Can any heavy weight ever match up to the ali legend?

Ali's legacy and legendary mystique was built largely on his image which meshed with the politics of his time. Had his personality and public persona been more like Joe Frazier's I doubt he'd be so heavily known worldwide and by so many born after his time. With that said, I don't think anyone will ever bestow as much popularity on the sport again. Rarely to almost never do you have an athlete who had the all around combination of ability, excitement, and showmanship wrapped up into one package. Sure there are fighters who posses at least one or two of those traits, but almost never all three. He also existed during a time where he had the opposition to test him and add points to his resume along with a political climate that amplified his character both in and out of the ring.. A " perfect storm " of elements like that if you will, only comes around maybe once in a century or two.

 

If Mike Tyson had gone on to a similar run of form, over say a decade or so, then who knows what migth have been possible.

 

It already has been and on more than one occasion. There have been a few movies made on Ali and his life.

 

Tyson was the next big thing after Ali, no one really got as close as he did to Ali's super stardom. He had his own charisma which helped but the prison term and his own melt down derailed the whole thing. He had the platform and popularity but his image wasn't based on reality

 

Tyson certainly wasnt near the whole package, as Ali was. as you say, it does show what a legend Ali was when an 80s boxing icon like Tyson still doesn't come close, the gulf after Tyson is even further.

 

yeah funnily enough I was thinking of Bowe on that earlier post. He had the charisma but was missing the discipline or something, he showed he had the character as well in those loses to Golota, Ali like bravery, was such a shame he was missing that vital ingredient....

 

While he certainly had all the physical attributes - looks, size, skill - in the end, it was his charisma that made the difference, as has been said several times here. Other fighters were certainly talented, but who wanted to listen to them? Ali was a walking quote machine. Like Gretzky and Jordan, when you have non-fans who otherwise would never watch a fight (or hockey, or basketball) who know the athlete by name, you've got something special. I don't think we'll see his like again - and subsequently, boxing itself suffers for it. But you can't manufacture it, or create it - he was that perfect storm of environment and ability and timing. If we ever have another heavy who sparks that kind of attention, it still won't be an echo of Ali - they'll make their mark in their own way. Hoping I'm around long enough to see it ...

 

I'll probably catch it for the next bit I write..I thought Holyfield fought the better h2h fighters in his career. He had the steeper hill to climb with opponents down to his size..Ali nearly always had size on opponents. Ali would've had a tougher time in the 90's I think