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What do you mean by “Best?”If you mean who beats who, Mike himself has answered that question, says “nobody beats Ali,” and gets irate if his judgement is questioned!If you mean who had the best career, that is Ali as well, the numbers don’t lie.CREDIT PICTURE WIKIPEDIAThere are basically two ways to interpret who was best between two boxers, first, who beats who, second, whose career was best.Mike Tyson in his best days, with Kevin Rooney, was a GREAT fighter. But does that mean he could have beaten the Greatest?Mike Tyson has spoken repeatedly about Ali, and whether he could beat him. This is what Mike has said, repeatedly:Mike Tyson is a proud, very, very, well versed boxing historian. Asked repeated about beating Ali, this is his response:“Nobody beats Ali”.And Mike explains that those who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s and perceived Tyson as the winner just because he hit harder and had bigger muscles let themselves be fooled by Ali’s physical appearance:“Ali is a fuckin’ animal, he looks more like a model than a fighter, but what he is, he’s like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a pretty face.”But could you have beaten him on your best day, the reporter said? Mike emphasized, saying Ali was simply too fast and too skilled, saying again:“NOBODY beats Ali.”Mike goes on to explain that:“Ali will take you in deep waters and drown you!”But it was Ali’s psychological make up that impressed Mike the most…Mike is blunt and to the point when he talks about Ali:“I always like to think I'm a bad motherf**ker. A vicious motherf**ker. I don't give a f**k, but that's the part where he, Ali, overshines me, because I can't understand a man that's willing to die for this. I talked the sh*t, but he's the real deal. Ali is a giant. There's no way other fighters can match him. He'd die for this sh*t. I'm not going to die for this. That's real talk. Ali is a savage, he's an animal. He's a different breed of person. He's not like us."What awes Mike the most is Ali’s indomitable will, and willingness to go further and harder than anyone else:“This is the thing about Ali: When we were watching him get beat up as an old man-even when I was a young kid-he's not going to quit, you've got to kill him. He won't quit.”Mike Tyson Gets Emotional When Talking About Muhammad AliMike Tyson, in a 2012 interview with Thisis50 | If it's Hot it's Here!, described how Ali collapsed to the canvas after stopping Joe Frazier in their third fight in 1975:“[Ali] he had too much pride. He'd rather die than let somebody beat him," said Tyson.When asked again who would've won between the two had they met at age 20, Tyson didn't hesitate in answering:“Never stopping and he’s dead tired? I can’t beat that man. Hell fucking no. No fucking way," said Tyson.Mike also quoted Cus D’Amato:“He is the greatest heavyweight boxer of all-time, I think. Yeah. No doubt because Ali has qualities you can't put on a statistic scale like height and weight and reach and all that stuff. He had internal fortitude. He's just an amazing man and Cus always said you're never going to see a guy like him again. Cus was the biggest fan of Ali. He just thought that he was the greatest fighter that God ever created."Mike Tyson First Met Muhammad Ali In JuvieI think that answers that part of the question, who beats who…Which man had the better career, in that aspect who was best?Boxing Historian Monte Cox wrote that:“Muhammad Ali was the most naturally gifted heavyweight champion in history.”Muhammad Ali, The GreatestFamed Boxing Historian Don Cogswell wrote, (IBRO Journal # 81):“Muhammad Ali, in his first title reign, presented such a speed disparity between contestants as to appear supernatural."Certainly other fighters strongly stated they felt Ali was the fastest, and best, fighter they had ever seenFloyd Patterson said of Ali and comparing him to other greats such as Joe Louis:“I was a lot faster than Joe Louis, and Ali was a lot faster than me!"Ken Norton says in Going the Distance:“Ali was the best fighter I ever saw, and I think the best heavyweight ever. Larry Holmes was a great heavyweight, but not Ali. He was lucky he didn’t fight Ali in his prime.Earnie Shavers said the same thing in his book, Welcome to the Big Time. Earnie said the best fighter he ever faced was Muhammad Ali. Earnie admitted:“Ali was “old when he faced me, but he was still the best fighter I ever was in the ring with. Jimmy Young was the most slippery, and Larry Holmes could fight, but Ali, he was the best. Even an old Ali was the best.””But raw talent is not what made Ali the best, his willingness to fight everyone, and his beating all but one at least once, was what made him the best everBBC boxing writer and historian Ben Dirs said of