The Greatest of All Time Part IV: Muhammad Ali

I AM THE GREATEST!

If you are looking for a candidate that would qualify as the most modest all-time great athlete than you have come to the wrong place.  A whole lot can be said about Muhammad Ali, or Cassius Clay, but two things are certain he was an all-time great and he knew it.  So for the 4^th part of the Greatest of All Time series, Muhammad Ali will be honored.

                For those that don’t read me regularly you probably notice that I often use analytics and advanced stats in my work but for this piece there exists an issue.  In boxing, and especially classic boxing there doesn’t exist good analytics or advanced stats that help make comparisons across generations.  However I will go over his record and some of his accomplishments.  Well here is a comprehensive list of most of his accomplishments:

·         1960 Olympic Light Heavyweight Gold Medalist

·         3-Time Heavyweight World Champion

·         Career Record 56-5

·         37 Knockouts (60.66% of all of his fights)

This is quite an impressive resume by in all actuality probably doesn’t signify exactly how good Ali was.  Ali’s career likely coincided with the greatest group of boxers in one weight class in one man’s career.  Think about this in his career he fought Sonny Liston twice, Floyd Patterson twice, Joe Frazier 3 times, Ken Norton 3 times, George Foreman, Ernie Shavers, Leon Spinks twice, and lost to Larry Holmes.  By Ring Magazine’s rankings of the top heavyweights of all-time, he defeated the 7^th greatest twice, the 21^st twice, beat the 8^th twice and lost once, beat the 22^nd twice and lost once, beat the 4^th, beat the 33^rd, and while Leon Spinks wasn’t ranked, he lost to the 5^th best once while at the end of his career. 

Looking at that resume his enough to make a strong case for the greatest heavyweight of all-time, however there is even more to add to the case.  In 1967 when Muhammad Ali was in the prime of his career at the age of 25  and with a record of 27-0 Muhammad Ali was stripped of his Heavyweight crown and banned from boxing for making the decision to be a “conscientious objector” to the War in Vietnam.  This destroyed 3 years in the prime of Ali’s career during that time he could have really cemented his legacy.  Also this is setting aside the courage it took to make the decision knowing what would happen to him. 

After finally being reinstated in 1970 at the age of 28 he made his return to the world of boxing.  While having a few dramatic fights along the way, including the first two losses of his career, Ali wouldn’t regain the Heavyweight belt until 1974, at the age of 32, definitely past his athletic prime.  He did this in what is probably one of the more famous fights of all time as he defeated Knocked out George Foreman in a Rumble in the Jungle.  At the time Foreman was considered one of the most dominant Heavyweights of all-time, who was 40-0 at the time with 37 by knockout and was at the ripe age of 25.  Ali used his infamous and creative rope-a-dope tactic to great success and was able to pull off the upset. 

While he had a series of battles against Ken Norton and Leon Spinks as his career went on after that where he lost and then regained the Heavyweight belt.  What will always define Ali’s career and rightfully so by his 3 battles with Joe Frazier.  These two fighters who fought a grandtotal of 41 rounds against one another brought out the best and the worst out of each other but created some quite amazing theatre.  Actually watch the Thrilla in Manilla RIGHT NOW!!! I’m posting here watch it, if you have the time it is literally the most entertaining boxing match ever.  It is actually a miracle that neither of those men died after the fight. 

Alright well now that you’ve watched it you probably realize why Ali is the greatest.  If you didn’t watch the fight you watched the two toughest boxers ever duke it out and attempt to kill one another in a boxing ring.   Ali made Frazier hate him before the fight and Frazier’s goal was point blank to kill him in the rink, thus Ali had to react in turn

Really this is Ali’s greatness, he fought every style of boxer and defeated every one.  He was dominant, robbed of much of his prime and had great rivals that only elevated his legacy.  I can’t say for sure that Muhammad Ali is the greatest heavyweight of All Time, but I can tell you one thing, he has a strong case and I know he believes he is. 

Now I leave you with this awesome speech. 

Stay Hungry My Friends