Greatest heavyweight ever...realistically?

[New England]

For everyone dismissing the size difference between Ali and current heavyweights it really is significant. The Klitchko brothers are around 250lb while Ali was 200lb in the 60s. That's a 25% difference and isn't negligible. There's also much better strength and conditioning now than back then.

There's a reason that small heavyweights like Evander Holyfield have a much higher KO ratio in cruiserweight before they move up to heavyweight. The only reason he did well as he did as a heavyweight was because he was a great fighter. Size really does make a huge difference and there's no getting around it.

lol if you think modern HW are in better condition than the HW from the 60's or 70s.

[FlatLine]

it's between lennox lewis, muhammad ali and jack johnson.. who knows for sure..

al bernstein thinks lennox lewis is probably the GHOAT though

[New England]

it's between lennox lewis, muhammad ali and jack johnson.. who knows for sure..

al bernstein thinks lennox lewis is probably the GHOAT though

jack johnson?

why do you say that?

[HedonisticFrog]

lol if you think modern HW are in better condition than the HW from the 60's or 70s.

So you think that every other sport is breaking records regularly thanks to ever improving strength and conditioning programs but boxing hasn't benefited from the same advances in knowledge? The mens marathon record was broken just a week ago and is 13 minutes faster than the records from the 60s and 30 minutes faster than the record from 1920.

As time goes on there's less margin for improvement but strength and conditioning programs have come a long way in the last 50 years.

[New England]

So you think that every other sport is breaking records regularly thanks to ever improving strength and conditioning programs but boxing hasn't benefited from the same advances in knowledge? The mens marathon record was broken just a week ago and is 13 minutes faster than the records from the 60s and 30 minutes faster than the record from 1920.

As time goes on there's less margin for improvement but strength and conditioning programs have come a long way in the last 50 years.

the amount of boxers on the planet today is a fraction of what it used to be. the sport has regressed. not all sports are the same, and they don't operate in a vacuum.



again, if you think today's HW are in better condition than HW from the 60's and 70's, you're a fool.

[////]

the amount of boxers on the planet today is a fraction of what it used to be.

Source please. Sounds like complete utter bull****.

Common sense logic would dictate the exact opposite (talent pool is no longer confined to 2-3 countries, world population has grown exponentially, financial rewards have increased exponentially).

[Elroy1]

lol if you think modern HW are in better condition than the HW from the 60's or 70s.

Modern HW's are so much better conditioned than any boxer from the 60's and 70's that it is laughable to dipute.

What a ****** comment!

Of course at HW we sometimes have chubby boxers too. But there were as many chubby boxers back then as now.

In fact the distinction has been summed up accurately before as this.

Today, the champions are lean and 6-packed and SOME of their opponents are fat.

In previous eras, the champions THEMSELVES (Ali late, Frazier etc) were fat!

[////]

again, if you think today's HW are in better condition than HW from the 60's and 70's, you're a fool.

Says the guy with Joe Frazier in his avatar lmao

[VG_Addict]

Modern HW's are so much better conditioned than any boxer from the 60's and 70's that it is laughable to dipute.

What a ****** comment!

Of course at HW we sometimes have chubby boxers too. But there were as many chubby boxers back then as now.

In fact the distinction has been summed up accurately before as this.

Today, the champions are lean and 6-packed and SOME of their opponents are fat.

In previous eras, the champions THEMSELVES (Ali late, Frazier etc) were fat!

Today's HWs are in better shape? Yeah, Fury, Ruiz Jr, and Arreola are in real good shape.

[Elroy1]

First of all, Ali was 6,3-6,4 in his prime. He was 215 not around 200 lbs. he weighed about 198lbs on his debut when he was a little skinny 18 year old fresh out of the amateurs. Ali was a proper heavyweight.

Wlad is 6'5 and 240 on his best day. Ali's reach is 78", I believe Wlad's is 81". The size difference isn't so great that it's unfair at all. And Ali is bigger than guys like Haye and Byrd who gave Wlad some of his toughest work.

But he's better than they are. Far better. Bigger balls, punch variety is greater, chin is better, stamina, footwork, head movement etc.

Ali would make Wlad look like a mummy.

Ali could not even make Geroge Foreman look like a mummy, an opponent who could barely box!

How the **** is he gonna make Wladimir bloody Klitschko look like one?

seriously

This Old Time Nut Bag business is getting out of hand. There should be a rule on posting geriatric comments in NSB.