Muhammad Ali.
I am again, reposting an old article of mine to say why.
THE GREATEST
by Jeff Bollinger
Muhammad Ali proclaimed himself to be the greatest. The greatest boxer of all time. He proclaimed it long and loud. He yelled it from the rooftops. He said it so often that the world just took his word for it. But that isn't why he really is the greatest heavyweight of all time. Ali also proclaimed to be the prettiest, but I've never seen him on the cover of Vogue. He isn't the greatest because he was the second coming of P. T. Barnum, and could sell any fight he was ever in. Including the first ever MMA bout against Antonio Inoki. And he isn't the greatest heavyweight of all time because of what he did for human rights back in the turbulent 60's.
Muhammad Ali is the greatest because he won twenty-two title fights in three reins as champion, spanning fourteen years. His list of opponents staggers the imagination and shames the quality of opposition of any other heavyweight champ in history.
Ali fought the likes of LaMar Clark, Archie Moore, Douge Jones, Henry Cooper, twice, Sonny Liston, twice, Floyd Patterson, twice, Karl Mildenberger, Cleveland Williams, Ernie Terrell, Zora Folley, Jerry Quarry, twice, Oscar Bonavena, Joe Frazier, three times, Jimmy Ellis, Buster Mathis, George Chuvalo, Bob Foster, Joe Bugner, twice, Ken Norton, three times, George Foreman, Chuck Wepner, Ron Lyle, Jimmy Young, Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks, twice, and Larry Holmes, in a sixty-two bout career that spanned twenty-one years. I'd say that Muhammad Ali fought in the greatest heavyweight era of all time.
Muhammad Ali defeated every top heavyweight of his era and was named fighter of the year by The Ring Magazine more times than any other fighter. In 1978, three years before Ali's permanent retirement, the board of Aldermen in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky voted to rename Walnut Street to Muhammad Ali Blvd. Within a week twelve of the seventy street signs were stolen.
Everything else that The Greatest did for the fans was just icing on the cake.
There will never be another Muhammad Ali. And quite frankly, I think THE GREATEST
by Jeff Bollinger
Muhammad Ali would get my vote. He fought in a great era and beat everyone. He was greased lighting and very intelligent. He was one of a kind. His feud with Joe Frazier is epic. He even beat unbeatables Sonny Liston and George Foreman. Joe Louis would be a far second. His fight with Max Schmeling the rematch in 1938 was perhaps the most important fight in boxing history.
At heavyweight Ali... First to win the title 3 times. He was the best heavyweight when the division had the most great fighters. Tyson was an amazing puncher, but Ali beat Liston and Foreman who were amazing punchers and Ali beat them. Marciano was undefeated bit he never fought anyone like Foreman or Frazier in their prime.
Muhammad Ali – Ali began his career as quick and elusive Cassius Clay who was as entertaining before and after fights as when pummeling less gifted opponents. After his three and a half year exile Ali fought much differently, flat-footed and trying to exhaust opponents by letting them hit him. The greatest defensive stylist became the best at eating bombs without falling. He won many stirring fights and faced more quality opponents than anyone in boxing history. He fought five people on this list of special champions a total of ten times and also twice defeated two-time champion Floyd Patterson as well as numerous other distinguished fighters such as Oscar Bonavena, childhood sparring partner Jimmy Ellis, Jerry Quarry, Earnie Shavers, and Leon Spinks, in a rematch after squandering his title in the first fight, his back again needlessly on the ropes.
Probably get plenty of thumbs down...
But I'm gonna give this one to Mike.
At his best, with Cus workin him and his emotions in check, Tyson tore through the fckin division like nothing anyone's ever seen.
He was a fckin prodigy...shame how unstable he became, and who he got himself involved with. As long as he had that support, was unstoppable in that ring.
IDE say mike Tyson because of how many knockouts on his record
Heavyweight, professional.