the Golden Age:“Ali reigned in the most talent-rich era of heavyweight boxing, winning the title from the fearsome Sonny Liston in 1964, winning it again from the even more fearsome George Foreman 10 years later and beating greats such as Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in between."Manny Steward said it best about Ali:“Muhammad Ali was the only champion that I know of that fought anybody, everybody. It was nothing about styles. He fought guys who were terrible for him style wise, but Ali would just tell Angelo Dundee, “Let’s fight”—and he put him with a guy like Kenny Norton who was always going to be a problem because of the way Kenny kept his elbows, he blocked jabs and right hands and that’s all Ali basically had and then he fought him I think three times; Joe Frazier; he went to London to fight Brian London and Henry Cooper; and he went I think to Canada to fight (George) Chuvalo; he fought Karl Mildenberger to fight the German in Germany. He didn’t care whose style that he had to fight so in that way, Ali was the greatest because fought anybody, everybody, in their country, if it was a style that was bad for him he didn’t care, fight him in a rematch he’d do that, whatever.Heavyweight History With Emanuel Steward: Part 2 Of 3 • East Side Boxing • News ArchivesManny Steward, as Mike Tyson had, expressed Ali’s warrior heart and matchless ability to win best:“[Ali] he did what he had to do to find a way to win and that was one of the unique things about Ali.“Manny Steward, goes on:“When [Ali] found out that something wasn’t working he would just abandon the boxing skills, the pretty boy, and all of that stuff and just have to sit down and just outfight a guy.”Heavyweight History With Emanuel Steward: Part 2 Of 3 • East Side Boxing • News ArchivesAli himself quoted in “The Greatest” said:“When people ask me about who was the greatest of all time, I say look at the records. I fought better competition, over a longer period of time than any other fighter in history.”Ali fought 11 Hall of Famers, more than any other heavyweightOnly Ezzard Charles comes close with 10 Hall of Famers in his resumeAli beat 10 of 11 Hall of Famers, the best record in historyThe only Hall of Famer he could not beat was Larry Holmes, and Ali was 38 and ill with Parkinson’s, when he fought Larry.Ali fought 6 undisputed World Champions, and beat them allAli fought 9 opponents with some claim on the title, and beat all but Larry Holmes when he was 38 and illAli fought 23 fighters in the top 150 as ranked by Boxrec, and beat 22 of themThe only top 150 fighter he could not beat was Larry Holmes, and Ali was 38 and ill with Parkinson’s, when he fought Larry.Ali was 11–0 in rematches,That is the best rematch win percentage in historyAli fought 53% of his fights, over half, against top 160 competition as ranked by BoxrecThat is the best fight percentage in history against top rated competition.Ali had a 94% win rate against top 100 of all time opposition;That is the second best of all time (first is Rocky Marciano)Ali faced 17 top 100 of all time heavyweights, beating 16 of 17 at least once;Angelo Dundee, Ali's and Sugar Ray Leonard's trainer, said:“look at Ali’s quality of opposition. He shook up the world against Liston, then did it again. He shocked the world against Foreman. He won two out of three against Frazier. Same against Ken Norton. He beat Patterson twice. The also-rans on Ali’s record—Jerry Quarry, Ron Lyle, Zora Folley, Oscar Bonavena, Bob Foster, Ernie Terrell—were as good as all but two or three opponents Joe Louis beat during his 11 years as champ."And we never saw Ali in his prime, because it was taken from him…Ali achieved all he did without the benefit of a classic prime period, which is simply amazing.Doctor Ferdie Pacheco covered this in Muhammad Ali: A View from the Corner, in which he wrote:“Ali was never the same fighter after his years out of the ring. That speed which made him so special was gone forever, and he had to depend on his ability to take a punch, and that led to terrible damage later in his career.”THAT is the whole point. Without his speed, lost during his exile, Ali was still a winner based on toughness, will, and guile.Angelo Dundee certainly said it best:“Clay was speed, harmony in motion, an extraordinary sight to see. It seemed impossible to hit him. Ali, the guy that came back after his inactivity, was more flat-footed; he had to go in and fight and take more punishment.”Larry Holmes, his friend and sparring partner, who learned boxing from him, said in Against the Odds:“I was always amazed how good Ali was when I first went to work with him at Deer Lake. Considering they had taken the best years of his career, and most of his speed, he was still a great champion.”Cus D’Amato, one of history’s greatest