ESPN Classic is running Muhammad Ali fights all day today. On right now is the "Thrilla in Manilla" Ali was "The Greatest" ever without a doubt.
Of anyone I've ever seen, nobody is even close. I have talked to old timers who swear by Robinson, and Lewis obviously dominated, but Ali was an incredible combination of size, speed, bablance, etc. If you've seen the film, Smith actually did a great job of mimicing Ali's boxing style, including his unorthodox ( pun) and highly unadvisable hand positioning. He kept his hands very low, essentially daring other boxers, because when he was younger he was so quick he would just evade/counter that it made an effective lure. Of course when he was older and slowed down it really cost him a lot of punishment in the form of head shots most pro boxers would have avoided. But in his prime...wow. As much as I enjoy his later fights, like the Thrilla and the Rumble, if you want to see Ali when he caught your breath, watch his early fights against Liston, etc. That's when he was just unstoppable. Later he evolved into a very tough, brave, and cunning boxer, which is it's own reward to watch, especially the Rumble...but his early stuff was just mesmerizing physical dominance. Lightning speed and power...and incredible confidence.
From what I have seen from old films of Sugar Ray Robinson's fights, he had it all as well. An awesome athlete. I wish they would show more of his fights. Having grown up watching Ali, he was breathtaking. He had it all, as MacBeth stated. Size, speed, quick feet, and an even quicker jab. Such grace and style, the likes of which we will never see again. That was an exciting time in Boxing. Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, Ron Lyle, to name a few. Ali fought them all and beat them all.
I'm a little young to have witnessed Ali's heyday, so maybe some old-timers on the board can help me here -- how good was he at ear-biting?
LOL I was always a fan of the middleweights and welterweights, especially Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, and Thomas Hearns. Even if you go back to the day of Sugar Ray Robinson, he had some classic battles with Jake LaMotta, Randy Turpin, Rocky Graziano, Gene Fullmer, and Carmen Basilio. Boxing now, to me, is as bad as "pro wrestling" with its atmosphere.
I hope that you are not talking about Ali-Liston II. It's been a long time since I saw footage of the fight but I remember that it was my impression that Liston was knocked out by a phantom punch. Whether or not Liston was actually knocked down by a legitimate punch, I think that most would agree that Liston could have gotten up but chose not to.
