This one should kick off some debate. Let's hear your Top 5. Put 'em in the comments.

The feeling of being a kid and listening to a great story teller telling a great story.

Teddy is so enjoyable to listen to. Pure gold.

I Love this Intro, Teddy. It's the kind of Prelude and Disclaimer that I favor giving. Explanations are beautiful.

Sometimes, listening to a person who loves a topic so much can be so enjoyable.

My top 5 or more 1. Joe Louis 2. Muhammad Ali 3. Rocky Marciano 4. Jack Johnson 5. George Foreman 6. Jack Dempsey 7. Lennox Lewis 8. Sonny Liston 9. Joe Frazier 10. 3 way tie Evander Holyfield/Mike Tyson/ Larry Holmes.

Love this video. Teddy Atlas has so much heart. He has such a broad range of respect for history and understanding of what these boxers went through. Love your program guys.

1.Marciano 2. Joe Louis 3. Ali 4. Gene Tunney 5. Jack Dempsey

Lennox Lewis, needs a mention, he had elite speed and power and along with Holmes had the greatest jab ever. He had a great career, and made all his wins look easy so he doesn't get the credit for being in tough great fights I think Lennox is the most skilled Heavyweight ever, his footwork, his ring IQ, his power, and speed are all elite. I don't think any Heavyweight ever could beat Lennox at his best!

Dempsey was the Manassa Mauler, not Rocky. He was the Brockton Blockbuster.

Thank you teddy and ken Amazing stories ! Thoses legends deserved to be reminisced !!!!

Sam Langfords most notable stat isn’t the 210 wins 126 by knockout. It’s the fact that he fought successfully as a heavyweight against boxers as large as 6’6 , 260lbs. He was only 5’6 1/2” tall and 185lbs.

You Gentlemen hit the dead center every time! Keep the Great Stuff coming!🥊NOLA❤️

Great to hear your list, Teddy. It carries a bit more weight knowing that you had access to Jimmy Jacob’s library of vintage fights and have seen a few more fights than the average person. If you provided some education on more pioneering boxers from history for us younger guys, I think some of us would appreciate an episode or two of that too. Thanks!

Loved this! Would love to hear teddy’s favorite middleweights

Thanks for the Tunney discussion!

Awesome!!! Thanks Teddy for ur great comments, your lists, and your stories.

45 rounds, this is why conditioning was a much more significant part of training and why the fighters were smaller. Today Jack Johnson would be fighting at 225 and Jim Jeffries would be 235lbs.

We Love you Teddy, you have a legion of Boxing fans that respect you as the Godfather of Boxing. The realest left.

Brilliant pod cast increadiblly insightful.educational and informative

It was great how after Joe Louis beat James J Braddock and one of the reporters refered to him as "champ" and Joe told the reporter not to call him that ...not yet ." Not until I beat that man."Louis wouldn't even say his name . "that man." Classic!

Let us not forget that Max Shmelling when Joe Louis died sent £10,000 to his widow with an apology that he was not at the funeral, that was respect. Please excuse my spelling of Shmelling.

Teddy Atlas is truly a genius

Teddy paints pictures with his words. And he is so passionate about boxing it's beautiful

I could listen to Teddy talk boxing all day long, so knowledgeable, his autobiography is a great read! 😁

Why nobody is mentioning lennox Lewis in this debate is beyond me!

Teddy's Top 5 in case you don't have an hour spare: 1. Joe Louis 2. Ali 3. Jack Johnson 4. Rocky Marciano 5. Gene Tunny

Love every show!

thanks as always amigos

I also rank Jack Johnson #3 heavyweight of all time. Many modern sportswriters and analysts neglect to rank Jack Johnson within the top 10 best heavyweights ever. Very nice and accurate inclusion of Johnson, Teddy...

I've ALWAYS respected Teddy as a knowledgeable man in boxing, but after hearing him talk about Louis, Ali AND Jack Johnson, I have to consider him one of the best boxing minds and historians of the sweet science, period!👍✊

Teddy is praising Louis and his trainers relationship as the greatest bond in boxing history, when he himself saw cus damato transform mike Tyson from a scared and broken child into the most viscous boxer to lace up the gloves.