trainers, when asked by Ali after the end of his exile - Cus was a mentor to Ali - when asked if he could still beat top heavyweights such as Joe Frazier, told Ali:“Since your style of fighting is dependent on split second timing – speed, coordination, as well as power – your reflexes will have suffered because of inactivity of 3 years, and in my opinion, the outcome would be very much in doubt.” –Top 30 Greatest Cus D'Amato QuotesBoxing writer Jack Dougherty said:“Ali retired from boxing in 1981 with a career record of 56-5. He is still the only boxer to claim the heavyweight title three times. “The Greatest” received his nickname for a good reason, but we’ll never know how much greater Ali could’ve been had he not missed three years of his boxing prime.Muhammad Ali's Boxing Ban Cost Him More Than You Think - Sportscasting | Pure SportsJeff Cox of CNBC wrotet:“The years he didn’t fight took him from age 25 to the cusp of his 29th birthday, prime time for any pro athlete but particularly a heavyweight boxer.Was he really 'The Greatest'? Muhammad Ali's complicated legacyBoxing Historian Monte Cox wrote that:“Muhammad Ali was the most naturally gifted heavyweight champion in history.”Monte went on to say:“The Muhammad Ali of 60’s was the fastest heavyweight ever….Ali, in his prime, was able to out-speed his mistakes. Eddie Futch commented, “Ali takes his mistakes, shows them to you, and then beats you with them.” Ali got away with his mistakes because of his astoundingly quick reflexes, speed of foot, and uncanny ability to gauge distance.Muhammad Ali, The GreatestWe will never know how good Ali could have beenAgain, Angelo Dundee says it best:“Due to his beliefs, he was robbed of the best years of his life -- that's a subject that we must not forget, ever…And nevertheless, he was so great that he still was the best among all of his opponents, which is something that must be taken into account when talking about Ali: He was robbed of his best years, his prime years.Jack Dougherty says:“Ali would return to the ring in 1970 to continue building his legendary resume, but he could never get those three years back…“We’ll never know how much greater Ali could’ve been had he not missed three years of his boxing prime.Krishnadev Calamur, at the time Senior Edtor of the Atlantic summed it up:“Ali triumphed, [over the Government] but his victory came at great personal cost. As Angelo Dundee, his trainer, said Ali’s beliefs cost him “the best years of his life.” Before he was prevented from fighting, “it seemed impossible to hit him,” he said. The man who returned to the ring “was more flat-footed.”When Muhammad Ali Refused to Go to VietnamAnd yet, despite all that, Ali was still the best heavyweight who ever lived based, as Jack Blackburn used to say, solely on who he faced, and who he beat.CREDIT TO:Ali a Life by Jonathan EigCox’s Corner and Monte CoxDon Cogswell (IBRO Journal # 81)Dundee: Ali was, continues to be 'GreatestGoing the Distance by Ken NortonHeavyweight History With Emanuel Steward: Part 2 Of 3 • East Side Boxing • News ArchivesListon and Ali: The Ugly Bear and the Boy Who Would Be King by Bob MeesJoe Louis: Hard Times Man by Randy RobertsMike Tyson Gets Emotional When Talking About Muhammad AliMike Tyson, in a 2012 interview with Thisis50 | If it's Hot it's Here!Mike Tyson First Met Muhammad Ali In JuvieLarry Holmes: Against the Odds by Phil BergerMuhammad Ali's Boxing Ban Cost Him More Than You Think - Sportscasting | Pure SportsMuhammad Ali: His Life and Times by Thomas HauserMuhammad Ali: A View From the Corner by Dr. Ferdie PachecoMuhammad Ali, The GreatestMuhammad Ali, The GreatestNorton Speaks On Fights With AliThe Greatest: My Own Story by Muhammad AliThe Real Ali by Rahman AliWas he really 'The Greatest'? Muhammad Ali's complicated legacyWelcome to the Big Time by Earnie ShaversWhen Muhammad Ali Refused to Go to Vietnam

Because Bob Garrett knows absolutely nothing about boxing, and would maintain a gerbil could beat Muhammad Ali because Bob hates him so much.Nor is Ali the only great fighter Bob Garrett loathes - he hates Marciano, Foreman, Frazier, and more. He believes Four Ton Fatty Andy and China Chinned Runner AJ are all time greats. What a laugh!All I know for sure is that Bob Garrett made up his claims to be a boxing coach - USA Boxing never heard of him - and he made up a boxing club which never existed among his many tall tales. All of this fantasy was done to buttress his completely factless attacks on great fighters.CREDIT PICTURE ALAMYNOT ONE single solitary fighter, trainer, boxing writer, boxing historian, or person with an IQ of 25 or higher believes Buster Douglas could defeat Muhammad Ali. NOT ONE.That said, Buster Douglas had real talent that he only fully used once, against Mike TysonBuster Douglas was one of the