’s best comeback, without a doubt. Peak ‘Big George’ crushed unbeaten Frazier in two rounds before destroying strong Ken Norton. But it was Foreman’s late-career return that cemented his legacy. Instead of sculpted and scowling, the American KO’d heavyweight champ Michael Moorer with one punch in 1994, reclaiming his title 21 years after he had won it.

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Muhammad Ali

Forget his societal effect, good looks, quips, and even his unusual fighting style, which saw a 6ft 3in Adonis float around the ring like a featherweight – his fists by his sides, daring you to hit him – what made Ali the greatest heavyweight of all time is something far more solid.

Simply put, he defeated more outstanding heavyweights than any previous or subsequent boxer. Sonny Liston, Floyd Paterson (twice), Foreman, Frazier (twice), Norton (twice), and numerous other Hall of Famers surrounded him. Ali retired in 1978 as a three-time heavyweight champion who had avenged every setback. Two comeback fights at the age of 40 ruined that record, but nothing can change the fact that he is indeed The Greatest.