Tyson Fury has made it clear that he’s more than a big personality. The “Gypsy King” is a damn good fighter, arguably the best heavyweight since the hey-day of Lennox Lewis.
Those are the kind accolades you earn when you embarrass long-reigning Wladimir Klitschko, leave boxing to tangle with personal demons and then return to draw with and then knockout then-unbeaten Deontay Wilder in sensational fashion.
Anyone who doesn’t believe Fury is the best heavyweight today isn’t paying attention.
But where does he rank among the most-accomplished heavyweights of the modern era, meaning those who had fights after World War II?
Well, he’s already knocking on the door of the Top 10 but, in our estimation, he isn’t quite there. His legacy is still under construction. Another victory over Wilder and one over U.K. rival Anthony Joshua in all likelihood would allow him to crack the list.
With that in mind, here is the Boxing Junkie list of the 10 best heavyweights of the modern era (plus the next five).
NO. 10 SONNY LISTON
Record: 50-4 (39 KOs)
Years active: 1953-70
Title reigns: One (1962-64)
Among his victims: Cleveland Williams (twice), Nino Valdes, Zora Folley, Eddie Machen, Floyd Patterson (twice), Chuck Wepner
Background: Liston was a role model for a young George Foreman, an ornery, intimidating man who used a pulverizing jab and frightening power punches to lay waste to his early opponents in a way that Foreman and Mike Tyson did years later. By the early 1960s, the Mob-connected slugger was considered heavyweight champion in waiting. Cus D’Amato, titleholder Floyd Patterson’s manager, feared Liston to such a degree that he did everything in his power to steer his protégé away from the top challenger but ultimately failed. Liston obliterated Patterson in one round to become champ in 1962 and then did it again 10 months later. He seemed to be something beyond human. And then he had the misfortune of crossing paths with Cassius Clay, who would become Muhammad Ali. The young, brash Clay was too quick, too athletic and much too good for the champion, who was stopped in six rounds in their first fight in 1964 and in one round in the “Phantom Punch” rematch. Were either of the fights fixed? We’ll never know. What we do know is that Liston never again fought for a major title. He was found dead in 1971. The official cause: heroin overdose. Many believe something more sinister played a role.