most naturally gifted fighters in the last fifty years. He was big, almost 6'4, strong, at his best weight of 230, quick afoot, with an 83 inch reach, and impressive handspeed. Raised in a boxing family - his father was legendary middleweight contender Billy Douglas, who ran a gym in Columbus, Ohio - he was exposed to boxing from a young age.Buster had everything necessary to be a fine heavyweight, even a champion. He was a born boxer-puncher, who had solid fundamentals, great size and speed, and power. There was only one problem. Buster, at heart, did not like to box, and he certainly did not like to train. Buster had no discipline, and very little desire. Thus, Buster had a habit of losing fights he should have won.But in shape, and focused, fighting up to his full potential, Buster could have put up a battle against any heavyweight who ever lived.But he couldn’t have beaten Muhammad Ali, the most talented heavyweight who ever livedBoxing Historian Monte Cox wrote that:“Muhammad Ali was the most naturally gifted heavyweight champion in history.”Muhammad Ali, The GreatestFamed Boxing Historian Don Cogswell wrote, (IBRO Journal # 81):“Muhammad Ali, in his first title reign, presented such a speed disparity between contestants as to appear supernatural."Certainly other fighters strongly stated they felt Ali was the fastest, and best, fighter they had ever seenFloyd Patterson said of Ali and comparing him to other greats such as Joe Louis:“I was a lot faster than Joe Louis, and Ali was a lot faster than me!"Ken Norton says in Going the Distance:“Ali was the best fighter I ever saw, and I think the best heavyweight ever. Larry Holmes was a great heavyweight, but not Ali. He was lucky he didn’t fight Ali in his prime.Earnie Shavers said the same thing in his book, Welcome to the Big Time. Earnie said the best fighter he ever faced was Muhammad Ali. Earnie admitted:“Ali was “old when he faced me, but he was still the best fighter I ever was in the ring with. Jimmy Young was the most slippery, and Larry Holmes could fight, but Ali, he was the best. Even an old Ali was the best.””But raw talent is not what made Ali the best, his willingness to fight everyone, and his beating all but one at least once, was what made him the best everBBC boxing writer and historian Ben Dirs said of the Golden Age:“Ali reigned in the most talent-rich era of heavyweight boxing, winning the title from the fearsome Sonny Liston in 1964, winning it again from the even more fearsome George Foreman 10 years later and beating greats such as Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in between."Manny Steward said it best about Ali:“Muhammad Ali was the only champion that I know of that fought anybody, everybody. It was nothing about styles. He fought guys who were terrible for him style wise, but Ali would just tell Angelo Dundee, “Let’s fight”—and he put him with a guy like Kenny Norton who was always going to be a problem because of the way Kenny kept his elbows, he blocked jabs and right hands and that’s all Ali basically had and then he fought him I think three times; Joe Frazier; he went to London to fight Brian London and Henry Cooper; and he went I think to Canada to fight (George) Chuvalo; he fought Karl Mildenberger to fight the German in Germany. He didn’t care whose style that he had to fight so in that way, Ali was the greatest because fought anybody, everybody, in their country, if it was a style that was bad for him he didn’t care, fight him in a rematch he’d do that, whatever.Heavyweight History With Emanuel Steward: Part 2 Of 3 • East Side Boxing • News ArchivesManny Steward, as Mike Tyson had, expressed Ali’s warrior heart and matchless ability to win best:“[Ali] he did what he had to do to find a way to win and that was one of the unique things about Ali.“Manny Steward, goes on:“When [Ali] found out that something wasn’t working he would just abandon the boxing skills, the pretty boy, and all of that stuff and just have to sit down and just outfight a guy.”Heavyweight History With Emanuel Steward: Part 2 Of 3 • East Side Boxing • News ArchivesAli himself quoted in “The Greatest” said:“When people ask me about who was the greatest of all time, I say look at the records. I fought better competition, over a longer period of time than any other fighter in history.”Ali fought 11 Hall of Famers, more than any other heavyweightOnly Ezzard Charles comes close with 10 Hall of Famers in his resumeAli beat 10 of 11 Hall of Famers, the best record in historyThe only Hall of Famer he could not beat was Larry Holmes, and Ali was 38 and ill with Parkinson’s, when he fought Larry.Ali fought 6 undisputed World Champions, and beat them allAli fought 9 opponents with some claim on the title, and beat all but Larry Holmes when he was 38 and illAli fought 23 fighters in