This is Rummy’s Corner.
Who were the Top 5 heavyweight champions during the 1960s?
In the 1960s there were 7 heavyweight champions between January 1st, 1960 and December 31st,
1969. For the purposes of this video, we are specifically comparing heavyweight
championship reigns and championship bouts that happened during this particular stretch.
Ingemar Johansson entered 1960 as the undisputed world heavyweight champion. In June 1960,
he defended the championship against the man he defeated a year earlier to become champion,
Floyd Patterson. Floyd stopped Ingo in round 5 with a brilliant left hook that made boxing
history, when he became the only heavyweight champion to ever regain the title at that
time. In 1961 Patterson made 2 defenses, which included a 6th round knockout victory in his
wild rubber match against Johansson. In September 1962 Sonny Liston stopped
Patterson in round 1 to become the new heavyweight champion. Liston made 1
title defense the following year, another 1st round knockout in a rematch with Patterson.
In February 1964 Muhammad Ali scored a stoppage victory over Liston to become the
new champion. After signing to have a rematch with Liston, Ali was stripped of the WBA.
In March 1965 Ernie Terrell defeated Eddie Machen to win the vacant WBA strap,
and then 2 months later in May, Ali defended the WBC/NYSAC belts when he beat Liston in
their rematch by 1st round knockout. Ali and Terrell each made 1 defense of
their respective titles later that year, with Ali beating former champion Floyd Patterson. In 1966,
Ali made 5 more successful title defenses of his belts, and Terrell made another defense
of his own. This paved the way to a showdown between the two champions in February 1967,
and Ali dominated the fight and won a 15 round unanimous decision. Muhammad Ali was once again
the undefeated undisputed world heavyweight champion. He made another title defense a
month later against Zora Foley, and then Ali was stripped of the championship when he had
his boxing license revoked. This resulted in a complete championship vacancy.
In March 1968 Joe Frazier won the vacant NYSAC title when he stopped Buster Mathis in round
11. And then in April 1968, Jimmy Ellis won the vacant WBA title when won a 15 round
majority decision against Jerry Quarry. Ellis defended the WBA once in September 1968
when he defeated Floyd Patterson by a bit of a controversial 15 round decision, his last defense
of the decade. Meanwhile, Smokin’ Joe made a pair of title defenses in 1968 and another pair of
title defenses in 1969, the last of those coming in June when he stopped the aforementioned Quarry
in round 7. That was the last heavyweight championship contest in the 1960s.
Now when it comes to ranking these champions, based on their championship fight performances
from January 1st, 1960 through December 31st, 1969 - which is based on a total of
25 heavyweight championship fights that happened during the 1960s.
Unlike the 1950s, which I thought was fairly straightforward, the 1960s was much trickier to
order. This is all very subjective, and of course it’s only based on the opinion of my current
personal evaluation. But the two who didn’t make the cut for me were Ingo and Ellis. Johansson
was the only 1 of the 7 who was winless in championship fights during the 1960s, and Ellis,
while undefeated, had just the 2 title fights. This was really tough. But at #5 I went with
Ernie Terrell. Terrell was never viewed as the top dog because he won the vacant WBA
belt that Ali never lost in the ring. But looking at his 3 championship victories,
they were all against solid competition, so I think that gives him the edge over Ellis.
#4 I went with Smokin’ Joe Frazier. I know some people might have him ranked higher here,
he was undefeated in 5 title fights winning 4 of those inside the distance,
and he had quality wins against guys like Bonavena and Quarry - but his championship opposition was
never against the best of the best during this time. In part, that was perhaps because Frazier
declined an invitation to participate in the WBA tournament. But the main reason I didn’t
have Frazier a little higher is because by that point in time, the NYSAC title was only
technically recognized by a handful of states. #3 I went with Floyd Patterson. At quick glance,
Patterson went 3-4 in championship fights during the 60s. But Patterson kicked off the decade by
stopping his former conqueror to win back the crown, he won the wild encounter in the rubber
match with Johansson, he won another defense in a soft touch against McNeeley, and then he put
everything on the line against the universally recognized top challenger. He got obliterated by
Liston in back-to-back fights, and then I’m not going to hold the other losses against him here.
But the main reason I gave Patterson the edge over Frazier is because he had 3 consecutive victories
competing for the undisputed world heavyweight championship, whereas Frazier’s title victories
were of the NYSAC championship, which at this point in time was becoming far less prestigious.
Additionally, Floyd becoming the first two-time undisputed world heavyweight champion is,
in my opinion, a vastly underrated feat, especially when you consider how many former
champions tried and failed before him. #2 is Sonny Liston. For me, Liston’s pair
of destructive 1st round knockouts against Patterson overshadow Patterson’s 2 knockout
wins against Ingo and the soft touch defense with McNeeley. Liston’s reign was short, but in all
4 of his championship fights he was basically facing the top guy in the division or the top
available challenge. He would lose the two fights against Ali, but honestly I don’t think there
is any shame in that especially when you see how dominant Ali went on to become in that decade.
#1 was the only truly easy pick in the bunch here - Muhammad Ali clearly had the greatest
heavyweight champion credentials, and it isn’t even debatable. Ali was doing
everything a world champion should be doing - he was actively defending the championship against
top ranked challengers, and he was showcasing his championship prowess all over the world,
often on the home turf of his challenger. Ali was a perfect 10-0 in championship fights during the
1960s, winning 8 of those 10 by knockout, and he made 9 consecutive title defenses before his
reign was abruptly halted when he was stripped of his championship and suspended from boxing.
As the saying goes, we can only judge a boxer by what he does in his own era, and as world
heavyweight champion during the 1960s Muhammad Ali did it all, frequently defending the crown,
and beating top level competition throughout his impressive reign in this time frame.
So these were my rankings here, and I also included the two guys who didn’t make my Top 5,
just so you can see a quick snapshot comparison of their championship bout statistics in the 1960s.
Again this was not easy trying to separate some of these champions, and this is just my
personal opinion at this time. I can reasonably see someone else swapping some names around and
shuffling things up a bit with some of those guys in the middle. But I think everyone would
agree that the top spot is a no-brainer - Muhammad Ali was undoubtedly the greatest
world heavyweight champion during the 1960s. So what do you think of my final rankings here?
Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
Thank you very much for watching everyone, I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful night! This is
Rummy’s Corner. MAYchen