Ali is considered the greatest heavyweight ever because he fought the best and beat the best more often than any other heavyweight champion in history.
This question shows either blind hatred towards Ali, or a complete lack of understanding of boxing, and probably both.
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First and foremost, there is an old truth in boxing which this question completely ignores:
“If you fight the best long enough, you will lose some fights. No fighter, no matter how great, is unbeatable, and only Father Time is undefeated.
The question completely ignores that.
Second, if you think Ali was alone in staying too long, that is truly absurd.
Only 3 Undisputed Heavyweight Champions knew when it was time to go, and left on top. 20 of the of the remaining 21 all stayed too long. Whether Oleksandr Usyk will stay too long remains to be seen and let watchout for his rematch with Daniel Dubois.
This question singles out Ali for this kind of hateful rhetoric
the question implies Ali is not great because he lost to former WBC heavyweight Champion Trevor Berbick, when Ali was already ill with Parkinson’s, and couldn’t pass a fight physical
but doesn’t ask why Mike Tyson is not great because he lost to never ranked in his life Kevin McBride
or why all time elite Ezzard Charles is not great because he lost to never ranked Alvin Green
And those are just three of the 20 Undisputed Heavyweight Champions who stayed too long!
Further, the ignorant and hateful question calls a former champion, Trevor Berbick, with 49 wins a “bum.” NO fighter who climbs between the ropes against a pro boxer is a bum, let alone one who won a title and won 49 fights!
Trevor Berbick was:
ranked in the top 10 for seven years – compared to no years for Kevin McBride or Alvin Green
won the WBC heavyweight title – compared to no title for McBride or Green
Ali haters think this sort of bizarre argument up to try to negate Ali’s overall record
Ali had the best heavyweight record ever, so Ali haters are attempting to create a narrative that allows them to ignore records and rewrite history. It has reached the point that even boxing writers notice.
Sportster staff wrote:
“There has been an attempt recently to re-write the history books and somehow diminish the legacy of Muhammad Ali by some. It seems to have become cool or quirky to claim that Ali is or was overrated.
The record tells the tale, and Ali’s record, as Lennox Lewis said:
“Ali’s record is second to none.”
Ali clearly faced, and beat, the best more than any other heavyweight ever did:
Ali had more fights with Hall of Famers than any other undisputed heavyweight champions, 14
Ali won more fights with Hall of Famers, 11
Ali faced ranked fighters 37 times; 60.65% of his foes were ranked, the best among Undisputed Heavyweight Champions
Ali fought 49 times against present, or past, ranked fighters, for an 80% rate against career ranked fighters – the best of any Undisputed Heavyweight Champion
Ali came out of retirement and is the only Undisputed Heavyweight Champion to regain his title after retiring with it
Ali won the Undisputed title in the ring 3 times, the most of any heavyweight ever
Ali was ranked longer than any other undisputed heavyweight champion in the top 10
Ali held the lineal Title in the ring 3 times, the most in heavyweight history
Ali fought every major contender of his age
Ali remains unique among heavyweights in that he fought every great heavyweight of his time.
Manny Steward said so well:
“Ali was the only champion that I know of that fought anybody, everybody. It was nothing about styles. He fought guys who were terrible for him style wise, but Ali would just tell Angelo Dundee, “Let’s fight”—and he put him with a guy like Kenny Norton who was always going to be a problem because of the way Kenny kept his elbows, he blocked jabs and right hands and that’s all Ali basically had and then he fought him I think three times; Joe Frazier; he went to London to fight Brian London and Henry Cooper; and he went I think to Canada to fight (George) Chuvalo; he fought Karl Mildenberger to fight the German in Germany. He didn’t care whose style that he had to fight .”
Ali ducked no one in the greatest age of heavyweights ever
Tyrone Bruce summed up best why Ali is ranked over Louis and every other heavyweight:
“What really puts Ali number one all time is his quality of opposition. Many people consider the 1970’s the best decade in the division’s history and Ali proved beyond a doubt that he was the finest fighter of that or perhaps any generation. Ali holds victories over Joe Frazier (twice), Sonny Liston (twice), Floyd Patterson, Ken Norton (twice), as well as a knockout victory over a prime George Foreman.”
