Is Muhammad Ali still “The Greatest”?

Muhammad Ali is widely regarded as the best heavyweight boxer of all time.

Ali was the first heavyweight ever to win the “Lineal Championship” three times. This achievement in itself is extremely impressive.

But he also did it during the “Golden age” of the Heavyweight division.

The Heavyweight Division’s Golden age

Ali began his professional career at the age of 18 off the back of winning Olympic gold as a Light Heavy in 1960.

His pro career spanned more than 21 years, he retired aged 39 with a record of 56-5.

Only 2 of Ali’s 5 defeats were not avenged, one of which was in his final fight aged 39. The other was also at the back end of his career, at the hands of the undefeated and all time great Larry Holmes.

Victories over: Sonny Liston (x2), Joe Frazier (x2) Joe Bugner (x2), George Foreman, Ken Norton (x2) meant that Ali was able to declare himself “The Greatest”, a tag which has stood the test of time.

Contenders

When looking at who really is “The Greatest” it’s difficult to establish a criteria which is fair and can be applied across a number of different era’s. For instance Wladamir Kitschko also has an Olympic gold, has the same amount of losses as Ali (one of which he was in his 40s), a higher knockout ratio and has 9 more victories.

All of the above would suggest that Klitschko would be the superior fighter, however this is not a common opinion among boxing fans.

The difference here is the calibre of fighter they came up against. How many of Klitschko’s victories are that memorable? He dominated at a dull time for the heavyweight division therefore he doesn't receive the same plaudits as Ali.

However, prior to Klitschko's dominance the heavyweight division was packed with stars. The likes of Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Larry Holmes were all competing throughout the 90’s.

The dominant fighter from this era for me would be Lennox, standout victories over Tyson, Foreman, Vitali Klitschko and Holyfield (in a rematch after one of the most controversial draws ever scored) back this up.

Two-time lineal champion Lennox Lewis ended his career with a 41-2-1 record, losing just two fights, both of which he won in rematches.

The aforementioned Larry Holmes could also stake a claim. With 69 wins in 75 fights Holmes carried the torch in this division for a considerable number of years retiring at 52 years old!

His period of dominance ended comprehensively, 14 years prior to his retirement with a loss at the hands of a 21 year old Mike Tyson.

George Foreman was on course to be one of the greatest Heavyweights the world had ever seen, that was until “The rumble in the Jungle”.

Ali ended the fight with a KO in the 8th round, Foreman was heavily favoured to win the fight having won his first 40 professional bouts.

But the grilling he took that day scuppered his chances of being crowned the No. 1 Heavyweight of all time.

Mike Tyson is another fighter worthy of a mention. Certainly one of the hardest punching boxers of all time.

His ability to fire off power punches with his left or right hand paired with his speed made Tyson formidable during the late 80’s and into the mid 90s.

However, Tyson’s issue was longevity. He exploded onto the scene as a youngster promising success. He defended his title 9 times! But as he aged he began to lose the explosiveness which made him so dangerous.

Defeats to Lennox Lewis, Buster Douglas and Holyfield (x2) are the case in point.

The Pre-Ali era

Certain fighters have progressed the sport in such a way that it is difficult to compare those who came before, with those who came after.

Ali was the first example of this.

Before Muhammad Ali there were three particular fighters regarded as the best ever. They were:

Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano & Jack Johnson.

The issue is they don’t measure up physically with the Heavyweights that followed them. Take Rocky Marciano, he finished his career undefeated, his 49 victories included a win over Joe Louis.

Rocky was 5”11 and weighed around 85 kg when he fought Joe Louis.

To put that into context, he would be too light to compete as a heavyweight today.

His reach was 68”, 10" shy of the reach of Muhammad Ali.

Although incredibly talented & dominant in their respective eras, these fighters simply could not compete with the fighters which came after them on a physical level.

The Modern day heavyweight

I resisted the urge to give this the heading of “The Post-Lennox era” through fear of appearing biased towards my compatriot.

But it simply cannot be denied that the arrival of Lennox Lewis was another turning point for the division.

Lennox was taller, heavier, stronger, had a longer reach than his opponents, but still had enough technical ability to win heavyweight titles.

This shifted the emphasis from good amateurs and technical boxers to physical brutes that you can teach to box.

Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are perfect examples of this.

Heavyweight champions of years gone by tended to measure in at 5”11- 6”3.

Current Heavyweight title holders AJ and Tyson Fury would dwarf their forefathers standing at 6”6 & 6”9 respectively. Their weights & reach also follow suit.

Lennox was not the only reason for this shift in the division. Advances in technology and knowledge associated with nutrition and conditioning also played a part.

So the modern day fighters build up muscle mass as well as train more effectively. The end result being these freakish physical dimensions paired with incredible athleticism.

A final factor is the commercial viability of boxing now. The division is extremely lucrative with Wilder Fury II’s total purse offering a guaranteed $7 Million to be split between the two fighters for this one bout.

This has not only meant that boxers have larger budgets to spend on the technology discussed earlier.

But it also attracts a higher standard of athletes into the sport.

Former WBC champion Deontay Wilder was aiming for a career in American Football before finding Boxing aged 20.

Those who might previously pursue Football/Rugby in this country might now see Boxing as the better career option.

The growth of the market for televised sport and the Olympics contributes massively to the “glamorized” version of the sport we see today.

Who is “The Greatest”?

One thing writing this post has taught me is that comparing fighters across eras is as difficult as comparing across weight categories.

Fighters fought more in years gone by so they are going to have more wins and are more likely to incur loses.

Each era had different calibre fighters meaning it’s easier/more difficult to win/hold titles.

But with all things considered I think in many ways Ali was “The Greatest”. From a pure boxing standpoint maybe not, however what he’s done for the heavyweight division is unrivalled.

He was incredibly entertaining both in and out of the ring. His ability to market fights had never been seen and has not been seen since.

Ali carried the sport forward. Raised the level of interest in heavyweight boxing and alongside Larry Holmes, laid the foundations for the boom seen in the 80’s & 90’s.

But in terms of who is the greatest fighter. I don’t think any of the contenders mentioned could live with the heavyweights of today.

Tyson Fury & Anthony Joshua currently stand at the top of the tree. Who will emerge as the dominant force in years to come? Only time will tell.

Who is the best heavyweight of all time in your opinion? How would the heavyweights of yesteryear compete in today’s division? And what does the future hold for the Heavyweight division?