The late, great Emanuel Steward once revealed the five greatest heavyweights of all time in his opinion.
Based out of the world famous Kronk Boxing Gym in Detroit, Steward began his coaching career back in the early 1970s and would go on to train no less than 41 world champions throughout the course of his tenure.
He guided the careers of the likes of Lennox Lewis, Thomas ‘The Hitman’ Hearns, Wladimir Klitschko and Julio Cesar Chavez Sr to name just a few, proving to be an influential figure in each of the their careers and personal lives.
Whilst he had success training fighters in the lower weights, Steward is perhaps best known for his outstanding work with the heavyweights, leading Lewis, Klitschko and Evander Holyfield to numerous world heavyweight championship wins.
In a resurfaced interview, Steward revealed the top five greatest heavyweights ever in his opinion, giving the top spot to the man that was known as ‘The Greatest’.
“1. Muhammad Ali … 2. Joe Louis … 3. George Foreman … 4. Larry Holmes … 5. Lennox Lewis.”
Many fans and analysts consider Ali to be not just the greatest heavyweight in boxing history, but the greatest overall fighter to have ever laced up the gloves. He proved his credentials throughout the course of his glittering professional career where he captured the world heavyweight championship on three occasions.
Louis, known as ‘The Brown Bomber’, still holds the record for the most consecutive title defences, defending his world heavyweight championship 25 times over a 12-year period.
As for Foreman, ‘Big’ George remains the oldest world heavyweight champion in boxing history, a record he set back in 1994 when he defeated Michael Moorer to win the unified WBA and IBF heavyweight titles.
Holmes’ enjoyed considerable success during the late 1970s into the mid 1980s, holding the world heavyweight championship for seven years between 1978 and 1985, defeating the likes of Muhammad Ali, Ken Norton and Trevor Berbick.
Lewis is often considered to be the greatest British boxer of all time. He captured the undisputed heavyweight championship with a historic victory over Holyfield, suffering just two defeats during his career which he avenged before his retirement. He was famously cornered by Steward from 1994 until his retirement in 2003.