The heavyweight division has shown true signs of life as 2015 begins. Already, in January, Deontay Wilder has brought a piece of the world title back to the United States, having captured the WBC strap from Bermane Stiverne.

In April, undefeated U.S. contender Bryant Jennings will challenge the true world champion, Wladimir Klitschko, in Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of Boxing.

Still, what fans my age and older truly hunger for is a heavyweight classic. Nothing in sports compares to a heavyweight boxing war in terms of true epic drama and heroism.

This was a fun one to write, but a tough one to narrow down. Among the most notable omissions are Jim Jeffries vs. Tom Sharkey I, Jack Dempsey's return bout with Gene Tunney, Rocky Marciano's first fight with Ezzard Charles, Evander Holyfield's second fight with Riddick Bowe and Buster Douglas' shocking upset of Mike Tyson.

10. Rocky Marciano KO 13 Joe Walcott, September 23, 1952

Jersey Joe Walcott was a brilliant technical fighter and one of the most underrated heavyweights in history. Even as an ancient champion, he remained a supreme matador. The unrefined Rocky Marciano, with the shortest reach of any man to ever hold the heavyweight crown, was a lunging yet ultimately very dangerous young bull. 

I've heard this fight described as all Walcott, up until Marciano pulled victory from defeat in Round 13 with one stunning right hand. The full story was much more compelling. While Walcott was well ahead on the cards entering the championship rounds, it had been a bruising, back-and-forth affair. 

Marciano's relentless pressure and body attack chipped away at Walcott, as can be seen in the video included here, which starts at Round 10. At that point in the fight, it looked like Marciano might have slowed down the champion enough to reel him in, especially when he jolted him with a hard shot at the bell. Then Walcott somehow came out as strong as ever in Round 11 and began to once more separate himself from his determined challenger. 

Ultimately, of course, it is Marciano's Round 13, one-punch KO that puts this fight on this list. Marciano made his legend, in part, by coming back when he was down. Never did he do it in more dramatic fashion than in this fight. 

9. Ike Ibeabuchi UD 12 David Tua, June 7, 1997

David Tua was one of the most exciting heavyweights of the 1990s, which was one of the best decades in the history of that division. He had one of the best chins ever and a monster left hook. He fought as recently as 2013. 

Ike Ibeabuchi is one of the sport's great what-ifs. His professional record remains 20-0 with 15 KOs, but his career ended in 1999, when he was imprisoned for sexual assault. 

When the two faced off in 1997, it was an eagerly anticipated showdown between two undefeated and rising contenders. Tua had recently knocked out future champion John Ruiz in the first round. For Ibeabuchi, Tua represented a step up. 

The result was the busiest heavyweight fight in the history of CompuBox records, with the two combining for 1,730 punches. And these were mostly power punches, with neither man taking a step back. 

8. Floyd Patterson KO 6 Ingemar Johansson, March 13, 1961

Floyd Patterson was the 1952 Olympic gold medalist as a middleweight. As a professional, he was tutored by Cus D'Amato in the same tricky and dangerous peek-a-boo style that D'Amato would later train Mike Tyson to employ. 

After Rocky Marciano retired, Patterson knocked out Archie Moore in 1955, to capture the vacant heavyweight title and become the youngest heavyweight champion in history at age 21.  

Ingemar Johansson was not a technician in Patterson's class, but the No. 1 contender from Sweden did possess a huge right hand, nicknamed Thor's Hammer. In his first battle with Patterson, he floored the champ seven times and won the belt by Round 3 TKO. 

A year later, Patterson evened the score with a Round 5 KO. The stage was set for a rubber match. 

Things looked bad for Patterson early in the third fight, as Johansson dropped him twice in the first round, firing heavy right hands over the top of Patterson's jab. After the second knockdown, Patterson got up and went on the attack. He connected and knocked Johansson down at the end of the round. 

The next five rounds unfolded at a brutal pace, with Patterson hammering away at Johansson's body and sapping the power from his big right hand. In Round 6, Patterson put his rival down for the count. 

7. Jack Dempsey KO 2 Luis Angel Firpo, September 14, 1923

This heavyweight title tilt between "the Manassa Mauler" Jack Dempsey and "the Wild Bull of the Pampas" Luis Angel Firpo was almost certainly the most exciting and violent four minutes in the history of the sport. In that short period of time, the two combatants combined for an astonishing 11 knockdowns. 

Fighting before a crowd of 80,000 at the old Polo Grounds in New York City, the action started almost immediately, as Firpo dropped the champion to his knee with a right hand early in the round. Dempsey then rose and proceeded to batter Firpo, knocking him down seven times. 

This was prior to the change in rules that requires a fighter to retreat to a neutral corner when his opponent is down. So after each knockdown, Dempsey continued to loom over Firpo, resuming the shellacking as soon as the tough Argentine was again upright. 

Then, near the end of the first round, Firpo landed another huge punch, knocking Dempsey completely out of the ring. Dempsey just managed to beat the count and save his title. 

Dempsey dropped Firpo twice more in Round 2, the second time for good. 

6. George Foreman KO 5 Ron Lyle, January 24, 1976

This was George Foreman's return fight after dropping the title to Muhammad Ali. In his own previous fight, Ron Lyle had stopped the dangerous Earnie Shavers. When these two big punchers faced off in early 1976, they turned in one of the wildest, back-and-forth slugfests in boxing history. 

Lyle came out aggressively and nearly stopped the former champion in the first round. Foreman came back to stagger Lyle in Round 2. 

