who is the most charismatic boxer of all time ???

Honourable mention to Eubank.

 

I hate Ali, but this isn't even a contest. I have to admit he was the best in this department.

 

Ali- became the most famous /recognized face on the planet.Helped change a country's perception of a war.

Jack Dempsey - boxing's first superstar,captured the collective imagination while ushering boxing into the 20th century.

Mike Tyson -singlehandedly carried the sport on his back for a time.

 

Throwing in the Internet as an as well as my personal interest, I would list Joe Frazier, Archie Moore, Roberto Duran, gene Tunney, Rocky Marciano and currently Jack Johnson.

Frazier /Marciano really long time favorites because of their ability to overcome what appeared to be physical disadvantages and prevailing in no small part due too overwhelming forces of will.

Archie Moore appears to have been is very intelligent, Multi layered and multifaceted and I'm always eager to find more material. Gene Tunney seems to get short shrift due to being deemed aloof by sports writers of the time.

Boxing research, like everything else, is unrecognizable when compared to its free internet iteration. Long gone are the days of studying boxing pictorial until it fell apart. Gone are the days of looking at the adverts for the 8 millimeter fight films and dreaming that I had a projector on which to view them. The sad truth was that I had access to an 8 millimeter projector in a super 8 millimeter world. The ability now to have access too so much footage would have been mind boggling. I now find myself fascinated by all of the smaller names, the journeyman, whom previously there was little to no information or stories available.

 

How did Ali help change the country's perception of a war?
I was an adult back then I don't remember Ali doing anything like that.

 

Her heavyweight resume was quite impressive, and she didn't do badly in the lower weight classes either!

 

yeah, maybe the question should start with "Next to Ali..." Far and away the most charismatic athlete of all time, if not person, period. But let's see, off the top of my head....Prince Naz, Vinny Paz, the dude who ko'd Roy Jones...Tarver, Camacho, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some other good ones.

 

Agree 100%. Rocky Graziano was right up there too.

 

Thanks!

 

While a majority of Americans objected to the war. Ali was by far the most famous American prosecuted for avoiding the draft. He provided a role model to those avoiding the draft. While not necessarily making it fashionable, it was counter of sorts to those claiming that refusal to be drafted was soley the result of cowardice. Ali, if he had chosen, could have served out his military service doing relatively cushy assignments such as PR and physical instruction like others before him. Instead, he fought the government , sacrificing his title and some of his prime fighting years.

One of Ali's most famous quotes: "No Viet Cong ever called me ******" helps illustrate the influence he had on Amerca's perception. Ali , by virtue of his high profile, publicized the fact that blacks, and poor Americans in general carried a disproportionate burden of the war.

 

That is a thoughtful answer and I respect your opinion on the subject, although I don't share it.

There is an attempt to cast Ali as some type of Civil Rights and anti-war activist.
At the time, I never saw him in that light and I didn't know anyone who did.

The student riots had much more to do with questioning the draft than Ali did.

Ironically, cowardice was exactly Ali's reason for refusing the draft. It wasn't out of any true conviction or religious belief.
Sugar Ray Robinson said that Ali told him he wanted to go, get it over with and not ruin his career, but that "Elijah Muhammad won't let me. I'm scared, I'm really scared".

In fairness I would have done the same in Ali's shoes.
The Black Muslims were a bunch of murderous thugs, who had already killed Malcolm X for crossing the Old Man. They had set fire to Ali's apartment the same day as a warning. Ali and Malcolm had been best friends.

 

Thanks BillB and likewise, I can't speak to his actual motivations. I have seen interviews in which Ali argues that it doesn't make sense to send him given the amount of money he generates and that he should be able to pay people to go in his stead. Certainly not the sentiment of a true anti-war zealot. Ali's role also begs the question as to how we look at history. Is it driven by individuals or by movements groups if not masses? I see both sides.

I can say with more confidence is that the press and politcians used Ali to fit their agenda and shaped his narrative. In doing so an undeniably influential symbol resulted.

 

Ali was annoying. Tried too hard. It was all for show and he lacked natural charisma.