the top 150 as ranked by Boxrec, and beat 22 of themThe only top 150 fighter he could not beat was Larry Holmes, and Ali was 38 and ill with Parkinson’s, when he fought Larry.Ali was 11–0 in rematches,That is the best rematch win percentage in historyAli fought 53% of his fights, over half, against top 160 competition as ranked by BoxrecThat is the best fight percentage in history against top rated competition.Ali had a 94% win rate against top 100 of all time opposition;That is the second best of all time (first is Rocky Marciano)Ali faced 17 top 100 of all time heavyweights, beating 16 of 17 at least once;Angelo Dundee, Ali's and Sugar Ray Leonard's trainer, said:“look at Ali’s quality of opposition. He shook up the world against Liston, then did it again. He shocked the world against Foreman. He won two out of three against Frazier. Same against Ken Norton. He beat Patterson twice. The also-rans on Ali’s record—Jerry Quarry, Ron Lyle, Zora Folley, Oscar Bonavena, Bob Foster, Ernie Terrell—were as good as all but two or three opponents Joe Louis beat during his 11 years as champ."And we never saw Ali in his prime, because it was taken from him…Ali achieved all he did without the benefit of a classic prime period, which is simply amazing.Doctor Ferdie Pacheco covered this in Muhammad Ali: A View from the Corner, in which he wrote:“Ali was never the same fighter after his years out of the ring. That speed which made him so special was gone forever, and he had to depend on his ability to take a punch, and that led to terrible damage later in his career.”THAT is the whole point. Without his speed, lost during his exile, Ali was still a winner based on toughness, will, and guile.Angelo Dundee certainly said it best:“Clay was speed, harmony in motion, an extraordinary sight to see. It seemed impossible to hit him. Ali, the guy that came back after his inactivity, was more flat-footed; he had to go in and fight and take more punishment.”Larry Holmes, his friend and sparring partner, who learned boxing from him, said in Against the Odds:“I was always amazed how good Ali was when I first went to work with him at Deer Lake. Considering they had taken the best years of his career, and most of his speed, he was still a great champion.”Cus D’Amato, one of history’s greatest trainers, when asked by Ali after the end of his exile - Cus was a mentor to Ali - when asked if he could still beat top heavyweights such as Joe Frazier, told Ali:“Since your style of fighting is dependent on split second timing – speed, coordination, as well as power – your reflexes will have suffered because of inactivity of 3 years, and in my opinion, the outcome would be very much in doubt.” –Top 30 Greatest Cus D'Amato QuotesBoxing writer Jack Dougherty said:“Ali retired from boxing in 1981 with a career record of 56-5. He is still the only boxer to claim the heavyweight title three times. “The Greatest” received his nickname for a good reason, but we’ll never know how much greater Ali could’ve been had he not missed three years of his boxing prime.Muhammad Ali's Boxing Ban Cost Him More Than You Think - Sportscasting | Pure SportsJeff Cox of CNBC wrotet:“The years he didn’t fight took him from age 25 to the cusp of his 29th birthday, prime time for any pro athlete but particularly a heavyweight boxer.Was he really 'The Greatest'? Muhammad Ali's complicated legacyEven on the best night he ever had, Buster would have had to use a bat to beat a peak 1960’s AliBuster is slightly bigger, but that is it.Douglas is not stronger than AliDouglas certainly didn’t hit harder than Ali - his KO percentage was 53% to Ali’s 61% - and Ali had a 79% KO rate before his first “retirement”Douglas was not a fraction as fast as pre-exile AliDouglas’s chin was not as good as Ali’sDouglas had infinitely less heart than Ali…So no rational person who knows anything about boxing would believe Douglas could beat Ali - why does Bob Garrett say it?Bob Garrett hates Ali with a passion most men reserve for someone who slapped their girlfriend and took their lunch.Bob Garrett makes up the most horrible lies about Aliand here are just a few…Bob Garrett made up a claim Larry Holmes went on TV and demanded Ali fight him or retireLet me put this as plainly as I can. Bob Garrett made this up out of thin air. This never happened, period, Bob Garrett is lying yet again. This was never said:“Holmes addressed Ali directly on national television and said “Fight me or get out of the game.”Bob Garrett's answer to If Larry Holmes's prime had been roughly 10 years earlier than it was, so he was in the mix with Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Norton, etc., how would it have played out, for his career and legacy (and theirs)?Now Garrett has come up with Larry talking about Ali when he had not retired