Round 4 was one of the best single rounds in boxing history. Lyle dropped Foreman early in the round. The former champion climbed off the canvas to return the favor, but Lyle got up and knocked Foreman down a second time before the round was over. 

As Round 5 began, Lyle looked to finish off his damaged opponent, and for a moment, it looked like he might be able to do it, as he staggered Foreman. But Big George came roaring back, trapping Lyle in the corner and putting him down for good with a barrage of punches. 

5. Riddick Bowe UD 12 Evander Holyfield, November 13, 1992

Both of the first two fights between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe were classics. Although the second fight, which Holyfield won via majority decision, was closer on the cards, the first bout was a full step above it in excitement. 

Virtually every second of all 12 rounds was hard-fought, with the tenacious Holyfield coming inside on the much larger Bowe and trading heavy punches, back and forth.

For one night, at least, Bowe lived up to his tremendous potential. In the best physical condition of his career, he matched Holyfield's relentless pace, managing to outwork him and clearly win the decision.

In this fight, Holyfield once again proved that he was one of the toughest pound-for-pound fighters in history. For his part, Bowe seemed destined to become one of the division's legends.

Sadly, he never ended up reaching that level. But for fans of my age, the first two bouts between Holyfield and Bowe are our consolation for not being quite old enough to remember the Ali-Frazier rivalry.  

4. Joe Frazier UD 15 Muhammad Ali, March 8, 1971

In terms of pure cultural and historical significance, this fight ranks behind only Joe Louis-Max Schmeling II and, perhaps, Jack Johnson vs. Jim Jeffries.

When this fight took place, Ali had recently returned from a three-year exile, brought on by his refusal to be inducted into the military during Vietnam. His stand had made him a hero to the civil rights and anti-war movements. Frazier, more conservative by temperament, was unfairly cast into the role of Ali's foil, as the champion of the establishment. 

Even without the social and political turmoil surrounding the fight, it would have been a classic. For the first time in history, two undefeated heavyweight champions faced off. 

In the ring, the fight surpassed all the hype. Ali started at a blistering pace, carrying the first three rounds. But Frazier's relentless determination paid off, as his body attack gradually slowed Ali down as the rounds wore on. 

In Round 11, Frazier hurt Ali badly, buckling his legs. It was clear that the momentum of the fight had shifted toward Frazier. In Round 15, he stunned the world by dropping Ali with his legendary left hook, securing the signature win of his great career. 

3. Larry Holmes SD 15 Ken Norton, June 9, 1978

Fighting to replace a legend, Larry Holmes and Ken Norton turned in one of boxing's legendary fights. 

Holmes was a former sparring partner of Muhammad Ali. In March 1978, he had shut out tough Earnie Shavers over 12 full rounds. With an exquisite jab, a granite chin and solid power, he seemed like the perfect heir to Ali. 

Norton had been among Ali's toughest rivals, beating him once and losing twice more in close fights that fans still argue about today. When Ali retired in 1978, Norton and Holmes were the natural choices to contend for the vacant belt. 

Norton was one of the division's great pure athletes of all time. The ex-Marine employed great ring generalship in this fight, using his own jab to pressure Holmes and give the young rising star all he could handle in round after round. 

What sets the fight apart in particular was the astonishing final round. After fighting through a grueling 14 rounds, the two warriors somehow managed to each find deeper reserves within themselves and battled ferociously down the stretch in Round 15. 

The scorecards couldn't have been closer, with all three judges scoring the two fighters just a single point apart. 

2. Joe Jeannette TKO 49 Sam McVea, April 17, 1909

Fought in Paris for what was billed as the "World Colored Heavyweight Championship," this fight was surely the most brutal bout of the 20th century. It was a fight to the finish, meaning it could only be won by knockout.

That finish took well over three hours and 48 full rounds. A lot about the fight is frankly shrouded in myth. The excellent Boxrec entry on this fight details conflicting reports for the total number of knockdowns during the fight, with some sources claiming as many as 38.

All sources completely agree that this fight was a brutal, marathon affair, with neither man willing to quit or yield. McVea battered Jeannette in the first two-thirds of the bout, with Jeannette finally coming on strong and forcing his opponent to finally quit after both of his eyes had swollen shut.

As a sports fan and humanitarian, I am glad that fights like this no longer happen. But I also cannot help but admire the grit of any two men who could pull this off.  

1. Muhammad Ali TKO 14 Joe Frazier, October 1, 1975

The third fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier did not have the same hype surrounding it as their first meeting in 1971, which Frazier won by unanimous decision. But in the ring, the two legendary rivals exceeded even their own high bar for courage and drama, turning in the greatest heavyweight title fight in history.

Ali had won a rematch with Frazier in 1973, to even the score. Then, in 1974, Ali had shocked the world by knocking out the fearsome George Foreman. The stage was set for a rubber match with Smoking Joe.  

I like to refer to this as the perfect mythological archetype for a heavyweight bout. It featured two heroic champions, stylistically matched in a way that ensured punishing, hard-fought action.

The first two-thirds of the fight followed a familiar pattern. Ali started strong, using his speed and length to punish Frazier with flush shots from the outside. But Smoking Joe kept coming relentlessly, and in the middle rounds of the fight, he battered the champion with a body attack.

Somehow, Ali rallied in the last third of the fight and reasserted his control. Frazier made a ferocious last stand in Round 14, but he was fighting with both eyes nearly shut, and Ali brutalized him in the round's last minute.

When the bell rang for the 15th and final round, Frazier's trainer Eddie Futch refused to let him go out to receive more abuse, instead opting to throw in the towel. Ali made it to his feet to raise his arms triumphantly and then collapsed from exhaustion in his corner.