As Muhammed Ali is rated best heavy-weight boxer ever, who ranked second or better on that belt after him?

Question

I would like to know whether there is now a better world's heavy-weight boxer ever than Muhammed Ali who several decades ago, kind of owned the game. Yes i really agree he was an ace, but as time went by, did some one or two surpass him in doing the thing best in the ring?
Boxing gurus of then and today, please educate me; or did he actually measure to that fame?
What would it take to choose the best in the ring?

Answer 1

Evander holyfield

Answer 2

The blogbaba ranks the top ten greatest Heavyweights as follows:

1. Ali
2. Joe Louis
3. Jack Johnson
4. George Forman
5. Larry Holmes
6. Rocky Marciano
7. Gene Tunney
8. Jack Dempsy
9. Evander Holyfield
10. Sonny Liston

The social impact outside the ring of Ali, Louis and J.Johnson rate them above the rest, and it will be next to impossible for a modern heavyweight to ever surpass them for that reason. When you consider the level of hall of fame opposition Ali faced, he is pretty much safe as the all time greatest. Joe Louis is the only heavyweight champion who surpassed Ali's social impact outside the ring, but Joe never fought the all time greats that Ali did, and with a list that includes Archie Moore, Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, Kenny Norton, George Forman, Leon Spinks and Larry Holmes as opponents nobody will ever equal Ali inside the ring for talent of oppposition. Ali was the greatest heavyweight champion of them all for that reason.

Answer 3

i am tied between Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali. Both were great champions! Joe, the longest reigning heavyweight champion in history with 25 defenses which is incredible and Ali a three time lineal heavyweight champion, the only man to do it. Joe fought the likes of Max Baer, Max Schmeling, Jack Sharkey, Billy Conn, Buddy Baer, Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, and Rocky Marciano, and Ali fought the likes of Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Jerry Quarry, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, George Foreman, Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks, and Larry Holmes. both very impressive resumes. both seem unbeatable in their prime and had amazing skill set. But if i had to pick a favorite it would be Muhammad Ali, just because i can't really pick.

Answer 4

You got to give credit where credit is due. If Ali would not have been stripped in 1967 at prime peak we would have seen more of the skill that kept us in awe, but things happen in life. Ali even with some of wins should have been losses he captivated fans with something that boxing has never seen and that is charisma. I have Ali as no.1 in my book as best well known boxer, but if you rely on ranking by skill he would be in the top 10 still, but not no.1. He beat Liston and came back 10yrs later and beat Foreman, also he got his revenge on a young Spinks in 78 for a 3 title. What ever is said about him you got to give it to him, never KO'd in his career. The Greatest as he would and most do agree with him.

Answer 5

Ok, any rational person understands that no-one has a better resume of big wins than Muhammad Ali. He is the greatest all time. Looking just as "big wins", you have to give it to George Foreman with KOs over Frazier and Norton. Lennox Lewis deserves some consideration with wins over Tyson and Holyfield, but Lewis loses a ton of credit for beating up the old, worn out versions of both.

Answer 6

A computer already did......and after analyzing thousands of statistics & variables from every Heavyweight from Sullivan to Ali.....the computer set up a " round robin " of tournament matches ( such as Marciano vs. Dempsey, etc. ). Marciano & Ali were picked as the top 2 contenders and a " Superfight " was arranged between them. This occured in 1970 when Rocky was still alive & Marciano lost 50 pounds & actually got into the ring with Ali and they sparred 70 rounds over a period of days. This " Superfight " was filmed along with 6 different possible endings ( such as Ali by decision, Rocky by KO, draw, etc ). The computer analyzed every aspect of Ali & Rocky ( speed, power, stamina, etc. ) and used this to recreate a punch by punch fight. This computer ( which was the same computer that was used by the US for the 1969 moon landing ) declared that , in their prime, Marciano would have KOd Ali in the 13th round.

Answer 7

Muhammad Ali is still The Greatest. His achievements and impact on the sport are still unmatched to this day. Mike Tyson was very promising when he broke into our consciousness in the mid-80's what with his phenomenal skills and unbelievable strength and power. But Iron Mike blew his chance to, at least, be Muhammad's equal.

Now, to answer your question as to who ranked second after Ali, I think it would have to be Joe Louis though a lot of people think it's a close call. Viewed from another angle, it could be Louis first and Ali second. However, Ali was bigger than boxing. He was the sport's ambassador for many years and his courageous stand on national issues made him an icon for many people, not just boxing fans. That, I think, makes him better than any other boxer or athlete, for that matter.

Answer 8

Mike Tyson. Evander Holyfield

Answer 9

The amazing thing about Muhammed Ali was his boxing skill and unique style. He defeated opponents who were bigger and more powerful punchers, such as Sonny Liston, George Foreman, and Ron Lyle. Also amazing is that he competed at the top of the heavyweight division for more than two decades and won the championship three times. I can't name another heavyweight boxer who compares to Ali.

Answer 10

I heard Sugar Ray Robinson was the best, espn rated the best boxers of all time and Robinson was #1, people hype and talk more of Ali so maybe thats why you hear more about him.

Answer 11

1 ali
2 johnson
3 louis
4 dempsey
5 tunney
6 holmes
7 marciano
8 frazier
9 holyfield
10 lewis

maybe you won't agree with this, and maybe this list will change next time i answer a similar question....but ali is still the greatest heavyweight champ in the history of the sport.