Who ranks higher? Ali or Duran?

Thank-you.

 

You can't be serious, lmao.

 

That is true and that's why it's close either way.

 

Spot on.

Ali was athletically superb, confident and flashy while Duran was technically and fundamentally superb all round. Anybody who thinks Ali is technically better than Duran doesn't know boxing. Durans faints are a thing of beauty and his defensive technique was excellent. The way he bobbed his head and parried punches, ****ing brilliant stuff. Ali was less textbook.
Both had grade A ring IQ's and were as tough as nails.

 

This logic that Ali was some down and out poor soul forced to travel across the globe to fight in other people's back year for a pay check is beyond ridiculous so just give this line of thought a rest.

 

No, it isn't close. People have different views on Duran and Ali pfp, but when it comes to atg rankings, Duran is never seen as the goat. I love Duran to death and respect him a great deal, but he was no Ali. Prime for prime Ali was clearly better and they took 4 years from him.

 

Duran. Ali is a **** hair behind (for a HW to be that close is extraordinary.)

 

This is one of a few factors as to why Ali is greater than Duran IMO. Don't make this out I be more than it is patna. You're not talking to a kid. If we're going to talk boxing, let's talk boxing.

 

Blizzy you can say a lot of things about Ali that I'm going to agree with but using his out of country fight locations to support that he's a greater fighter than Duran isn't going to be one of them.

 

YOU don't have to support this. This is just one of a few factors as to why I think that Ali is greater than Duran.

 

You see Andre Ward is criticized for fighting at home. Fans have a problem with this. A crowd of 10,000 or more can hype a fighter up to no end. To say that this is not and can not be factored into the Ali Duran equation is quite hilarious. This outlook doesn't tip the iceberg, it just tilts it a bit that's all. It's not the determining factor as to who is greater.

 

You do realize that Duran wasn't even an American citizen and fought the vast majority of his fights in the US don't you?

So how do you even compare the two?

If anyone was fighting in someone's back yard between the two fighters it was Duran and that's not even debatable, but neither do I think it's a very relevant point.

And where a fight takes place can be less important that who the fans favour. For example, Duran fought Moore in New York, basically in Moore's back year. But guess who the fans were for?

Duran.

So who cares where they actually fought? Are you telling me Ali never had these same dynamics working for him, of course he did, big time.

 

You are making my point. I need you to understand my point.
Lots of fighters aren't from America but they have started and finished their careers in America. We are talking about defending your title in the backyard of a challenger.

What is so hard to understand about my statement?

 

Mike McCallum became famous and respected for fighting around the world. Glen Johnson also.

 

To the extend I understand it, I don't give it nearly as much weight as you do.

I'm reasonably certain that when Ali fought Chuvalo in Toronto that he would have had at least as many fans as George did, probably significantly more. Same with his fights in London. The location of fights is largely a business decision, nothing more than that, and it's the promoter who makes this decision. (Also they rematched in Vancouver, and neither fighter is from Vancouver btw)

But you and others can't really point to Ali and call him the most famous boxer in history, which he undoubtedly was, and then say he never had fans when he fought in someone's backyard, that's simply not true.