formally, but still had part of the title. Larry said:“I want him to retire, or fight.”As always with Garrett, he lied. The actual quote never said:“get out of the game or fight me.”What a liar.Then when it was pointed out by several people that Larry Holmes wrote something entirely different in his book, Larry Holmes Against the Odds, and never said anything like this publically, Bob Garrett upped the lying ante, and claimed for the first time he knows Larry Holmes was ducked by Ali because…get this:“Alfredo Evangelista and Leon Spinks told me that.”https://www.quora.com/log/revision/1322692428That is a bald faced lie.It never happened, ever, period. Neither man ever said anything like that to anyone.And then there is his despicable lie about something Wilt Chamberlain never said about AliGarrett first, in that particular vile attack. despicably said:“Ali didn’t qualify for admission to the armed services. He was too dumb.”That is another outrageous slander of course. Ali didn’t qualify in his first test for the draft because he had severe dyslexia, which in those days, was not treated in Black schools in the south.Muhammad AliWhen challenged on that lie, Garrett said:“If you fail to get a basic education, whether it’s because of learning disabilities or bad schools, you could remain dumbNo decent person would write that kind of disgusting slander about people with learning disabilities. NO decent person.Bob Garrett then claimed that Wilt Chamberlain said:“Ali, who scored only 78 on his Army IQ test. That didn’t surprise Wilt Chamberlain, who remarked, “Ali can’t string 3 intelligent sentences together.”Bob Garrett's answer to Could 1967 Muhammad Ali last past the 6th round against 2020 Tyson fury since modern training (boxing evolution) has improved a lot since 1967? Also since tyson fury is so big, tall, strong, skilled, good and fast in both hands and feetWilt never said that, ever. Period. When challenged on it, Garrett simply lied again, saying:“Wilt Chamberlain made that comment in his book “Wilt.”THAT ALSO IS A FLAT LIE. WILT NEVER WROTE A BOOK NAMED “WILT”I have the only book Wilt wrote “Wilt; just like any other 7-foot Black millionaire who lives next door,” Bob Garrett can’t even get the title right - and that quote is nowhere in it. Garrett simply makes up the vilest of slanders and lies out of thin air.Garrett was asked for an explanation of why the supposed quote did not exist in a book he didn’t know the title of, but of course, could not provide it, because it didn’t exist.According to Bob Garrett the dead frequently confess things to him that no one else ever saw or heardBob Garrett claimed that Ken LaSalle, a depression era boxer who died 28 years ago, who won 85 fights but never won a title, took a severe beating in a bar fight from a Muay Thai fighter.When asked for proof it happened, Garrett claimed Ken LaSalle confided in him alone.Sure.There is no record of such an encounter anywhere.Of course, Bob Garrett claims people told him things no one else knows all the time.He claimed deceased boxer Glen Flanagan - who died 41 years ago - confided in him:“Glen Flanagan told me his chin was so strong he was never hurt in 120 fights or in sparring—though he got beaten up quite a few times. I guess he may have been stopped on cuts once. I’m not sure what happened there. But then he told me. “I was lucky never to be tagged on the button. If a light hitter ever got me with a perfect punch, I’da been knocked cold.”Of course there is no record of that either. Bob Garrett claims these things happened in the course of his coaching at the imaginary North County Boxing Club, which never existed either.But there is more, of course…There are literally hundreds of other completely made up lies by Bob Garrett, on Quora, but few so easily checkable as his imaginary North County Boxing Club.Garrett claims:“Somebody asked me if I would train boxers at North County Boxing Club in Vista CA around 2000. I trained all the new boxers in the fundamentals. That’s my strength. I developed systems for strength training and conditioning and for developing balance and footspeed. Not everyone listened to my ideas, but we became the regional powerhouse. I found us a new location and kept the program going when it was going to disappear.https://www.quora.com/log/revision/1326876988Garrett claimed in another post:“I coached North County Boxing Club in Vista CA 2000 to 2005. We became the regional power. I had to quit because of changes to my day job after I found us a new location in the Vista Boys and Girls Club. “We got started at that location really well, but something happened to the program after I left. I’m not sure. I heard conflicting stories.https://www.quora.com/log/revision/1327014993This is a lie anyone can check and debunk. NO North County Boxing