All it takes is 1 dominant American champion to shift the narrative on Muhammad Ali.

LOL

 

So now the question has been defintely answered wether a man Ali's size can beat modern SHWs.

And with that in mind people will look at prime Ali and see that there hasn't ever been another one his size with that speed and athleticism. That will go a long way for most, I guess, right or wrong. So don't think nationality etc has much to do with it.

 

I think you can make a case for that, but impossible to say for sure unless they compete in the same era imo. What I can say for sure is that Ali was greater.

 

If Usyk were American and had done exactly what he’s done, he could walk down Main Street anywhere from Toledo to Los Angeles to NYC and basically no one would recognize him.

Ali was the most famous athlete in the world.

Not only did Ali have a greater personality, he had a greater platform because boxing is no niche now. Ask some rando on the street to name 10 contemporary boxers and hey couldn’t. Ask them to name one and they’d likely say Jake Paul.

So the general public would not supplant Ali with Usyk. The debate of if Usyk could beat Ali would take place on this forum and places like it, among us boxing fans, not at bars and around the ‘water cooler’ (for those who still work in person in offices rather than from home).

 

The gap would be smaller but I think Ali is just too popular still.

 

They say God loves a trier. And your threads are nothing if not trying.

 

Great post. Very interesting and personally, I disagree. If Usyk were American, he would be incredibly hyped and considered by casual fans to be the greatest of his time but his ultimate historical status would not approach Ali because it could not.

Right after Ali we had Larry Holmes, another great champion who was just as good as Ali in many respects and better in others, yet Ali was not forgotten. Then the most iconic heavyweight of all time in Mike Tyson. In Tyson's iconic interview with Aresnio and Ali, he admitted that every head must bow. George Foreman had a second run, became America's sweetheart as the face of a billion dollar product and yet it was just another opportunity to amplify Ali. Riddick Bowe would be the greatest fighter of many countries' history, and Golota is often rated as the best in Poland's history mainly off of almost beating Bowe. Evander Holyfield and Usyk had similar career trajectories as CW and HW champs, but Holyfield fought tougher fights by far. We have had fighters in the realm of Usyk since Ali and the opinions haven't changed. And that's just at HW.

As an American we have seen so many kick ass boxers from our country that I find many to be less territorial than boxing fans from the UK for example. Usyk is well liked on this forum in both General and Classic and occupies many 'all time' lists already. I don't think Ali would destroy him, but it would be a tough fight for both competitors if Usyk fights intelligently. That being said, Usyk's resume pales in comparison and we don't necessarily know what he brings to the table over a full career at HW.

Ali's status is unassailable in many respects. I can accept that someone greater will come along, and someone better as well, but I am not eager to replace him. Quite the opposite.

 

Usyk is a great fighter but lacks the personality of an Ali, a Leonard, or a Tyson to caputure the public imagination, and Tyson's salad days were a generation ago. Sell.

 

Usyk shattered the narrative from about a decade ago, that HW boxing had evolved beyond boxers that size, and that HW was now the sole domain of the 6'5"+ SHW.

 

Why does this feel like a threat? lmfao im not even american

pipe down markus

 

I agree about Ali being greater (as expected. Lol) No doubt in my mind.