When was the last time the Pound for Pound number 1 was a heavyweight?

[Wesker115]

Lennox? RJJ? Ali?!
and how long will it be until a heavyweight is pound for pound no. 1 again?
Are the odds stacked too highly against them because there more action in the lower divisions or will an exciting figher always have a decent chance with the heavyweight division classicly being the most glamorous?
Thoughts?

[musiol]

well rjj was p4p no.1 when he beat ruiz so breifly their was one lol

[frankenfrank]

Lennox? RJJ? Ali?!
and how long will it be until a heavyweight is pound for pound no. 1 again?
Are the odds stacked too highly against them because there more action in the lower divisions or will an exciting figher always have a decent chance with the heavyweight division classicly being the most glamorous?
Thoughts?

RJJ , maybe , definitely not Lennox. And Ali too was another fighter who made good use of his SIZE
as opposed to the concept of P4P.
Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott are 2 other that spring to mind.
But the last ? Only Roy Jones and James Toney come to mind.
Chris Byrd should be considered as such too , as he went the distance with huge punchers such as Jameel McCline and Wladimir Klitschko , upset Vitali Klitschko , went the distance with Tua , Golotta , Holyfield , Rahman . Byrd was very much underrated in the P4P lists despite being the epitome of P4P. Byrd achieved so much more than Roy in P4P terms.

[boxing boy]

I would say a 1966/67 Muhammad Ali was the best p4p fighter in the world.

Of course back then he was given very little credit for his boxing talents.He won the fighter of the year one year,but they decided not to give it to him because of his religious beliefs and his bragging and boasting.

[TheGreatA]

Mike Tyson. Jones if he counts.

[Sugarj]

I go with Mike Tyson in 1988. Ray Leonard was drawing to a close at that time. Chavez and Whitaker were perhaps a touch green.

The 90s were dominated by Whitaker, Chavez, De La Hoya, Jones and Mayweather.

The naughties by Jones, Mosley, Mayweather and Pac.

Although Jones was pound for pound number one (arguably) when he won the heavyweight title against Ruiz he would have been a clear underdog against Lewis or Vitali, therefore I wouldn't quite say he is deserving of the accolade.

[TheGreatA]

Ring Magazine top 10 pound for pound 1989:

1. Mike Tyson
2. Julio Cesar Chavez
3. Pernell Whitaker
4. Michael Nunn
5. Antonio Esparragoza
6. Meldrick Taylor
7. Azumah Nelson
8. Raul Perez
9. Virgil Hill
10. Marlon Starling

[crold1]

Ring Magazine top 10 pound for pound 1989:

1. Mike Tyson
2. Julio Cesar Chavez
3. Pernell Whitaker
4. Michael Nunn
5. Antonio Esparragoza
6. Meldrick Taylor
7. Azumah Nelson
8. Raul Perez
9. Virgil Hill
10. Marlon Starling

Just goes to show how silly P4P really is in the near term versus the broad view. Tyson, in retrospect, isn't in Chavez, Whitaker or Nelson's league P4P. That was perception (or hype/hope) then...perception was wrong.

The real answer is that the best fighter in the world, P4P (not literally) has never been a Heavy in the 3 decades plus I've been alive.

[Obama]

Just goes to show how silly P4P really is in the near term versus the broad view. Tyson, in retrospect, isn't in Chavez, Whitaker or Nelson's league P4P. That was perception (or hype/hope) then...perception was wrong.

The real answer is that the best fighter in the world, P4P (not literally) has never been a Heavy in the 3 decades plus I've been alive.

Let's not get carried away here. Azumah Nelson wasn't that great.

And I'm pretty sure most historians rate Tyson higher p4p...

[The Iron Man]

Just goes to show how silly P4P really is in the near term versus the broad view. Tyson, in retrospect, isn't in Chavez, Whitaker or Nelson's league P4P. That was perception (or hype/hope) then...perception was wrong.

The real answer is that the best fighter in the world, P4P (not literally) has never been a Heavy in the 3 decades plus I've been alive.

What is all three of their careers ended there in 1989, how would they be rated p4p now? because that's all ring magazine had to go by.