Who do you consider to be the best of these 29 heavyweights?
Alexander Povetkin
Wladimir Klitschko
Vitali Klitschko
Nikolai Valuev
Sultan Ibragimov
Ruslan Chagaev
Oleg Maskaev
Siarhei Liakhovich
Corrie Sanders
Tommy Morrison
Francesco Damiani
Gerrie Coetzee
Ingemar Johansson
Rocky Marciano
Lee Savold
James J. Braddock
Max Baer
Primo Carnera
Jack Sharkey
Max Schmeling
Gene Tunney
Jack Dempsey
Jess Willard
Tommy Burns
James J. Jeffries
Marvin Hart
Bob Fitzsimmons
James J. Corbett
John L. Sullivan
Tyson Fury. (Oh, I forgot! He's not on this list.) I would not hesitate to include black fighters because I believe the greatest white heavyweights are very much the equal of the greatest black heavies. I'm somewhat skeptical about fighters from the 1990s on due to steroids and other enhancements, which overstates their true abilities. I also do not think American fighters of late are as good as they were in the 20th century due to a lack of the kinds of great old trainers we once had and due to the loss of the warrior ethos that once obtained in boxing when the best actively sought out the best. LaMotta fought SRR six times! Greb and Tunney fought at least four times; Patterson and Johannsen fought three times. And, of course Ali and Frazier fought three times.
Going from your list I have the top tier ranked as below:
1. Marciano
2. Dempsey (the YOUNG Jack, not the older one who had his head turned by Estelle and European life).
3. Vitali Klitschko
4. Wlad Klitschko
5. Gene Tunney
I believe that Marciano would have outpointed Ali in 15 rounds or maybe have KO'd him late. No other fighter (white OR black) prior to the steroid-soaked '90s would have fared well against Rocky, other than possibly Foreman. For George to beat Rock, he'd have to get him early because once past about the 5th round Rocky begins to grind him down. Heck, Foreman couldn't put Ali down when Ali did his "rope-a-dope" and just let George throw as hard as he could for 7 rounds. Joe Frazier, sitting at ringside during that fight, yelled up at Ali, "You wouldn't have tried that on Marciano cause Marciano would have put you on your ass." Such was the respect Rocky Marciano's power had with the great black fighters. Walcott, Ezzard, Archie Moore, and Joe Louis all said that Marciano hit harder than anyone they'd ever fought. So did Ali, who said that Marciano was the one fighter in history he thought might have beaten him. The overrated and cowardly Sonny Liston and Mike Tyson would never have had a chance against a pulverizer like the fearless Marciano.
The great black fight trainer Don Turner, who trained Evander Holyfield and the Klitschkos, said that Marciano hit harder than any man he'd ever seen in over 50 years in boxing. That video of Don Turner is available on You Tube under the title "Don Turner Gets Deep on Rocky Marciano." It's a fascinating interview with this legendary trainer. So I have little doubt that Marciano could defeat any fighter of the 20th century. After that, guys began to get so monstrously large that I don't know if anyone from the 20th could have beaten them. I can't see anyone who ever fought beating the gigantic and insanely powerful white British heavyweight Tyson Fury (6'9" and 273 pounds), who also has excellent boxing skills. If you've not seen Fury's total annihilation of Deonte Wilder in their second fight, check it out on You Tube. You can literally see the fear in Wilder's face and eyes as he looks for a place to hide. It was almost like watching a man fight a kid.
The young Dempsey was a savage, fast as lightning, ferocious as a tiger, and a whirlwind in the ring. In his youth he'd have been a match for any fighter of the 20th century, but I can't see him beating Marciano, though it would be a furious fight from start to finish. Due to Jack's hard-charging starts, this wouldn't have lasted long as it would be a fight where something's gotta give early. I see both men down within the first three rounds with Marciano's bone-crushing power beating Jack's arms so badly that soon they drop and then Rock finally administers the coup de grace. The ferocity of this fight could possibly endanger both men's lives as we contemplate the terrible beating Dempsey gave to Willard and the tragedy Marciano visited upon Carmen Vingo, who was nearly paralyzed.
I'd say Rocky, Ali, Louis, Dempsey, and Foreman may have been the 20th century's top five all-time best.
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