Ali makes the lower half of my top ten. Armstrong is my number two. His best run is astonishing, though he had the ability to weight jump, which is an impressive feat heavies can't ever make. Although, for whatever it's worth, I don't rate Armstrong as the clear, single, best H2H number one of any division, and I consider Ali history's best and most proven H2H heavy. Armstrong's resume is one of few you can rank over Ali's though. That plus the weigh-jumping and Ali doesn't have a chance to flip with Hank on my list, I don't think.
Both should be a cinch for anyone's pound for pound list. Armstrong's entitled to be rated a bit higher,for reasons others have stated.
I have Ali rank higher because he is the better boxer and tougher to beat Head to head pound for pound.
Henry above but not by many places. Being the best in 4 divisions and compiling such an awesome resume as he did is tremendous. I don't think ali won a fight after the thriller neither but then again I think hank ducked cocoa kid quite blatantly. Not only does henry have a better resume, he achieved more and he looks better on film.
I have Armstrong at 3 (and believe he has a case for 1-3 without much debate)...Ali falls just outside of my top 10 at #11. It has been about 2 years but I don't think I would change to much of picks within the top 15, it is 15+ where things start getting murky.
I have Ali over Armstrong based on superior longevity. Im not the biggest Ali fan. More of a Joe Frazier guy but Ali was robbed of 3 years of his prime and still managed to rip off one of the greatest resumes in the history of the sport. Hank burned very bright but he also burned out pretty quick. The other thing is that Ali was more versatile. He was able to changed his boxin style and adapt to the opponent and to father time.
Apples and oranges, it's a different sport in a way, a bit like comparing Usain Bolt and Kenenisa Bekele. However while Ali is most people's Top2 heavyweight, Armstrong wasn't necessarily top 2 at any weight he fought. Plus all this multiple weight bull**** for fighting a man 7lbs heavier and 2 inches taller, heavyweights usually have to overcome those size disparages regularly, it doesn't mean a size difference is easier to overcome because there's only 1 weight class. Not that that applies to Ali so much as he was a SHW of his day
Neither is in Top10. Whatever titles Armstrong won, there are more than 10 people with better combination of h2h ability and resume. And Ali may be between 25 and 50, in that range.
