Who Has Had The Biggest Impact On Society Outside The Ring?

[Anomalocaris]

In this century Tyson Fury.

Proving that strong men can have mental problems and that is is not weak to admit them and get help.

Top bloke in my opinion and always was despite rhe media's obsession with the racist drug dealer Joshua.

[max baer]

In this century Tyson Fury.

Proving that strong men can have mental problems and that is is not weak to admit them and get help.

Top bloke in my opinion and always was despite rhe media's obsession with the racist drug dealer Joshua.

Love it!!

[Coverdale]

In this century Tyson Fury.

Proving that strong men can have mental problems and that is is not weak to admit them and get help.

Top bloke in my opinion and always was despite rhe media's obsession with the racist drug dealer Joshua.

If you want to throw names around it's easy to call "top bloke" Fury an anti-Semitic junkie.

Probably best to keep value judgements out of it.

[IronDanHamza]

For what it's worth, I thought 50 Cent mocking him for being (allegedly) illiterate was a cruel thing to do.

I mean, 50 Cent is thick as pig shit and is illiterate also.

[Tatabanya]

Mike Tyson, hands down.

Youngest HW champion ever. Classic "love him or hate him" figure. Rags to riches to rags, to riches again. From boxing star to jail, back to be a star, then going bankrupt and becoming an addict. After that, a movie actor and a recognized (and mostly loved) personality, and a relatively successful entrepreneur.

Everybody in the world knows who Mike Tyson is. The Holyfield ear bite was mentioned in both X-Files and Millennium (and heaven knows where else, and how many times). The man lived 20 lives in the time span of one.

And yes - he gave away a LOT of money to people in need, too.

[Willie Pep 229]

I mean, 50 Cent is thick as pig shit and it illiterate also.

Sometimes I think Rap Music is driven more by 'mic wars' (like professional wrestling is) than it is, by performance.

[billeau2]

I mean, 50 Cent is thick as pig shit and it illiterate also.

It is rumored that For a cooking show Fitty and Money were asked to make a "word" salad... They had to hire Kamila Harris!

[billeau2]

Well Ali was larger than life. Even when he was trying to be arrogant, racist, etc, he did so with a twinkle in his eye that let people know that this was not a suit he could fit into. Ali committed the ultimate act of equality when he refused to kill an enemy he had no beef with. Ali transformed many urban areas into better places with his ability to overcome odds.

I believe that may people mentioned on the thread were likewise great. I also believe that Ali set the mold for the boxer as being an activist. Dempsey elevated the public appeal of a fighter, Louis showed that given a choice Americans would rather be Americans and not white, black, italian, or otherwise. Ali made a sacrifice. The reason many of us consider him hands down one of the greatest is because, we imagine how good he would have been those lost years.

[QueensburyRules]

I have seen Money speak but a few times.

Exclusively on HBO post fights interviews with Larry Merchant.

Mayweather always seemed angry, arrogant, and distrustful.

But IMO the failure lay with Merchant. He was, as he always was, as interesting as dry white toast.

He had no shtick!

So it seemed to me that Merchant, for lack of any other interview skill, deliberately sought to antagonize Mayweather.

Finessing a stressful situation was not Larry Merchant's long suit.

Like I said I have had very little exposure to Mayweather. But I walked away from those, 'not so good interviews,' feeling Merchant blew the interview.

As much as I hated him at the time, a Howard Cosell type would have found a way to work the interview better and at least make it entertaining.

- - Merchant grew more Shakespearean as he aged, but on his worst day he's better than Howie who made everything about himself talking about integrity in a poorly regulated outlaw sport while wearing his stoooopid Yeller ABC Sport Jacket.

Moreover, Merchant beats up Howie easily.