The Greatest heavyweight Champion ever: Period.

I agree 100% !

Like I stated before, I go by a lot of things, and when I put them all together, it comes out Ali.

 

I'm with you on this one. I rank Muhammad Ali #1.

 

I'll give you a hint...it's one of the people in this picture:

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How dare you, sir. How dare you. Do you have any idea how tall Valuev is?:twisted:

 

...Relentless.

 

Joe Louis. No question in my mind.

 

John L Sullivan is one of a number of guys who have a decent argument (though i personally usually go with Ali). I dont think there are many, if any guys who could replicate what he did, in his era.

They certainly couldnt do what he did, in their own era.

 

Larry F'n Holmes! IMO, he's a better version of Ali.

 

You mean refuse to fight black fighters? Including ducking the best heavyweight of the era, who probably would have beaten him(peter jackson)?

"I have never fought a negro, and I never shall" those were his words.

 

Agreed.

 

It depends on what criteria one goes by.. For me, quality of opposition and the results of facing such opposition goes a very long way. Guys like Joe Louis and Larry Holmes may have longevity and a shitload of title defenses, while Rocky Marciano has the only undefeated record of any lineal champ.. However, I prefer to rate a man like Ali who has wins over multiple all time greats, many of whom were prime or at least close to it.. George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson are men who commonly rate in most people's top 10 to top 15. There are few champions who can claim to having beaten even 1 top 15 great in his prime, let alone 4 of them. Liston destroyed Patterson and Foreman beat Frazier, but outside of the occasional exception here and there, that's really about it, unless you include some of the one hit wonders like Douglas and McCall, but they are not relevant to this discussion...

I'll settle for Ali at #1.... Louis probably falls at #2.

 

Greatest?

Joseph Barrow Louis.

And just for full disclosure I think John Sullivan would have defeated the major black champions of his day, not that this neither forgives him of not meeting them nor grants them some sort of victory over him.

 

Marketing gimmick. Only the police prevented him from fighting George Godfrey.

Peter Jackson was not the best fighter of Sullivan's era. He came after Sullivan. He may have beaten Sullivan but he may not have. Corbett was the one who committed the crime against Jackson, not Sullivan.

In any case, it doesnt matter, Sullivan was old and past it by then. A loss to him would have meant the same as a louis loss to marciano, Ali to Holmes etc.


What i was talking about was his tour where he toured the entire USA and offered the best fighters in the areas the chance to go 4 rounds with him, and none could. Tyson, louis and Foreman would be a chance to do this, but really, it is only a matter of time before someone survives them.

This happened about once in a couple of hundred times. I canno see anyone fighting as regularly and successfully as he did. They would slip up a few times, during this period. In their own time definitely, but even if the fighters of John Ls time were not as refined and skilled, a few of them would at least last the distance. Against John L, they didnt.