Question about Muhammad Ali?

Question

Was he without a doubt the one heavyweight champion that sticks in your mind when you think of the all time greatest heavyweight champion? All respect given to Rocky Marciano who I think would have given Ali a helluva battle and probably gone the distance but when you think of the best in skills and ring savvy with all the intangibles required who do you think of when you say the best of all time?

There are no wrong answers. I want to hear your opinions. Thank you all for your answers.

Peaceful and Respectful answers are really appreciated.

Answer 1

As a fighter, Muhammad Ali's credentials as possibly the GOAT are solid, even in an today's era of bigger and stronger boxers. In addition, he was my mother's idol. While I take nothing away from Ali as an athlete and competitor, his status as a sportsman and cultural icon are another matter. His shabby treatment of Joe Frazier in the 70s was shameful. It struck me as cruel, unfair and unnecessary. Sure in his latter years, Ali may have apologized, but it rang hollow.

Answer 2

Rudigger is spot on!  Ali was more than a boxer!

Answer 3

Ali was the greatest of all time because he didn't run he fought all the greats  and ko'd most of them.he was what you look for in a champion.think of this 3 of the hardest hitting fighters of all time are ernie shavers,george foreman,and ,joe frazier.ali has ko wins over all of them.frazier quit,foreman got ko'd and ernie shavers got ko'd.ali never ran from anyone.he truely was the greatest.

Answer 4

jrooker,

I have to respectfully disagree. Ali's greatness is over based on his entire career. Tyson's peak was three small years followed by an imprisonment.

To make it a relative arguement....had Ali been in the shape he was in AFTER he was banned...and Tyson was in the shape he was in after he was imprisoned....Ali would have buried him.

You have to understand...Tyson was a throwback to his generation...but Tyson was no great mauler in any other era. Sonny Liston would have anal raped Tyson and made him pay for the room. Young George Foreman would have beat him so badly they would still be teaching Tyson how to say his name again.

You have to understand the nature of the ring to understand this point. Some people rise to their opponents to beat them...some fall to the pressure of them. Tyson always was beaten by his best competition...look at his record....seriously. He was always bested by better fighters...he never rose up and beat them.

Ali always found ways to win even when he shouldnt have. True champions always do. Bullies always shiver and succumb when equally matched.

Im sorry...but Ali at any point of his career...young or older...would have outclassed and beat the living h**l out of Tyson. If Lewis could beat him so one sidedly...Ali could have beaten him from the dressing room.

Im sorry..there is no other way to see that.

Answer 5

ali is the greatest heavyweight of all time, and one of the top 5 boxers of all time.

he dominated the division in the '60's, and after a 3 year layoff he came back to fight top 10 fighters (quarry & bonavena), then after 2 losses, he avenged both losses back to back, then stopped foreman for his second title, then doninated the division again (despite a few lucky escapes, but then all boxers have them).

when tyson came back from his hiatus, he fought two nobody's, then won two portions of the title from easy opponents.......no comparison there!

ali would've beaten dempsey, marciano, louis and johnson also......all great champions.

Answer 6

When I think of the alltime greats I think of Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali as the greatest of the greats in the history of boxing without a doubt.  Yes Ali was the fastest heavyweight in terms of handspeed and footwork that I've ever seen.  Yes many would say Ali was indeed the greatest and they would have a very strong argument just like those who say Marciano or Louis were the greatest.  Let's just say they were all great in their time and certainly the greatest of their time.

Answer 7

Looking at all the skills including boxing ability, punching power, quick hands, and finishing ability overall I rate Joe Louis as the best ever.  Marciano beat an old Louis.  Would he have beat a prime Louis--maybe.  Ali is - was a great showman, a great boxer, Ali's taking rounds off and lack of great punching power keep him out of the top spot for me.  He was the fastest heavyweight champion.  Holmes was a good fighter also he had a great misfortune of following Ali and I think Holmes was his own worst enemy everytime he opened his mouth.

Answer 8

Muhammad Ali is bigger then boxing, to compare him to regular boxers is not giving Ali the credit he deserves.

Ali = Greatness

When you say Muhammad Ali is the greatest heavyweight of all time, hes more...hes one of the greatest person of all time.

Ali embodies the word heart.

He was the first dream heavyweight, his lip sold millions and sold out arenas like no fighter before him.

He gave up 3 years of his prime,Millions of dollars and his boxing license and faced imprisonment for his refusing to be inducted into the war. Not because he was scared to die, but because he seen the wrong in it all.

He may have cheated on some of his wives, but everyone that left him didn’t have to go to court, he gave them half of whatever he had.

The things he did in the ring are enough to make him the greatest heavyweight champion of all time. But Ali transcended the sport, freeing Prisoners of war and not only did Muhammad Ali beat Liston, Frazier and Foreman he also beat the entire US government.

The world will be a lesser place when he is gone.

Here is what George Foreman wrote of Ali.

Muhammad Ali by George Foreman

http://georgeforeman.com/puncherpages/al...

Watch "When we were kings" the documentary about The Rumble in The Jungle.

If you dont know the story of Muhammad Ali then brother your missing one of the best true hero stories never written. You would swear the story of Muhammad Ali was made in Hollywood.

If you want any info or just to chat about Ali, let me know man

Ali said "I dont have to be what anybody else wants me to be, and I aint afraid to be who I want to be"

"Everybody loves me now, my name is Magic"

The man was a warrior poet, Not only was he the heavyweight champion of the world, he was also a human rights activist, and a philosopher.

"ME, WE"  - Muhammad Ali - the shortest poem ever recited, but never written.

I love the man and ive never met him.

Answer 9

he was the greatest heavyweight of all time may god bless him

Answer 10

Muhammad Ali wasn't no good overall fighter in a technical way. He was just a flashy boxer that liked to show off to his opponents. If he would have fought Tyson, he wouldn't have lasted 3 rounds. There are also alot of Heavyweight boxers today that would've eaten him alive.