Teddy Atlas! This was fantastic! You, sir, are the absolute best. What a great History, lesson!.

A love Letter to Ali👍 i Like how he praises all aspects of Ali as a human being not only as a boxer

I may be wrong about this but there was a very old heavyweight boxer named John L. Sullivan, who in the 1880s fought an 84 round fight against an opponnent (the name i dont remember)and won. 8 4 R O U N D S

Good video !

Jim Jeffries was stopped in the 15th round against Jack Johnson. The fight was scheduled for 45 rounds. Great video Teddy !!!

Just off the top of my head before even watching any of this: Ali, Frazer, Rocky Marciano, Joe Lewis, Tyson.

I've replayed this with relish at least 5 times now. It'd be nice to see Teddy do a best of Trainers. I'd include him personally. Perhaps the best. Certainly the GOAT commentator on sports and boxing historian.

Thanks Teddy, for your perspective.

If I remember correctly I believe Sam Langford told Joe Louis' trainer and former fighter Jack Blackburn (who Teddy mentions) to "pack a lunch" before their rematch and got in his head before the fight. Based on the Joe Louis movie, The Joe Louis Story.

That Marciano VS Wallcott 1 KO was frightening and beautiful at the same time

Thank you Teddy! Glad to see a guy with teddy's credentials saying the brown bomber is the goat. You don't reign over a division for 12 years without being someone special. Plus he fought some good competition and ex champions in his career. He avenged 2 of his 3 losses and probably wouldn't have lost to Marciano if he was younger. The only reason he took the fight is because he needed money because he was screwed out of his money by so many people including the irs. My list: 1. Joe Louis 2. Rocky Marciano 3. Muhammad Ali 4. George Foreman 5. Gene Tunney Honorable mention for Jack Johnson and Larry Holmes

Interesting Pick... Important to include fighters from different eras.

Good list! 👍

Very excited for this one.

Not all but a good amount of the top 20 best heavyweights could beat each other on any given day that's what intrigues us about heavyweight boxing 🥊

Great video, from imho, one of the greats in boxing with an incredibly knowledgeable and balanced mind. I would agree with your top six, didn't know much about tunny regrettably, but will definitely read up on him. I think 1 and 2 will be debated for a long time to come, but the one thing i will say, is that imo i think Lennox Lewis deserves at least an honorable mention among the greatest heavyweights. I don't think anybody can really dispute his resume, and i also think he was just really exciting to watch, and of course let's not forget the great Iron Mike. Maybe do a top ten ? lol Thanks Teddy.

Love me some Teddy Atlas. Don't watch much boxing these days, but love to check out old school fights.

Wow 45 rounds amazing 👊

I love Teddy but Gene Tunney as the 5th best Heavyweight of all time is ridiculous. The guy was a Light Heavyweight most of his career.

Love it!

Glad to hear Gentleman Jim Corbett get some love. He was the earliest prototype (based on any footage I've seen) of the modern, mobile boxer.

I don't always agree with Teddy, but I respect his knowledge as a historian in boxing.

1. Ali 2. Louis 3.J Johnson 4.Marciano 5.Dempsey

Good list. Solid.

SO GLAD YOU GUYS MENTIONED THE 45 ROUNDSSSSSSSSSS! THAT ALONE SHOWS THE TOUGHNESS AND TRUE POTENTIAL OF MAN!

How about doing a top 5 trainers of all time? Some great characters and innovators down the years.... it would be interesting to hear teddy's take on that side of boxing.

1.joe Louis 2.joe Louis 3.joe Louis 4.joe Louis 5.joe Louis

Teddy Atlas always has interesting things to say. He seems to respect and love what does.

Excellent one. Not to be cliche or show that I'm from a younger generation but I really liked what Cus, Rooney and Teddy did with Mike. Thought Mike in his prime was brilliant with the angles, head movement, and combos. If you went to a top 10 I hope he would have made your list then.

Teddy. I really think, and a physicist could confirm this, that part of Marciano’s power came from his perceived deficit, his short arms. I think it increased his torque. I think this might explain how he tore people up inside. I also think his physical engine was greater than others, like Secretariat had a bigger heart. That can’t b confirmed though. However his fighter’s heart was gigantic! Sooo underrated. Can be settled only in Boxer’s Heaven.

