The Greatest heavyweight Champion ever: Period.

That is is my opinion as well Brown Bomber is a lock at # 1

 

My criteria of the greatest heavyweight champion means vwhich fighter at their BEST woukld most likely lick any other heavyweight in history...After all no fighter is responsible fot the era they boxed in, but what they accomplished in their prime...And what the boxing experts of their times said about them...
With this in mind I pick a tandem of the Jack Dempsey of 1918-1923,when he absolutely destroyed most all his opponents, some in record time..In 1950 Dempsey was voted the best heavyweight champion by experts who saw them all up to that time...
And my favorite heavyweight in ability and character Joe Louis,who we have seen many times on film...I would stake my fortune that the Joe Louis who destroyed Max Baer in 1935,would have kod any version of Ali.Louis was a lean and taut coil spring unwinding in that bout and for years afterward...Ali never faced a heavyweight as Louis who could throw such vicious combinations at such blinding speed I say...I remember one old time writer saying in effect ," the human body was not built to take Louis's punches ",when Joe had you hurt...If a Doug Jones or a Henry Cooper could give Ali problems because they were not cumbersome by weight, think what a prime Jioe Louis would accomplish against Ali..
Finally as Louis once famously said,"he can run, but he can't hide ", so to with Ali...Therefore Dempsey or Louis, take your pick....

 

I have Ali and Louis 1 and 2. I have gone over many things, tapes, records, what people had a say. I decided to match up their opponents that they beat, and this is why I have Ali as #1.

Just match up Ali's opponents with Louis's that they beat. I honestly couldn't come up with hardly any of Louis's opponents beating Ali's. Of course they would if you match Spinks against Walcott, But try to match the best against best, or match the same type styles against each other and see how you come out picking a winner.

1. Foreman 40-0-0 vs. Max Baer 50-6-0
2. Frazier 30-1-0 & 32-2-0 vs. Walcott 44-11-2 & 44-12-2
3. Liston 35-1-0 & 35-2-0 vs. Schmeling 52-7-4
4. Norton 30-1-0 & 37-3-0 vs. Braddock 50-25-7
5. Patterson 43-4-0 & 55-7-1 vs. Conn 59-10-1 & 62-11-1
6. Quarry 37-4-4 & 43-5-4 vs. Nova 26-2-4
7. Bonavena 46-6-1 vs. Galento 76-23-5
8. Ellis 30-6-0 vs. Sharkey 38-13-3
9. Folley 74-7-4 vs. Farr 66-20-13
10. Terrell 38-4-0 vs. Carnera 82-7-0
11. Chuvalo 34-11-2 & 66-17-2 vs. Godoy 53-8-7 & 53-9-7
12. Lyle 30-2-1 vs. Simon 34-7-0
13. Shavers 54-5-1 vs. Buddy Baer 50-5-0 & 50-6-0
14. Bugner 43-4-1 & 51-6-1 vs.
15. Bob Foster 49-5-0 vs.
16. Mac Foster 28-1-0 vs.
17. Mildenberger 49-2-3
18. Moore 184-22-11
19. Young 17-4-2
20. Williams 65-5-1
21. Jones 21-3-1
22. Cooper 27-8-1 & 33-11-1
23. L. Spinks 7-0-1

This is their records at the time(s) they fought Ali and Louis. You can also switch them around if you want; just try to pick the best against the best. Meaning you should have the top opponents that Ali boxed against the top opponents of Louis.

 

hh ,it is very probable that Ali would have beat any opponent of Joe Louis's, and conversly Joe Louis would have licked all of Ali's opponents. Then what ?They would have to be matched in our mind's eye...
And for this reason I cannot believe Ali at his best would have evaded the Joe Louis circa Max Baer 1935 throwing three poweful left hooks ,as quick as the eye can see...Louis's powerful jab[think Ken Norton], would befuddle Ali,as Norton did, and sooner or later Louis would stun Ali and unlike the slower handed Liston or Foreman, Louis's laser blinding combinations would finish Ali off...And because the Brown Bomber never wasted punches he carried histremendous punching power 15 rounds if needed...Yes louis by ko, I'm convinced....b.b.

 

Louis was the greatest heavyweight champion but Ali is the greatest heavyweight of all time.

 

Can you go into the meaning of the distinction a little bit, A?

 

I can not see how the Louis that beat Baer beating Ali. Ali wouldn't stand toe to toe with Louis, he would have used his legs, speed, jab and defense. Also Ali had one of the Greatest Chins in boxing history. Foreman, Shavers, Frazier, Liston, Lyle, Mac Foster and many others tried and couldn't do it so I can't see Louis or anyone else doing it either.

Louis also had trouble with boxers, Conn, Walcott, Charles, etc., and Ali is far better and faster then them.

 

Ali he beat everybody in the greatest era for that division. He could win a million ways a war like Frazier 3 a mental and physical survial like Foreman or sheer athletisicm like Liston. He could box punch trade he could do it all. Not til he was much older did he really lose. Louis is great but his reign though long was alot of unheralded guys. Holmes is way up there great wins great fighter. Tyson in the 80's had a great reign. Lennox had a great reign he beat everybody in maybe the second best era at the weight. Wlad is having a great run too.

 

Louis has the best heavyweight title reign. Ali did some of his best work while not the champion and his title reigns weren't as memorable. Overall, Ali was better, in my opinion.

 

Tyson.

 

Ali I think has the most HOF's on his resume Liston 2X Patterson 2 X Frazier 2X Norton 2X Shavers Quarry is Ellis in and is Bonavena in plus Chuvalo was very good oh and almost forgot Foreman

Louis Sharkey Scmelling Braddock Baer Conn 2X Walcott and that Italian Giant

 

Ali is #1 and Louis #2. I feel Ali is better than Louis in h2h matchups because of his superior chin and quicker feet. Handspeed is similar although Louis obviously is the more dangerous puncher. I still give the edge to Ali though.

 

Judging them only as champions. Not head to head.
I think the logical choices are these.
70's Ali beat the best comption but 6o's Ali was a better boxer.
Louis defended 26 times in a row. He fought some good comption but some bums as well.
Tyson was unstopable but that was only for a short period of time.
Marciano beat some good boxers and never lost.
Lewis may be the best head to head and beat everyone he faced at least once. He also was stopped twice.
Holmes had the second longest defense streak and won 48 stright. However he fought a low level of comption.
Both the brothers Klitchkio should be considered as well. Aside from being stoped they have not been beaten.

 

Ali around 1966/67.

 

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