By Leon Watts: Many people have heard of the boxing legend Muhammad Ali. His greatest achievements were not only in the ring, as philanthropist, social activist, and truly one of the most inspiring athletes of any generation, this iconic fighter stands among some of the most memorable names in sports history. There are great boxers, and then there is Muhammad Ali. Based on his professional boxing career, his courage in the face of adversity, and his confidence both inside and outside the ring, there is no doubt that Muhammad Ali is the greatest boxer of all time, period.

According to biography.com, on January 17th, 1942 Muhammad Ali was born as Cassius Marcellus Clay in Louisville, Kentucky. As a young boy, Clay fell into boxing when his bike was stolen and he wanted to beat up the culprit responsible. After hearing about Clay’s intentions, the police officer and boxing trainer Joe Martin suggested to the impressionable youth that he learn how to fight first. Boxing proved to come naturally to the young Cassius Clay as he quickly proved his skill by winning a national title in 1959 for the Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions as a light-heavyweight contender (Biography 2011). According to Martin, the two things that separated Clay from the rest of the boys were his sass, and the fact that he worked harder than anyone else there (Howard 2008). By 1960, Clay had taken his talent to all the way to the Olympics, winning a gold medal against Zbigniew Pietrzkowski from Poland (Biography 2011). At the age of 18, he had already proven himself to be the best boxer in the world so early in his career.

His work had only just begun, taking on some of the most intimidating boxers of the era, Clay shattered the hopes of every opponent who wanted to defeat him until he took the world heavy weight championship belt from then champion Sonny Liston in 1964 (Biography 2011). Here is irrefutable proof that as a young man, there was no fighter who could truly stand up to Clay’s impressive foot movement, speed, and power in the ring. Heavy Weight contenders of this time period were huge to say the least, but Clay brought speed to the division that had never been seen before. Traditionally these heavy set athletes were slower than their lightweight division counter parts. The impressive agility that Clay displayed over his opponents clearly put him in a league of his own, to say the least.

His unorthodox style of fighting was definitely a major factor as to what made him so great. Gregory Allen Howard, screenwriter for Remember the Titans, and personal friend of Muhammad Ali, testifies to Ali’s ability to dance around his opponents moving his feet in the “Ali shuffle,” distracting opponents while he went for head shots, usually connecting with his impressive reach. He wasted no time going for the body as he wanted to win fast and hard. Howard states that Ali’s legs that may have been the strongest in the sport basically allowed him to float in the ring like no other fighter before.

After meeting with the Nation of Islam (NOI) leader Cap’n Sam, Clay was welcomed into the Nation and given the name Cassius X, the X representing the original African name that was lost to him through slavery (Howard 2008). After winning the Heavy Weight Champion bout against Sonny Liston, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad gave Cassius the original name Muhammad Ali as a testament to his success as an African-American boxer. The fact that the NOI recognized Ali to be worthy of such a title is also more evidence that shows how impressive this young athlete really was.

One of the most impressive things about Muhammad during his career is the fact that he predicted which rounds he would defeat his opponents, developing poems and rhymes that taunted all those he faced. One of the most famous lines he said when taking about Sonny Liston was “To prove I’m great he will fall in eight!” (Howard 2008). Facing 7-1 odds against Liston, Ali had no problem proving to the world that his dedication deserved the respect associated with a world champion (Howard 2008).

Muhammad Ali would defend his title seven times from 1965 to 1967, proving time after time that he really was the greatest heavy-weight in the world (Shwartz 2007). A rematch with Sonny Liston only enforced the legendary greatness that was enveloping Ali when Liston went down in the first round (Shwartz 2007). Any man who can drop a former World Heavy-Weight Champion in one round is truly in a class of his own. Some critics say that Liston went down with a “phantom punch” that never even connected, but the fact is that Ali had already demonstrated his ability to defeat this opponent and logical reasoning does not support the idea that Liston intentionally went down (Shwartz). In national bestselling book “King of the World” by David Remnick, Sonny Liston’s wife, Geraldine Liston told HBO in 1996 there was never any fix on that fight. She also said that Sonny had told her “You win and you lose….there has to be a winner in everything, you know.” She also said that she never saw any money from any fix and that Liston went to his grave claiming the same thing (Remnick 1998).