Club ever existedThe City of Vista keeps records of all fitness clubs, gyms, boxing clubs, et al, since 1963, and no North County Boxing Club ever existed.City of Vista, CAThe Better Business Bureau of Vista, California, says no North County Boxing Club ever existed.BBB: Start with Trust® | Vista, CA | Better Business Bureau®The Vista Boys and Girls Club, where Garrett claimed the North County Boxing Club moved after it lost its lease, says he is lying, no such club ever existed, and they never heard of Bob Garrett.Boys and Girls Club Vista CAThe real Vista Boxing Club, in Vista for 116 years, says no North County Boxing Club ever existed, Garrett is lying, and no Bob Garrett ever coached boxing in Vista California.Vista Boxing ClubThe Community Affairs Unit of Camp Pendleton says the Marine Corps never sent Marines to be trained in a boxing club in Vista, California as Garrett lies and claims.Marine Corps Base Camp PendletonThere was Bob Garrett ‘s completely phony and fake claim that he knocked out Rodney Bobick.Rodney Bobick was never knocked out in a 44 fight pro careerOnly Larry Holmes succeeded in stopping him on a technical knockout in which Rodney was still on his feet fighting. Larry teed off on Rodney and though he rocked him, he could NOT put him down. NO ONE ever put him down like Garrett claims. Bobick was only knocked down ONCE as a pro in 44 fights, and got right back up and kept fighting for 9 more rounds to finish the fight!Yet Garrett claimed on December 11, 2020::“I came out for the 2nd round and attacked Bobick with a couple of quick combos that lit him up. I finished the 2nd combo with a short left hook that dropped Bobick flat on his back. It surprised me he went over so easy. He wasn’t out, but he was badly hurt. They stopped the exhibition. His trainer bitterly accused me of trying to blast him out.Bob Garrett's answer to How would Teofilo Stevenson be likely to have fared against Foreman, Holmes, Tyson, Lewis, etc.?The Bobick family is on Facebook, as is Duane Bobick, Rodney’s brother.I asked them if any of the story Garrett told was true, and they said:“call him a liar”It was a particularly stupid lie, since he claimed it took place when Rodney was 22–0, which mean this imaginary fight had to take place in a 9 day period in between Rodney’s 22nd and 23rd fight, which it never did.Bob Garrett never, ever, was a sparring partner for Fred HoupeToday Garrett again claimed that he was Fred Houpe’s sparring partner. Fred is, thankfully, alive and well and living in Chicago.He never sparred with, or heard of, Bob Garrett.He never sparred with, or heard of, Bob Garrett.It is all a lie.When asked for some proof of his various fantasies, Bob Garrett just lies more.Then there are Bob Garrett claims he lifted at Gold’s with ArnoldThen he claimed he he lifted weights at Gold’s with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and advised the owner of Gold’s during that time, Ken Sprague, on boxing.Garrett must have thought Ken was dead like the rest of the people he makes things up about. Only trouble is, Ken Sprague is still alive and online, and said none of what Bob said was true, saying:“None of that stuff was true. He’s a poser, a wanna be, a fake.I could go on all night. There are literally hundreds of lies like this through the years of Garrett online. There is a whole website dedicated to his lying called BOBLIES …So why does Bob Garrett claim Douglas can beat Ali? He hates him. Probably because Ali was a Hall of Fame badass, and he is living in Mommy’s basement inventing a life that never existed…

How do you determine skillful?If you determine it most dominant over a career, it is Ezzard Charles, Sugar Ray Robinson, or Ali. If it is over a few years, it is Sonny Liston.If you believe it pure skill, the experts say Sugar Ray Robinson…The Boxing experts are pretty unanimous in who the best pound for pound boxer ever was…Sugar Ray RobinsonWas he the best ever?The experts say Robinson was the best ever at any weight…Bleacher Report has Sugar Ray as the #1 pound for pound boxer everThe Top 50 Pound-for-Pound Boxers of All TimeSo does Yardbreaker boxing have Robinson as #1 of all time, pound for poundThe best pound-for-pound boxers of all timeSo does ESPN have Robinson as #1 of all time, pound for poundALL-TIME GREATEST BOXERSSo does Street Directory boxing have Robinson as #1 of all time, pound for poundTOP TEN Pound 4 Pound Best Boxer EverSo does Martial Arts have Robinson as #1 of all time, pound for poundThe 25 Greatest Pound-for-Pound Boxers in History Part III: #10-1So does Ring Magazine have Robinson as #1 of all time, pound for poundRing Magazine's 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 YearsSo does Tiebreaker have Robinson as #1 of all time, pound for poundThe 30 Greatest Boxers of All-Time: