Is Ali still the best ever?

At HW, yes!

 

I am more a Louis man as you know, but I consider them equal for practical purposes.

What little separates them is basically assumptions.

They did the same in terms of what we can constrain with data.

 

I more or less agree. I think Ali fought the better level of comp, but Louis held onto the title a lot longer and was more dominate against the comp he did fight. He was also a technically better fighter, but Ali had intangibles that made up for this.

Close call.

 

What is not in doubt is that #3 falls well short.

 

Agreed.:good

 

Taking every aspect of his life into account , I would say Yes. The GOAT.

 

I tend to agree as well.

The other day I read a comment, forgot who said it, and he stated that "Joe Louis is the greatest heavyweight champion ever but Ali is the greatest heavyweight ever!" I thought about it for a while and agreed and disagreed with this statement.

They were both incredible careers. A smidgen, that's how much I lean towards Joe Louis and justify this by ranking Louis 1A to Ali's 1B.

 

I rooted against Ali in his every fight. My criticisms of him were faulty. He was indeed the best hwt in boxing history. Why?

By far the quickest. Speed kills in all sports.
None were tougher. None had superior will to win.
He was always able to think in the ring and form alternative fight plans.
Underrated power.
Rapier left jab could cut opponents to ribbons.
His legs alone were able to move him out of trouble.
Physical strength. Powerful fighter physically.

Along with this he fought a superior and dangerous set of opponents IMO unequaled in hwt boxing history.

Ali was the greatest.

 

okay, i endorse that :deal

 

He is still the best ever at HW in my honest opinion. He beat Lineal HW Champs Patterson x2, Liston x2, Frazier 2 out of 3, and L. Spinks 1 out of 2. He beat HW world title holders Terrell, Ellis, and Norton 2 out of 3. He was washed up when he lost his last 2 fights, he went 5-3 (1) vs. the other 3 men who beat him. He also beat Chuvalo x2, Folley, Quarry x2, Bonavena, Bugner x2, Lyle, Young, Shavers, and plenty of other good fighters.

 

He was arguably the greatest ever at any weight, depending on what criteria you want to use.

I have him at 4 or 5.

At Heavy weight, #1.

 

Yes. . . .unless it's Louis. Go ahead and call them them the Greatest.

 

You sound like a pretty stupid kunt.

I'm guessing you've been told that a lot.

 

No way Clay/Ali beats the Joe Louis of the Max Baer/ Max Schmeling #2 fight. This edition of Joe Louis was the greatest and most destructive puncher who ever lived...Folks just watch those fights again. I do think that Ali fought by and large the best assortment of heavyweights in history but had trouble with the likes of Ken Norton, Jimmy Young, Doug Jones all who were fine boxers whom a prime Joe Louis with his array of trip hammer blows would have dispatched by ko...Ali was a great brave fighter whom I saw win the LH title in the 1960 Olympics from a terrific fighter from Australia Tony Madigan at MSG and later on in the FOTC against Joe Frazier. He gave me lots of thrills, but to me Joe Louis would have applied "he can run but he can't hide" by eventually catching up to Clay / Ali, by stoppage. As a famous boxing physician once said " the human body was not made to withstand the punches of Joe Louis, once he had you hurt ".Unquote..IMO...

 

That's pretty one sided Burt. Louis also had problems with fights Ali would have run rings around. Etc, etc. I don't doubt Ali could have hurt Louis either, plenty of lesser men did.