Is Ali's place as the greatest heavyweight in history unassailable?

Question

I think that Muhammad Ali is the greatest heavyweight fighter in history. Arguably the greatest fighter in the history of boxing.
But is that position unassailable? Is that position as number one cast in stone? Is it possible for another fighter to assume that mantle, or will The Greatest be the greatest permanently?

We all know that Ali fought in the greatest era of heavys in the history of the sport, and beat all those great fighters, but does that necessarily mean that another fighter cannot meet a different set of criteria and assume the title of the 'Greatest'?

Let's face facts, as great as Ali is, he's still just a man, not the Holy Grail of sport.

cockyass - Joe Louis was 145 years old when Marciano beat him.

Answer 1

I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH YOU, ALI WAS NOTHING BUT AN HBO PREMIER STAR, THATS IT, I THINK EVEN TYSON GAVE AS MUCH BETTER FIGHTS THAN ALI,WITHOUT A DOUBT!

Answer 2

Yes, Ali is the greatest heavyweight of all time. He had unbelievable speed for a fighter in his weight class. In his prime there was no one who could best him. There hasn't been a heavyweight since Ali with his speed or footwork. And he was a genius in the ring. I believe the smartest boxer ever to enter the ring. There's always a chance that someone could arrive on the boxing scene to best Ali as "The Greatest". I just don't think it's likely to happen. As for Burt Sugar's opinion, there's no way Joe Louis, as great as he was, would have beaten Ali! He just isn't in Ali's class as a fighter (talent wise). Sorry Burt!

Answer 3

Brent, no one is unassailable (I bet that you are giving your dictionary/ thesaurus a good workout).

This is why Ali may stand for more than a long time, boxers/boxing are in a decline and I don't say any improvement at anytime soon. Baseball, football and basketball are all getting better you can't say the same about boxing.
Also when the next Ali comes around, will he have the competition to make him great.

Do you know what convergence means? Will the stars line up again that same way for another fighter? My view is no.

Also, Ali is more than a boxer. He is an historical figure like Jackie Robinson.

Several of Ali's children have said this: They realized how great their father was when their own heroes/idols are constantly telling them that Ali was their inspiration/muse to attempt to achieve greatness for themselves.

P. S. Maybe Jordan or Tiger could be another Ali, if they were concerned about more than money.

Answer 4

Ali is only the popular choice for greatest heavyweight ever. Alot of the boxing historians will put Joe Louis ahead of Ali. Joe Louis holds the record for most title defense by far. He has a better win loss record than Ali and had much better KO power. It is too bad he is so overlooked by most fans today.

Ali was a legend and he beat some tremendous fighters but I still favor the brown bomber.

Answer 5

With me you are preaching to the crowd because I agree that he was the "greatest".

I liked his style. Some did not like his banter and I won't go into the political stuff. But he was able bring attention to the fight game. Since his reign you have so many "champions". How long has it been since there was 1 heavyweight champion. (not 3 or 4 at the same time)

His popularity also opened the door for the other weight classes to get more attention.

So great fighter. Great for the sport. Hasn't been nearly the same since.

Answer 6

I don't think there will ever be anyone who comes close to Ali in skill, popularity, intelligence, looks and charisma. He had it all, and he fought and beat some of the best of all time. If there had never been an Ali, we might be debating who was better: Foreman, Frazier, Norton, Tyson, etc. But Ali overshadows them all. Heck I'd be happy just to see someone like Norton come along, but there is no one today in the same class that those guys were in. And Ali was the head of the class.

Answer 7

m_s_m 24 - Damato trained Ali? Wow I didn't know that. You're wrong. Damato trained Patterson and mentored a young Mike Tyson.
No it is not Brad. He is one of my 3 favorite fighters of all time.(along with Sanchez and Hagler) But that doesn't mean some one won't come along that could eclipse him. Example: There was Dempsey, he was the greatest, then there was Louis, then Marciano, then Ali. You get the gist. No one is untouchable or irreplaceable

Answer 8

rather no longer!! are not getting me incorrect, i like Holyfield. His wars with Bowe, Tyson and Lewis (in effortless terms as an occasion) define the word Warrior. in spite of the undeniable fact that, by way of no fault of his very own, this cutting-edge comeback is barely being entertained in mild of the lack of expertise in the heavyweight ranks. If he could make it a combat with Shannon Briggs, he will actual recapture a call, yet to anticipate him to triumph over the main appropriate hand of Klitscko, or the top and attain of Valuev is looking too plenty and would effect in the legacy of Holyfield being tarnished. Ali became in an incredible era of Heavyweight boxing that became unequalled. Frazier, Foreman, Holmes....15 around call fights....and as considerable as the rest, the way Ali marketed Boxing along with his air of secret heavily isn't duplicated.

Answer 9

Unfortunately, I think that pay-per-view was the nail in the coffin for boxing. It doesn't get even close to the publicity that it did when Ali was boxing. Ali was a smart, fast fighter. He used brains over brawn and he had one hell of a chin, but his character and hype helped make him great. So in that case, I think that it's unlikely that any future heavyweight champions will achieve his notoriety.

Answer 10

Ali is certainly not the greatest heavyweight in history. He lost to Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Leon Spinks, Larry Holmes AND Trevor Berbick. He won a lot of his fights by decision not ko's as he didn't possess good power for a heavyweight. Rocky Marciano is the greatest of all time. His record 49-0 43ko's says it all. He is still the only undefeated heavyweight champion in history AND he whooped Joe Louis's tail.

Answer 11

I think I agree with you. with other sports take for example basketball, there was jordan, and now kobe, shag, lebron, etc., all this youngsters are taking over. with boxing, its like Ali introduced it, and now a days, his name pops up now and then. and its not like Ali was just great, he proved it with still also known as few of the best, Fraser, Foreman, etc.
i think he is the greatest of all time and in boxing's history.