As Manny Steward said so well:
“Ali was the greatest because fought anybody, everybody, in their country, if it was a style that was bad for him he didn’t care, fight him in a rematch he’d do that, whatever.”
Ali faced and defeated great heavyweights of every style
Ali met great punchers and beat them in Joe Frazier, Earnie Shavers and George Foreman
Ali met great boxers and beat them in Jimmy Ellis, Floyd Patterson, Zora Folley, Jimmy Young
Ali met the greatest of the boxer/punchers and beat him: Sonny Liston.
Ali met the greatest swarmer of them all, and beat him twice: Joe Frazier, and
Ali beat twice a second Hall of Fame pressure fighter, Ken Norton
Manny Steward, as always, said it best:
“Ali would just tell Angelo Dundee, “Let’s fight”—and he put him with a guy like Kenny Norton who was always going to be a problem because of the way Kenny kept his elbows, he blocked jabs and right hands and that’s all Ali basically had and then he fought him I think three times; Joe Frazier; he went to London to fight Brian London and Henry Cooper; and he went I think to Canada to fight (George) Chuvalo; he fought Karl Mildenberger to fight the German in Germany.
“He didn’t care whose style that he had to fight,”
Muhammad faced and defeated two of the most intimidating fighters in history, Sonny Liston at 22 years old, Fight City’s most intimidating fighter in history, and then defeated Big George Foreman, #5 most intimidating fighter in history, a decade later at 32.
These two are also called the two strongest fighters to ever enter the ring according to Johnny Tocco, who worked with Foreman, Tyson and Sonny Liston, said of the three, Liston hit the hardest, and was the strongest, with Foreman second over Tyson.
And Ali beat them both ten years apart!
To quote Ali:
“I faced everyone out there in my time!
Yes, he most certainly did.
Ali was on top a year longer than any other heavyweight champion in history
Ali was first ranked in 1961:
1961 #9
1962 #2
1963 #1
1964 Undisputed Heavyweight Champion
1965 Ring and WBC Heavyweight Champion
1966 Ring and WBC Heavyweight Champion
1967 Undisputed Heavyweight Champion until illegally stripped of WBA title in April
1968 Ring and WBC Heavyweight Champion
1969 Ring and WBC Heavyweight Champion
1970 #1 contender
1971 #1 contender
1972 #1 contender
1973 #1 contender
1974 Undisputed Heavyweight Champion
1975 Undisputed Heavyweight Champion
1976 Undisputed Heavyweight Champion
1977 Undisputed Heavyweight Champion
1978 Undisputed Heavyweight Champion until WBC title stripped after regained title in Spinks rematch
Ali was ranked an incredible 18 straight years and he was champion or #1 contender 16 of those years.
That is the longest period, and longest straight period, of ranking in the top 10 of any heavyweight champion in history.
Mike Tyson summed it up:
“I’m vain, I know I’m great, but can I tell you something? In this situation, every head must bow, every tongue must confess: This [Ali] is the greatest of all time…”
Joe Frazier explains best why Ali is considered the greatest heavyweight of all time
As part of Champions Forever tour, he, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman appeared on British TV, on “Wogan” on Oct. 18, 1989, being interviewed by actress JoAnna Lumley.
Lumley asked Ali:
“Ali, you are the greatest, what made you the greatest?”
Ali replied:
“That was just to build the fights. I never really believed that, still don’t.”
JoAnna Lumley replied:
“Well I believe it.”
Then Joe Frazier said, explaining why this question is a lie, and why to other boxers Ali is the greatest:
“Because he [Ali] fought all the champions, he fought everyone who was there.”
CREDIT TO:
Boxrec for stats and records
Cox’s Corner and Monte Cox
Gods of War by Springs Toledo
Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times by Thomas Hauser
Muhammad Ali: A View From the Corner by Dr. Ferdie Pacheco
Ring for historical rankings
The Greatest: My Own Story by Muhammad Ali
The Real Ali by Rahman Ali
Do you agree that Muhammad Ali is the GOAT?