In ring probably not, though he was definitely up there.
In terms of the impact on the business as a whole however, definitely. Especially in terms of how fights are promoted.
Know what’s kind of funny? Tyson is a huge Ali fanboy. Tyson thinks Ali beats everyone, even him.
Bruce Lee said Ali would kick his ass.
RIP to the black superman.
I have good memories of that comic.
He was a great man inside the ring and outside
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd9aIamXjQI
"My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America. And shoot them for what? They never called me nigger, they never lynched me, they didn’t put no dogs on me, they didn’t rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father. … Shoot them for what? How can I shoot them poor people? Just take me to jail."
"It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe."
R.I.P
Ali had a real way with words. I loved his trash talk.
One of the absolute greatest human beings to ever grace this world. It’s such a shame that he had to go. Rest in peace, Ali.
At least he can rest in peace now. Seeing firsthand my father’s struggle with Parkinson’s for many years before his death, makes me happy that this terrible affliction has finally let go of Muhammed Ali.
He was probably not the literal greatest of all time, but he was top echelon.
Thing is, becasue of he was also visible in the civil rights movement the US gov’t fucked with him and got him banned from boxing for a number of his prime years. So he and we will never know what we missed out on.
During his later years after his come back his record was a bit mixed, but many of his biggest wins during this period he was winning with his intelligence and strategies as much as or more than with his fists.
R.I.P. to the greatest of all time!!
Rip to the Goat. When boxing still mattered and boxers fought the best fighters without all the ducking and hiding behind sponsorship and records. Ali was truly the Goat. He knew how to sell fights before that was really even a thing.
He definitely was up there, I’d say top 3 at the very least. He invented a lot of things boxers still do today and was so fast, he was one of the few fighters who could get away with the right hand lead (most right handed fighters lead with their left hand jab, but Ali was so fast he could just throw a right.)
He was also the guy who introduced the spectacle and theatrical aspects to boxing. There’s a video of the lead up to his fight with Sonny Liston on YouTube that’s worth watching because Ali was HILARIOUS! He wrote poems about his opponents, and in the one he wrote about Liston he called him “The Big Bear.” Eventually he found out where Liston lived and showed up to his house one morning with a giant bear trap and just taunted him; he was kind of The Rock of his day (or rather the Rock was the Ali of his.)
All of which, while funny and interesting was really to get into Liston’s head. No one thought Ali would beat Liston, but he did, in part because he was so fast, Liston couldn’t touch him, but also I think because he was smart enough to know that if he could get into Liston’s head, he could win.
TL;DR: Ali was one of the fastest men to ever step in the ring and one of the smartest both inside and out of it. Definitely a pioneer. He truly is worthy of being called the greatest.
RIP to the GOAT of GOATs. This man’s impact surpassed everything he did in the ring; he had the balls to call our involvement in Vietnam for the bullshit that it was and was NEVER afraid to stand for what he believed in, even when it cost him his title and time in prison. He stood with Malcolm X in solidarity during the Civil Rights Movement and exposed many things in the sport of boxing that led to the corrupted landscape and spectacle we see today.
He is, for all intents and purposes, THE model that professional athletes follow to the present day to stake their name in noteriety and fame. RIP to the Greatest, indeed.
https://youtu.be/HeFMyrWlZ68
https://youtu.be/jtgL2HqijyM
I dont know much about Ali, except the march he had against Lyle Alzado (Raiders legend ;)). So here it is!
Rest in Power Ali…the GOAT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEbgTdCvdbk
Love how he put these white women in their place.
A death of a legend. RIP
RIP to the greatest.
I’m pretty sure him and Bruce Lee are probably sparring in the afterlife.
Well Ali was significantly taller and his chin was tested against Frasier and Foreman, so there is a good chance that Ali prime>>>>Tyson prime. But I would say the same about Frazier or Foreman vs Tyson. That was the pinnacle of boxing and there were at least 6 legit heavyweights in that era that would be a real challenge for boxers from nearly every generation.