Why is Muhammad Ali HW ATG #1 and not Joe Louis?

Because Foreman beat guys Ali made great. Liston? Liston resume is not shallow enough to drown in. The great Eddie Machen or Floyd Patterson as your best win isn’t impressive stuff.

 

Liston resume as good as most heavy weight so call all time great.

 

Liston has a solid resume, come on...

 

Liston and Foreman were perceived as unbeatable before Ali beat them.After three and a half years out Ali came back and took on the number 2 contender Jerry Quarry.With 18 rds of boxing under his belt in4 years he took on a prime Frazier and gave him a helluva fight.

Liston cleared out the division BEFORE he won the title.
DeJohn
Bethea
Williams
Harris
Folley
Machen
Summerlin
Valdes
Do you think he couldn't have been champion earlier if Ingo and Floyd had given him the opportunity?

If there had been no Ali how deep would Liston championship resume have been?
Your post is just hindsight and its wrong!

 

Anyone on it Ali wouldnt beat?Anyone on it who would be a big favourite to beat Liston , Foreman,or Frazier?
How about Billy Conn, how does he do against those Ali victims? Walcott? Schmeling?
I think the betting would be close if Louis fought Liston,Foreman,Frazier and I very much doubt he would emerge with a clean sheet against that trio.

 

Prime Floyd is every bit as good, and possibly better than, say, Schmeling and Walcott. And while Louis arguably is 1-1 against those guys, Liston swatted Paterson like a fly twice.

For referense when talking about top wins.

 

Ali didn't go either to be fair.

 

Three and a half years without a fight might have had something to do with that .A more ring active Ali put the record straight with Frazier,imo
No exile=no defeat to Frazier.

 

No, Ali beats em all tbh, until he's fading at the end, and struggle with Walcott.
I think Louis would have a awful time against the likes of Foreman, Frazier
By the time Ali faced Liston, as we know, he was past best, Joe beats him.
A young Liston, now that's dangerous.

I have Ali number 1, head to head he beats Louis as well.
But I can under stand people having Louis number one.

 

Louis was great. I have him at number 4! Because I think Dempsey and Johnson beat him,but that doesn't mean he was any lesser a champion ,quite the reverse actually.

 

Foreman beat guys who Ali made great. Listons best win is Machen. Maybe Patterson? Not special in the grand scheme at all.

 

That’s ridiculous, they’re in the same tier but they’re nothing alike and Schemling and Walcott would both be capable of beating Sonny Liston, Patterson was a fragile over fed light heavyweight it’s the truth.

 

Absolutely. I like the fact we keep the really old ATG s at the top of our rating s.
Rather than someone at the top because there's more footage.
Shows how great they were.

 

That is your opinion,and Im happy to see you are in a minority of one!

 

If you’re with the majority it’s time to reflect.