Muhammad Ali beat out every top 10 ranked Opponent in the Heavyweight division twice. And he did it a decade apart, a feat that will likely never be accomplished again. 20 Opponents. All of them Ali beat. A 27-2 record vs. elite competition will never be rivaled again 1963 Sonny Liston, Champion Cassius Clay Doug Jones Ernie Terrell Cleveland Williams Zora Folley Eddie Machen Floyd Patterson Karl Mildenberger George Chuvalo Brian London 1973 George Foreman, Champion Muhammad Ali Joe Frazier Ken Norton Jerry Quarry Ron Lyle Earnie Shavers Oscar Bonavena Joe Bugner Jimmy Ellis Chuck Wepner https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/The_Ring_Magazine's_Annual_Ratings:_Heavyweight--1960s
No one ( to my knowledge ) has pointed this feat out before, props to you buddy, as I have said a few times, were it not for Ali , the reign of Liston would have lasted until 74, then he would have been KO,d by Foreman, and big George would have held the title for many a year, that's why for me Ali has to be No 1 , he beat not 1 but 2 monsters, who would have been spoken of as the best of all time, were they not put in their place by Ali ( slightly over egged Listons tenure as champ ) but you get my drift. stay safe guys.
Yes. As Cassius Clay and Muhammad Ali,The Greatest conquered two decades of heavyweights. And the crew that he overcame when he was older were more formidable (With the exception of Liston) than the sixties guys. A magnificent achievement.
By my count, Ali beat 16 out of the 28 Men who made a Top 10 Ring ring appearance from 1963-1969. Then he beat 20 out of the 35 Men who appeared from 1970-1978. No one ever is going to face that level of opposition again. He went through a murderers gauntlet with a prime record 55-2. Insane
He never fought Machin but it's not exactly a gaping hole in his resume. It really is an astonishing pair of lists, plus there are a few handy victories that don't appear on either one: Mac Foster, Bob Foster, Blue Lewis, Buster Mathis etc. Not exactly Murderers' Row, but not total easybeats either
