Who do you rate higher Ali or Holmes?

Personally, I have Muhammad Ali higher, and by a considerable amount.

 

Muhammad Ali for me.

- Olympic Gold medalist
- faced all comers and confirmed true lineage
- beat what was possibly the best list of heavyweight opponents.

The only other heavyweight who I think might have an argument for ranking higher than Ali was Joe Louis. I myself go back and forth between the two. But I really can’t see anyone else worthy of being in that discussion

 

One boxer was 10-3 against other members of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame. The other boxer was 2-4.

 

I'm a big Holmes fan and i don't see any case for Holmes being above Ali.

Ali had 20 wins against ranked opposition compared to 15 for Holmes.

Ali had 19 lineal title defences compared to 12 for Holmes.

Holmes never beat a great fighter where as Ali beat Patterson, Liston, Frazier, Foreman, who are all considered great. And no i don't consider Holmes's win over Ali.

Ali had 22 world title wins compared to 20 for Holmes.

 

If you're going to start a thread like this I think it would be great if you would give your reasoning for rating Holmes higher than Ali.

 

Ali, and it is not even close.

 

Ali actually had 30+ wins over ranked opposition.

Yes, this isn't particularly close.

 

Ali. And I can just hear the great man,himself,bellowing out "NO CON-TESST!"

 

Ali by absolute miles. Totally undebatable.

 

Surely life & death with Tim Witherspoon & climbing off the deck against a killer like Renaldo Snipes sells itself…

 

You can reasonably debate the order of the top 2 at HW and you can most certainly reasonably debate the order of 3 downwards, but by any conventional "greatness", i.e. excluding predicted results in H2H cross era fantasy fights, ranking criteria, Ali & Louis, in one order or the other, are inarguable as the top 2.

 

Don`t think i have ever seen a thread where everybody disagrees with the poster.This must be a first

 

Ali #1, Holmes #3.

 

Hi Guys.
In the words of Sinead O'Connor " nothing compares " he was, and remains the Greatest, when he first told us he was, we doubted him, another braggart, he will soon be put in his place, Liston will expose him the world surmised, well he proved us all wrong, still we wasn't convinced, Sonny was old, he quit, a bully who got his comeuppance, then the defenses started to roll on, the Williams one had us rubbing our chin, mmmm... maybe , just maybe he is a great fighter, then in what was properly his prime, he was banned from the sport, for acting on his beliefs, how dare he !! a couple of fights after his ban, against 2 tough fighters, he regained his crown from the brooding, meanancing , Foreman, for me very few HWs down the ages would I fancy to beat the Foreman that Ali beat, yea you were right, you are the Greatest, he has always been my No1, and will remain so, I waver with SSR/ Greb, Leonard/Duran, Moore/Foster, etc, but not with my HWs.
Stay safe guys, chat soon.