Who are your top 10 heavyweight contenders of all time?

Question

Non champions only and any era of boxing. I'll give my list later.

Answer 1

Ike Ibeabuchi is #1 on my list, i can't really think of anyone else

Answer 2

Very good question.  I'll bet many will have to scratch their heads bald to figure this one.  The first few are very easy.  The tough thing about the rest is that there were so many "Paper Champions" starting with the WBA during Holmes' era (real champ) that its hard to distinguish real from fake.  For example, it says Tommy Morrison was WBO champ.  Does that exclude him here?   I never really considered him,  and many others champions.  

I will exclude the alpha boys anyway.  So many of them sucked but there were enough plastic belts to go around for everyone I will add a list of fighters who would never have held any kind of title if there were only ONE champion.

1. Sam Langford.: There is not much "O'l Sam" couldn't do in the ring.  

2. Peter Jackson: There are TWO reasons Sullivan and the others never faced Jackson,  His color was number 2.

3. Harry Wills: From the few films I've seen of him he might hve been the closest thing to an early day Larry Holmes the ring has ever seen.  

4. Ike Ibeabuchi: I dare rank him this high and he might even beat everyone here except Langford.  Ike was everybit as tough as Tyson, not quite as fast but with much better stamina.  That spells Late KO vs Tyson.

5.Ernie Shavers: Shavers was god-aweful slow.  But anyone who has not won a title isn't likely to be good enough to escape Ernie's bombs for long.

6.  Joe Jeanette:  You might think he should rank higher.  Given his style I don't think he would have survived Shavers.  He would punch Ernie all over the ring but fail to stop him before Ernie connected with his money maker.  

7. Sam Mc Vey:  He was just a tad behind Jeanette.  

8. Doug Jones: Gave young Ali all he could handle

9. Ron Lyle: Almost won one of the most exciting Hvt. shootouts vs Forman

10. George Chavalho/Oscar Bonavena: Both rugged fighters who can take a lot of punishment.  

This list could change drastically after #5.  After Ali's retirement so many of the of the organizations handed out belts like service awards at a B-rate labor work force. There are probably more "champions" between 1980 and now than top contenders the entire previous 80 years.

Here are some who would likely have never held a title had there been ONE champion after ALI.   Bare with me.  With so many titles Im sure I might miss a few of the lesser WBO and other titles.

I list Real Champions since 1980 and those who would have failed to win a title during those times.

Real Champ LARRY HOLMES to MICHAEL SPINKS to MIKE TYSON to BUSTER DOUGLAS to EVANDER HOLYFIELD to RIDDICK BOWE to HOLYFIELD to MICHAEL MOORER to GEORGE FORMAN to LENNOX LEWIS.

No Title: Greg Page, Mike Weaver, Pinklon Thomas, Tim Whitherspoon, John Tate, Michael Dokes, Gerrie Coetzee, Trevor Berbick, Tony Tubbs, Bonecrusher Smith, Tony Tucker,  Francisco Damiani

There are a few here who, had Butch Lewis allowed Spinks to defend, might have won the title.   Most of them are good fighters who would certainly change the list of Top 10 contenders.  The Hvt. division is such a mess since then it's impossible to tell who would have done what.  

Today we just have to settle for the general belief that Wladimir Klitschko is the best in the world and is the figurative champion.   It doesn't look likely that we will ever see ONE champion while Don King is still active.  We might sooner see an Iranian female US president.