IF ALI never existed ...who would be considered the greatest?

I think Foreman wouldn't have gotten out of control and would have continued knocking the **** out of people. Possibly still reign into the 80s.

 

Would Mike Tyson of still got into boxing...? i remember Mike Tyson met Muhammad Ali as a kid.

 

excuse me if ive misread understood this post but are you suggesting it would be tyson?

 

I think Foreman would have owned more years but it would be a stretch to think he'd have enough longevity to beat out Joe Louis. Holmes in 78 would have been a massive challenge.

 

No...I'm just saying if Muhammad Ali never existed, Mike Tyson might of ever gotten in to boxing, and maybe Sugar Ray Leonard aswell.

It might **** up history all together.

 

i thought joe louis right away, but you were a step ahead with a bit of lateral thinking...i like it..
so, you think loss to ali contributed to the young fight ?
do you think he'd have continued as far as an 86 tyson fight?...or would he have gone all holy anyway??
its throwing up a lot of questions in my head

 

He is a good pick, though. But then again, who would have beaten Sonny Liston to start with and would his stock have raised significantly? Would a Frazier win be quite as impressive without Ali Frazier I and would anyone care about a win over Norton who never beat Muhammed Ali. There are a lot of variables. But if, he was dominant in the 70s, and then became champion again in the 90s, That would put him right at the top of the tree. What about also the fact, that without Ali, we may not have seen the alphabet titles so prominent, and therefore had one true champion. IF this were the case, Foreman's second reign would have been considered much, much better.

Joe Louis would definitely be a good should, but i think that Louis, Johnson and Foreman would be the three most popular choices today, and i think that Lennox Lewis might have quite a lot of support also.

 

Louis, probably, though Foreman would probably have run up a legacy that gave Joe a very real run for it.

 

Immediately thought Louis without thinking about the impact it could have had directly on Liston and Foreman's careers. And perhaps indirectly on the likes of Holmes and Tyson.

 

Nice post mate.

 

Joe Louis

 

If Foreman went on and met Larry Holmes, i believe he would've been outboxed. And i think with that win, we'd be talking about how Joe Louis is no.1, but arguments can be made for Larry Holmes, who is no.2.

 

Probably Joe Louis, on the sole claim of legacy stats, but head to head would have been debatable...

 

Sonny Liston 1962-1968
Joe Frazier 1968-1973
George Foreman 1973-1978
Larry Holmes 1978-1985