Boxing has a rich history of great talent throughout all of its weight classes but the one weight class that always stood out is the heavyweight division. It is hard to point to one reason on why that is, but one factor is certainly the danger of knowing one of those men in the ring has a high chance of getting knocked out.

Maybe heavyweight boxing is easier to follow. Heavyweights don't throw as many punches as the lower weight classes do which could make it easier for the casual fan to follow and give their input. The heavyweights have always captivated the people in different ways, but these ten generally top the list.

11 10. Larry Holmes

Larry Holmes finished his career with a record 69-6-1 with 44 wins by way of knockout. Holmes has a very impressive boxing resume that included wins over Earnie Shavers, Muhammad Ali, Trevor Burbick, Leon Spinks, Gerry Cooney, and Ray Mercer among others.

Holmes defeated Lorenzo Zanon for the WBC Heavyweight Title on Feburary 3, 1980. Holmes held on that title until September 21, 1985, when he lost it to Michael Spinks, a feat many heavyweights cannot lay claim to. The Georgia native was known for his excellent jab that controlled the pace of fights. As soon as his opponents were focused on the jab then the straight right hand would come down the line. The consistency and longevity that Holmes was able to display is why he is the tenth-greatest heavyweight of all-time.

10 9. Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson is a cultural icon because of his knockout power. Tyson started his career 19-0 with 19 knockouts and became the youngest heavyweight champion of all-time. The knockout highlights that Tyson accumulated during his career are very impressive. It may be the best highlight reel in boxing history.

The incredible highlight reel has blinded some fans and pundits to the shortcomings of Tyson, however. He was a great talent bul failed to beat the best of the best. Tyson lost to Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield (twice), and Lennox Lewis. The Brooklyn, New York native has a shallow resume, his best win is over a 38-year-old Larry Holmes who was coming off of back to back losses. Tyson was incredible but not a top five heavyweight of all-time.

9 8. Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury is the only active boxer who is on this list. Fury is currently 33-0-1 with 24 wins by knockout. At 6'9" and upwards of 265 pounds, Fury is truly one of a kind. Boxing has seen big men like this before, but none of those other giants were able to box like Fury. The Gypsy King as he is known by is a very smooth boxer with the ability to dodge punches and counter as if he is a cruiserweight.

Fury's resume is already truly impressive. He has wins over Derek Chisora, Wladimir Klitschko, Deontay Wilder, and Dillian Whyte. Fury may be able to climb up this list if he continues to fight and take on the best. That does not include his next fight as he is taking on former UFC Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. After that Fury is scheduled to meet up for the undisputed heavyweight championship against Oleksandr Usyk. Becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis will give Fury's resume a heavy boost.

8 7. Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano is one of the few boxers in history that finished his career with undefeated record. He was 49-0 with 43 knockouts. Marciano's record includes wins over Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles, and Archie Moore.

Marciano had great knockout power and an amazing chin. He truly got the best out of his ability and will forever be remembered in boxing lure.

7 6. Joe Frazier

Frazier's best win undoubtedly wou be when he handed Muhammad Ali his first loss in "The Fight of the Century". Frazier was a great inside fighter who had maybe the best left hook in boxing history.

Frazier had an innate ability to know when to duck and counter. Frazier finished his career with a record of 32-4-1 with 27 wins by knockout. The best wins on his resume were over Ali, Jerry Quarry, and Buster Mathis among others.

6 5. George Foreman

George Foreman was one of the most menacing men to ever step in the squared-circle. He had amazing power in both hands and an underrated boxing IQ that allowed him to come back after nearly 10 years out of the ring and become the oldest heavyweight champion of all-time.

Foreman finished his career with a record of 76-5 with 68 wins by knockout. He had a resume full of wins over great fighters. Foreman defeated Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Ron Lyle, Gerry Cooney, and Michael Moorer among others.

5 4. Evander Holyfield

Evander Holyfield stands out one of the toughest boxers to ever step foot in the ring. He finished his career with a record of 44-10-2 with 29 knockouts. Seven of his ten losses came after he turned 37 years old. Holyfield stayed around way too long but during his prime he was able to win the heavyweight title four separate times after being a great cruiserweight champion.

Holyfield defeated Buster Douglas, Riddick Bowe, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Hasim Rahman, John Ruiz, and Mike Tyson twice among others. Holyfield has one of the best resumes in boxing history, not just heavyweight history.

4 3. Joe Louis

Joe Louis had one of the greatest runs of all-time as a boxer. He finished his career with a record of 66-3 with 52 knockouts. He held the heavyweight title for over 13 years. He defeated Jim Braddock on June 22, 1937 and didn't lose the title until Septemeber 27, 1950 against Ezzard Charles.

Louis' consistency, durability and longevity helped him become the longest reigning heavyweight champion of all-time. That accomplishment landed him in the number three spot.

3 2. Lennox Lewis

In this picture you see Lennox Lewis walking away from a knocked out Mike Tyson in there 2002 bout for the heavyweight title. Lewis defeated Tyson pretty easily which he did to most of his opponents throughout his career. Lewis finished his career with a record of 41-2 with 32 wins by knockout.

Lewis avenged both of his losses by knockout meaning he beat every opponent he ever faced. Lewis was a three-time heavyweight champion with a plethora of quality wins. He defeated Vladimir Klitschko, Mike Tyson, Hasim Rahman, David Tua, Evander Holyfield, and Oliver McCall among others. Lewis may have the best resume in heavyweight history.

2 1. Muhammad Ali

In this picture Muhammad Ali (left) is talking to his biggest rival Joe Frazier (right). Frazier handed Ali his first loss, but Ali was able to beat Frazier twice after that. Ali was not only dominant but also was able to dig down deep when challenged.

Ali is beloved for what he did both in and out of the ring. The reason he is the greatest heavyweight of all-time is what he did in the ring. Ali finished his career with a record of 56-5 with 37 wins by knockout. Ali was the perfect fighter during his prime. He had true power for a heavyweight along with elite understanding of range and the speed of a middleweight.

He defeated so many quality opponents including Archie Moore, Sonny Liston (2x), Floyd Patterson, Ernie Terrell, Jerry Quarry, Joe Frazier (2x), George Foreman, and Ken Norton (2x) among others. The flamboyant style that Ali showed in and out of the ring is why is universally loved. The combination of heart, determination, speed, power, and boxing intelligence is why he is the greatest heavyweight to ever step in the ring.

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