Both Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali have a legitimate claim to the title of, "Greatest Of All Time". Robinson is widely considered to be pound for pound the best fighter to ever lace a pair of gloves, but Ali is considered to be the best heavyweight ever, and heavyweight has always been seen as the premier division in boxing. They both have among the best resumes in boxing history, with Robinson holding wins over Lamotta, Fullmer, Basilio, and Gavilan, while Ali holds wins over Frazier, Foreman, Liston and Patterson. Who do you think is the best ever?
Robinson. Ali is the greatest heavyweight, an possibly the greatest sports figure. Yet I believe Robinson is the greatest boxer. Within the sport of boxing he could be said to be the more revolutionary fighter... Ali, the more revolutionary sportsman. Robinson could also be said to be the more complete fighter... Ali, the more complete sports figure. Love both. But Robinson was the finer boxer.
Ali is he was a HW and brought the sport to a new level by being edgy for his time in and out of the ring. Greatest goes beyond just skills it also includes personality and important wins as well as how a fighter changed the sport...so there you have it!
Ali has always been my favourite boxer and the all time best heavyweight but Robinson,pound for pound,is the best of all in a technical sense.
Ali is just outside of my top 10 so IMO he had little claim and since he is my number 2 HW he has no shot on my list. SRR is a decisive number 1 on my list
I don't think the greatest boxer has anything to do with weight class. Also, greatest WHAT of all time? Greatestest boxer? Greatest sports figure? Ali is neither. I'd pick many before him, SRR maybe for boxer, Joe Louis maybe for sports figure, many more possibilities of course
SRR for me. I haven't even seen a lot of him at his best in his younger WW days, but what I have seen, I haven't seen anybody better in all aspects of the game.
That Robinson managed to have two losses and one draw as the only blemishes in the 120 or so fights of his first career is just astounding. Especially considering he fought guys like Angott, Zivic, LaMotta, Gavilan and many other ranked fighters and often had to fight substantially bigger opponents. He then managed to hang with the best MWs until his late 30's. The sheer quantity and longevity is so overwhelming that I voted for him. Ali on the other hand does have a case. 22 wins in fights for the undisputed title is bettered only by Louis. Undefeated in his prime, and a record of 5-1 against opponents many have in their top 10 of the division is probably unparalleled, especially considering three of those wins came after his prime. He doesn't have the astounding quantity of Robinson, but the quality is up there with anyone.
Neither one. Harry Greb was the greatest of all time. But, between Robinson and Ali, definitely Robinson.
Floyd ‘The Best Ever’ Mayweather Jr. said he’s the greatest followed by 2. Chavez 3. Whitaker 4. Duran 5. Ali
Well it's not Ali, could be Louis or Tyson, but ALL can be beat. I'd pick JJW, because when weighed out he arguably beat Louis, gave Marciano hell and on any given night could give ANYBODY hell, on his best night could beat any of them... But Tyson could also Spark him or ANY HW in History out. you could through in Jeffries (many do), for similar reasons, but his Era falls back a bit as fighters 'overall' became Athletic as well as fighters. SRR has too be, Greb same as Jefferies, but certainly he find a way to BEAT Damn Near ANY Middleweight as 25 years proved, Monzon, Hagler, Leonard, others? Nah. Could he be beat, OF COURSE by many TOP Men on their best night, that's boxing, we've seen it enough. Some of the lower weight fighters qualify too, Canzoneri, B Leonard, Pep, Wilde, it is IMPOSSIBLE to say, Titles & Achievements obscure the Reality of Boxing, which = BUSINESS and Ownership, but there were so many more factors times Hundreds & Hundreds of fighters like JJW, Burley and loads more. But also fighters like Greb & SRR can't be denied with the sheer number of top fights they were involved in, so proven. but again Boxing is BUSINESS & Ownership.
