1. Joe Louis 2. Oleksandr Usyk 3. Muhammad Ali Most consider Ali the GOAT with many saying the same of Usyk and Louis, but what if someone put Ali at #3? (Not my ranking, just a hypothetical)
Could you name the gentlemen's five biggest wins so our fellow posters can have some criteria? Thank you in advance.
Ali beat 3 all-time top ten heavyweights. No heavyweight has as big 3 wins as Liston,Frazier & Foreman He also beat 9 of the top ten in the ring magazine top 10 heavyweights ranked in 1963 except for Machen who he never fought Then 10 years later he beat all of the top 10 heavyweights ranked in Ring magazines top ten of 1973 Sonny Liston, Champion Cassius Clay Doug Jones Ernie Terrell Cleveland Williams Zora Folley Eddie Machen Floyd Patterson Karl Mildenberger George Chuvalo Brian London George Foreman, Champion Muhammad Ali Joe Frazier Ken Norton Jerry Quarry Ron Lyle Earnie Shavers Oscar Bonavena Joe Bugner Jimmy Ellis Chuck Wepner
Don't know why so many are putting Usyk in among the likes of Ali,Louis, Lewis etc. Yes he's a brilliant fighter but he's beaten a crap AJ and an ageing Fury .
It's all much of a muchness in all honesty. The only people these lists really matter to are those who make them, if you think Usyk is the second greatest HW ever, then keep him there if it makes you happy.
Would this be an acceptable order for NBA greats? 1) Allen Iverson 2) LeBron James 3) Michael Jordan. Would this be an acceptable order for MLB greats? 1) Reggie Jackson 2) Willie Mays 3) Babe Ruth. Would this be an acceptable order for NFL greats? 1) Emmit Smith 2) Jim Brown 3) Tom Brady.
Joe Louis's place might be okay, Ali's 3rd place is hardly acceptable, Usyk's 2nd place is highly exaggerated but... it's your list
Given the right prompt folks complain about the American belief in American exceptionalism. On the other hand don't you dare claim any era is greater than eras of American exclusivity.
I will gladly say Lennox Lewis is top three and would be at worst even money against any boxer who ever lived.
Lennox Lewis who won his titles in America, has a resume of Americans+Vitali, and whose trainer was American? I think you're making my point stronger bud.
Remember boxing is at its best when the US dominated and when it doesn't boxing is dead and would never be able to compete with the old times when the US was the only boxing country in the world