Was actually thinking about this the other night and my answer was Holyfield. Though Ali is my number one favorite heavy.
Maybe if you look at his fights as a boxing purist, Holyfield. But Ali was the drama queen. He brought a certain mystique into the ring. And he did it in so many different ways. Also, he excited African Americans like no one else, including Joe Louis. As the old saying goes, you had to be there.
Oh, Evander going away ... that gut tendency he had to just put it all on the line and brawl, even when it was a bad idea. Ali was 100% a warrior, but tended to be more measured in his strategy.
Holyfield. Evander had some great wars with Bowe and Qawi but he also had hard fights with the likes of past prime Dokes, Alex Stewart and Cooper when he mightn't of necessarily had to. The man simply loved a tear up. Ali had some wars as well but when he fought lesser guys he pretty much had his way with them once he hit his peak and before he declined. Guys like Quarry, Chuvalo, Ellis, Mac Foster were generally pretty comfortable nights work for Ali. Holyfield by contrast likely would've brawled with similar level fighters and won but had tougher and therefore more entertaining fights (if you get my drift).
Holyfield for me too. He had the technical skills to become a great champion. He could have whitewashed Bowe 3-0 if he'd played to those skills. But, bless him, he put it all on the line to ****ing murder the other guy in a war. He lost quite a few fights because of that and at least he should get that much credit: he was a fighter with his heart on his sleeve and ready to rumble all the way. I can't recall a Holy fight where I fast forwarded, unless it was the other guy stinking the joint out.
Definitely Holyfield simply through the mentality of the man. Ali, especially in his 1st career had a similar mentality to Mayweather, the knockout wasn't the end all and be all.
Ali was sometimes More entertaining out side the ring than in it ? The build up to certain fight s ,Ali's clowning and verbal assault s . Holyfield was very rarely that much out of the ring but in side ..he could be great to watch .