Ali beat 16 of the top 75(boxrec list) heavyweights ever

I'd say if it's not the best, it's certainly up there for a single-weight resume. A perfect combination of Ali fighting absolutely everyone and the Heavyweight division being pretty thin historically as compared to the crazy deep ones like Lightweight and Middleweight.

 

the HW division wasn't thin when Ali ruled it. I don't understand how someone could be interested enough in boxing to post on a boxing msg board and then make a post that shows so incredibly little thought in it's reasoning.

 

Yet some have laughed when I rank Ali no2 behind Robinson like thats far too high, the man was phenomenal.

 

Easy there killer, you can wait a bit longer before you ostracize me off of ESB. I meant that the division is shallower in a historical sense- there have been fewer great heavyweights throughout boxing history than in most other divisions (like the two I mentioned) , so it's easier for fighters to crack something like a top 75 list even if they themselves weren't that great there. :thumbsup

 

precisely why he's the greatest of all time

 

Robinson beat 4 in the Middleweight Division, 3 in the Welterweight Division and 1 in the Lightweight Division, for a total 8 if you count all 3 divisions.

Ali beat 16 in the Heavyweight Division and 2 in the Light Heavyweight Division, for a total of 18.

If you count the 1st 100, Ali beat 20 of them in the Heavyweight Division.

 

We all know boxrec has the greatest list too.

 

4 Floyd Patterson
9 Joe Frazier
11 Sonny Liston
16 George Foreman
24 Ken Norton
32 Henry Cooper
35 Zora Folley
37 Jerry Quarry
45 Jimmy Ellis
48 Ernie Terrell
51 Joe Bugner
54 Jimmy Young
58 Oscar Natalio Bonavena
66 Ron Lyle
70 Earnie Shavers
71 Leon Spinks
80 Karl Mildenberger
81 George Chuvalo
83 Cleveland Williams
90 Brian London

20 out of the 1st 90 is pretty good, no matter how you look at it.

 

While I agree that Lightweight is the deepest division in the sports history I disagree with HW being a thin one, on the contrary in may very well be up at that top as one of the deepest. Though it's has had its low points 40-50's, 80's, and 00's the talent pool and # of great fighters who have fought at the weight are as many as any division in the sport.

 

Dude...you think Chavez would beat Pacquiao but Duran wouldn't. That's enough out of you.

 

Floyd Patterson being ahead of Liston, Frazier, and Foreman are all that needs to be said about their list.