Larry Shwartz of Espn.com states that although Muhammad was “brilliant” in the ring, the true extent of his greatness was displayed outside the ring when he faced off with the United States after refusing to sign up for the draft based on his religious beliefs. While some people argue that this was a sign of cowardice, the truth is that Ali was promised that he would never be placed on the dangerous front lines (Rivele 2001). The fact was that Ali’s moral and religious convictions did not support the message he would send by joining America’s war in Vietnam. It actually took more courage to stand up for his faith, facing monetary losses ranging in the millions when his boxing license and world title were revoked.
Muhammad Ali is the source of inspiration for countless boxers who look up to him. A Seattle celebration in the mid-90s saw Ali honored as “The Fighter of the Century” (Hauser 2011). One undercard fighter who had not done too well in the ring said to Muhammad “Mr. Ali, I just want you to know; when I’m going to the ring for a fight, I get real nervous; so I say to myself, ‘I’m Muhammad Ali; I’m the greatest fighter of all time, and no one can beat me’” (Hauser 2011). To this statement, Ali remarked to the young fighter and replied “When I was boxing and got nervous before a fight, I said the same thing” (Hauser 2011).

Anyone who has seen the live action movie that depicts his life events knows that his struggles outside the ring may have been the hardest fight of his life. By appealing to the Supreme Court after losing his case twice, Ali was able to win back his license and earn the right to compete for the world title once again (Rivele 2001).

Muhammad Ali was definitely comfortable with referring to himself as “the greatest” on more than one occasion. He never doubted himself anywhere he went. The brash attitude he had was unheard of especially from an African-American during this time in the United States. To reporters and opponents alike, he would shout, “I’m the greatest, and I’m a bad man!” (Rivele 2001). At the best motel in Chicopee Falls one night, Ali went up to the front desk and said “Give me the sixty-dollar-a-day suite.” When the employee told him that the room was occupied, Ali replied, “Well, get him out. The Greatest is here” (Remnick 2009). This confidence gave more merit to the statement that he really was the greatest boxer. When Ali went to Africa he got “a taste of what it was like to be Muhammad Ali, international symbol, a fighter bigger than the heavyweight championship, the most famous person in the world (Remnick 2009).

Perhaps the most impressive and worldwide recognized bout was against George Foreman. At the age of 32, Ali faced Foreman who was 10 years younger and in his boxing prime. The staggering size of Foreman proved to be a challenge but, Ali still managed to defeat George by using method or tiring out his opponent that became dubbed the “rope-a-dope.” Outwitting the stronger and larger Foreman proved once again that Ali was the greatest boxer in the world.

The true testament to his overall greatness comes through in his professional boxing record. The numbers are 56 wins to 5 losses (ali.com 2008). However what is more impressive is that 3 of those losses were at the end of his career when he was over 40 and had no fair chance in the ring against such young and powerful new contenders. He even redeemed himself for the two losses earlier in his career to Joe Frazier and Ken Norton by beating each of these opponents on two other separate occasions, giving him 2 out of 3 wins against both fighters (ali.com 2008).

Not everyone may agree about the true nature of Muhammad Ali’s unprecedented and unrivaled ability to overcome anyone in the ring. Although he faced struggles with the United States courts, he held firm to what he thought was right, and the fact that Ali had lost his boxing license during the 3 and a half years of his potential prime as an athlete leaves us to only imagine the true depth of his capabilities that were never seen in the ring. It is only safe to assume that his extraordinary skills in the ring were far better than the legendary man who is already referred to by so many as simply the greatest.