Love this list and it's hard to disagree with anyone on there. I had 4 out of 5, with Lewis over Tunney. I don't think Lewis gets enough credit for what he accomplished. His resume is one of the greatest in history - which is amazing considering how many belts there are, which allowed a lot of ducking. He beat everyone he faced in the ring and didn't duck anyone.

I'd rather listen to Teddy commentating ANY sport than the ex pros and network lackies. He understands the essence of sports and he describes things so beautifully, brings it all to life and relates it to life. He'd be incredible commentating on skiing.. literally any sport. Terrific human being and professional working the golden seam he understands so well.

Actually, I would put Louis and Ali one, two just like Teddy. I put Dempsey and Tyson (very similar fighters) 3 and 4. Dempsey did not defend his title often enough through no fault of his own. Jack was a relentless puncher with devastating power. Lastly, George Foreman.

My top 5 Heavyweights of All-Time: 1. Ali 2. Tyson 3. Foreman 4. Louis 5. Holyfield This is in no particular order but these 5 HW champs had it all in every way!! Some had power, others had speed, others great defense!! These are the great arc to strap on gloves and enter the squared circle imo.

This is only if they fought in their peak. 1. Ali 2. Foreman 3. Iron Mike 4. Joe Louis 5. Riddick Bowe

Great words about great man and fighter Joe Louis.

As much as I respect Teddy's opinion, I have to go with Ali for #1, because, I don't see Joe Louis beating Ali. As for pressure, there's Liston in '64 and Foreman in '74, neither of these fights anyone picked Ali to win, and Ali won both emphatically. To say nothing of his ability to reinvent himself after his forced retirement. In a career that began in 1960, Ali was only stopped in 1980

Louis knocked out more than one big HW

ali, dempsey, lewis, fury, tyson. - wrote those at the start of the pod and think i can still justify it.

There is not any other actual boxing voice I would want to hear annunciate the best heavy weights in the perfect regional accent. Perfect!

When you said Joe Louis it brought tears to my eyes....You nailed it! He held the title for 12 years! He defended his title 25 times! His record would be even greater if WW 2 had not derailed his reign...Thank you Mr. Atlas. No one is on your level when it comes to boxing.

1: Joe Louis 2: Muhammad Ali 3: George Foreman 4: Lennox Lewis 5: Rocky Marciano or Tyson Fury (if he beats Wilder and Joshua)

Jack Blackburn fought both Sam Langford and Harry Greb. He was a great fighter and trainer.

Chess is a great example of recorded history of matches. Every single move is recorded in a competitive match. Imagine being able to know every punch and slip and footwork in a boxing match. That'll really put perspective on the skill

Teddy’s list; 1. Joe Louis 2. Muhammad Ali 3. Jack Johnson 4. Rocky Marciano 5. Gene Tunney (Bonus - 6. Jack Dempsey, 7. Jim Jeffereis) My list; 1. Jack Johnson 2. Muhammad Ali 3. Joe Louis 4. Rocky Marciano 5. Sam Langford (Imo if Mike Tyson had Cus D. around for another ten years he would be the goat. Also think that Tyson Fury will be top 5 after career is over. 6ft9, 270 lbs with God level Boxing IQ would be too much for even the greats.)

Teddy Atlas misspoke there when he said "The Rock, The Manassa Mauler". Of course, the "Mauler" was Jack Dempsey. Great list though. I would not have ranked Johnson top five, but hey ... it's fun to compare these legends. Always had a soft spot for Ezzard Charles and would have rated him, together with Big George Foreman.

Ali had Tunney on his top heavyweight list he also spoke highly of Marciano.

