Fury vs Chisora Betting: Is Tyson Fury Boxing’s Greatest Ever Heavyweight?
Is Tyson Fury one of the top 10 heavyweights in boxing history? Not according to George Foreman. The former champion shared his personal rankings with SunSport last week, and Fury didn’t make the cut, despite carrying an undefeated 32-0-1 record (23 KOs) into Saturday’s WBC title defense in London against Derek “Del Boy” Chisora (33-12, 23 KOs).
Foreman didn’t include himself on the list, either, so we can’t necessarily accuse him of being biased against Fury. But here at Bodog Sportsbook, we’re thinking the “Gypsy King” has to be considered one of the Greatest Of All Time – a true GOAT in the heavyweight division.
He’s definitely the favourite for Saturday’s fight. Fury has already defeated Chisora twice, once in 2011 by unanimous decision, and again in 2014 when Chisora’s corner threw in the towel after Round 10. At press time, the champ is priced at –2500 to complete the trilogy, with Chisora a distant +1000 underdog in the Fury vs Chisora betting
Ranking Boxing’s Heavyweight GOATs
Losing to Chisora here would obviously spoil any hope of Fury cracking our Top 10 list – or anyone else’s, for that matter. But if we pencil in a successful title defense at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – as the Fury vs Chisora betting predicts – (main event begins at roughly 5:15 PM ET), Fury may just squeak in.
Here’s our top 10 heavyweight GOAT list at Bodog:
1. Muhammad Ali
Foreman had Ali only at No. 5 on this list, but there might be some lingering animosity there, given how Ali (56-5, 37 KOs) defeated Foreman back in 1974 at The Rumble in the Jungle. Pretty much everyone else still calls Ali “The Greatest” for a reason: He became arguably the most famous athlete in the world, defeating the best fighters of his era despite the political fallout from his conversion to Islam and his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War.
2. Joe Louis
If there’s one heavyweight who can give Ali a run for his money, it’s Louis (66-3, 52 KOs). The “Brown Bomber” was World Champion from 1937 until 1949, bookended by victories over James J. Braddock and Jersey Joe Walcott. But Louis was most famous for his successful defense against Germany’s Max Schmeling in 1938, making him a powerful symbol for American resistance against the Nazi regime that would soon sweep across Europe.
3. Jack Johnson
Johnson (72-11-11, 3 NC, 38 KOs) became the first recognized Black heavyweight champion in 1908 when he beat Tommy Burns by points in Sydney, Australia. Johnson was treated more as a villain because of his race, but his activism and lifestyle put him at the forefront of American culture during the peak of the Jim Crow era.
4. Rocky Marciano
You couldn’t have asked for more from Marciano. He’s the only heavyweight champion to end his career undefeated (Gene Tunney had one loss at light heavyweight), going 49-0 with 43 knockouts – including arguably the greatest KO of all-time against the aforementioned Walcott in 1952.
5. Larry Holmes
Holmes (69-6, 44 KOs) doesn’t always get the respect he deserves – he doesn’t even appear on Foreman’s Top 10. That’s partly because Holmes fought during a “down” era for heavyweights, defeating a past-his-prime Ali in 1980, then extending his own career for far too long. However, Holmes was absolutely dominant during his title run from 1978 to 1985.
6. Jack Dempsey
The first boxer ever to draw a $1-million gate, Dempsey (68-6-9, 53 KOs) was the leading light for this sport during its Golden Age, holding the title from 1919 to 1926. Nicknamed “The Manassa Mauler” in honour of his birthplace, Dempsey is most remembered these days for his 1927 “Long Count” loss to Tunney, where Dempsey’s slowness in finding a neutral corner – a new rule at the time – allowed Tunney to recover from a knockdown and retain the title.
7. George Foreman
Foreman (76-5, 68 KOs) deserves a place on our top 10. Although he never got another shot at Ali, Foreman did defeat the next boxer on our list to win the title in 1973, and miraculously came back at age 45 to take the strap off Michael Moorer in 1994.
8. Joe Frazier
“Smokin’ Joe” Frazier (32-4-1, 27 KOs) was the first boxer ever to defeat Ali as a pro, although the latter would go on to win their next two fights. Frazier also lost twice to Foreman, the first time in 1973 to end his three-year run as champion. But what a run it was. Much of what you see in the 1976 film Rocky was inspired by Frazier, including the training montage.
9. Mike Tyson
Possibly the most feared heavyweight of all-time, Tyson (50-6, 2 NC, 44 KOs) walked a similar career path to that of Holmes, destroying overmatched opponents in the 1980s – including Holmes himself in 1988 – before famously losing to Buster Douglas in 1990 as a 1-to-42 favourite on the boxing odds board. To say Tyson’s life has been a roller-coaster ever since would be an understatement.
10. Tyson Fury
There are some amazing heavyweights we’re leaving off this list; Tunney, Sonny Liston and the Klitschko brothers are all worthy, while Foreman also had John L. Sullivan, Floyd Patterson, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield in his top 10. But we’re putting Fury on our list, and we’ll keep him there as long as he remains undefeated on Saturday. Fury has already inspired many with one of the greatest boxing comebacks of all time. Will the good times carry on rolling this weekend? Have your say with our Fury vs Chisora betting.
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