Many decades ago, a book came out about the greatest track and field athletes of all time, and the author applied a particular criteria when choosing who to put in the book. 1) Win an Olympic title 2 ) Break world records 3 ) Have an aura of invincibility about them. Well, applying/adapting that to heavyweight boxers, Joe Louis comes out on top. 1) Win the world title 2) Youngest champion ( at the time), longest reign and huge unbeaten period 3 ) Invincibility. Well, Joe, for most of his career, entered the ring as a huge favourite. Now, if we apply the criteria to Ali, he comes up short on the " aura of invincibility" criteria 1) He was a huge underdog when he challenged Liston for the title, and he was also an big underdog when he challenged Big George for the title, and in many fights the odds were 50/50. Longevity is another criteria that Joe Louis had, unlike Iron Mike who does tick a lot of boxes. 1 ) Youngest champ and, in the early years, a huge aura of invincibility, but his career at the top was too brief to list him towards the top of any "greatest" list. What, about Rocky? Well, again he fails with the " aura of invincibility" criteria as he was the underdog in a number of his big fights. No, Joe ticks all the boxes and then some.

Larry Holmes should be in the conversation, that jab was something else

'the Rock from Brockton' is another one.

It's really hard for me to rate a fighter in the top-5 unless they were able to demonstrate some level of dominance after their prime -- when their skills started to fade. Some of the most impressive heavyweights during their prime (e.g., Tyson, Liston, Patterson, Marciano) never did this. My list: 1) Ali, 2) Louis, 3) Holmes, 4) Foreman, 5) Lewis.

Yes!

Teddy rlly right when talkin bout how it’s horrible keepin boxing records in history cuz I gotta look deep in the internet to find jus articles bout fighters before 1970 so it’s always good to hear him speak bout fighters id never have been able to learn bout (2003 born)

Top 5 heavyweights Ali all day long Joe Louis Rocky Marciano Jack Johnson. Mike Tyson You would have to put Joe Frazier Jack Dempsey Jean Tony Jersey Joe Henry Armstrong Max Baer Evander Holyfield George Foreman. hard to pick a top 5 but it has to be Ali all day long has Mike Tyson said Ali was willing to die in The Ring that left hook he got off Joe Frazier would have knocked anybody clean out especially after going 14 rounds but Ali got up in 3 seconds that's why he is the greatest any fighter would have taken the 8 count

How Tunney can be in Top 5 if he only had few fights as a Heavyweight? The only good Heavyweight he beat was Dempsey who didnt fight for 3 years. He was so out of shape he couldnt go more than 10 rounds. It shouldnt even be considered a title fight.

That may be close to the correct top 5 list, it's fair to agree with that one with a little adjustment according to no 3, 4 and 5 depending on who you want instead...

🍀👍🍀GREAT EPISODE “Give’em to the Angle’s” I guess it’s true, the only things new in this world or the history we haven’t learned.🤔

Top ten in no particular order Muhammad Ali Joe Louis Larry Holmes Wladimir Klitchko George foreman Evander Holyfield Rocky Marciano Sonny Liston Lennox Lewis Mike Tyson

My Top 5: Ali - Joe Louis - Tyson - Marciano - Jack Johnson

Teddy we know what ya meant my man. Keep on telling the truth.

Top four heavyweights of all time: 1. Jack Dempsey 2. Joe Louis 3. Rocky Marciano 4. Muhammad Ali

1) Ali 2) Louis 3) Foreman 4) Holmes 5) Lewis 6) Holyfield 7) Frazier 8) Liston 9) Tyson 10) Wlad I have Johnson and Marciano in the 12-15th bracket.

Oh wow… I was expecting teddy to have lomachenko #1 😳

Ali made wrong right until he lost his speed and since he did not have traditional boxing skill and he became a punching bag and wrecked his brain. Did anyone ever see Ali throw a body punch? Teddy Brenner said it best. Ali couldn’t box and he couldn’t punch but he sure could fight.

1.ROCKY 2.ROCKY 2 3.ROCKY 3 4.ROCKY 4 5.ROCKY BALBOA The irony is it was Jack Dempsey that brought in those rules

I like Teddy's list. Maybe George Foreman was as good a finisher as Joe Louis.

Yall should do top 5 lightweights next turn it into a series or something. Teddy's knowledge goes back 200 years even if he ain't 200 years old lol

Good list. Not exactly the same as mine, but it's definitely a good, knowledgable list. BTW I wouldn't have him in my TOP 5 either, but Larry Holmes might be the most underrated ... with that jackhammer jab.