The Definitive ListSEVEN Expert rankings have Robinson #1 of all time, and the reasons are many:Ray Robinson faced at least 12 fighters in the Hall of FameRobinson beat 11 of the 12 at least once, and some as many as 5 times;Robinson faced 18 top 100 fighters as ranked by Boxrec,Ray beat 17 of the 18 at least once,Robinson beat every fighter he faced in his weight classes but one.Over a career that lasted 25 years, Ray Robinson was never defeated at welterweight, won his first 40 fights, then was undefeated 91 fights in a row, and was only stopped once - and that by heatstroke, not any human being! He was the fighter for whom the term “pound for pound” was created.Sugar Ray fought swarmers in Henry Armstrong, maulers in Jake LaMotta, punchers in Gene Fullmer - and he beat them all.Naming all the great boxing technicians Robinson faced would take all day, but three who are in the Hall of Fame are:Fritzie Zivic was a very slick boxer, known as a technician not a slugger, he sits in the Hall of FameSammy Angott, another low power, but very slick master boxer, sits also in the Hall of Fame.Kid Gavilan sits in the Hall of Fame with Fritzie and Sammy as well, Ray Arcel said of him:he can box, if he could just bang too!”And there were plenty of great boxer-technicians who didn’t make the Hall, but still are considered Masters of the Ring, like Georgie Abrams, certainly considered a Master Pugilist.Robinson beat them all. He beat boxing masters, he beat sluggers, he beat swarmers, he beat them all.No other boxer in any weight class, ever, has won the undisputed championship 6 times as Ray Robinson didRobinson, number #1 for years as a welterweight before he finally got his title shot, won the welterweight title in 1946 and only relinquished it to move up to middleweight for more money. He then won the middleweight title a record 5 times.No other boxer in any weight class has won an undisputed championship six times.While there are those who name Ezzard Charles, Ali or Hank Armstrong, most name Sugar Ray Robinson as the greatest pound for pound boxer ever.Why?Ali himself acknowledged Sugar Ray Robinson as:“Best ever, man, he was the greatest of all.”Sugar Ray Robinson was named Fighter of the Year for 1942 and 1951 by The Ring. He was named Fighter of the Year for 1950 by the Boxing Writers Association of America. He was named Fighter of the Decade for the 1950s by The Ring. He was inducted into The Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1967, the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1981, and the International Boxing all of Fame in 1990.Sugar was named Welterweight Fighter of the Century, Middleweight Fighter of the Century, and Fighter of the Century by the Associated Press. Ring Magazine ranked Robinson as the best fighter of the last 80 years. Ring also ranked Robinson as the 11th greatest puncher of all-time in 2003. Historian Bert Sugar ranked Robinson #1 in his 2006 book Boxing's Greatest Fighters.ESPN ranks Robinson as the greatest fighter in history.ALL-TIME GREATEST BOXERSThe original Sugar Ray threw down against 12 future Hall of Famers over 29 fights, winning 23 of the matches. If you’re looking for some perspective, Muhammad Ali took on 10 Hall of Famers over 13 fights and went 10-3. Sugar Ray stopped 8 Hall of Famers, including Jake LaMotta, one of the toughest men to ever set foot in a ring.Robinson beat seven undisputed champions, winning the undisputed title six times in two weight classes, welter and middle weight.Compare that to Floyd Mayweather never facing, let alone beating, an undisputed champion.The first time Sugar Ray pounded the undisputed welterweight champion the champ prudently made it a non-title fight, in the second, he was force to put his title up, and promptly lost again to Sugar Ray. His professional record, in his early years, will also never be matched - he had a nine year winning streak undefeated with 91 fights in a row.Robinson fought (and beat) a murderer's row of opponents, including Hall of Fame fighters Jake LaMotta, Randy Turpin, Carmen Basilio, Bobo Olson, Gene Fulmer, Kid Gavilan, Fritzie Zivic, Joey Giardello, Rocky Graziano, and Henry Armstrong. And all of these, except Armstrong, who he fought at welterweight, were at middleweight, when he himself was a natural welterweight.Incredibly, the greatest welterweight and middleweight who ever lived started his career as a lightweight and had his first 20 bouts at lightweight!Former heavyweight champion Max Schmeling once said of Robinson after seeing him fight,:“He was the greatest. A distance fighter. A half-distance fighter. An in-fighter. Scientific. He was wonderful to see.”Another former heavyweight champion, Joe Louis, known as “The Brown Bomber” and considered by many to be the best heavyweight boxer ever, once called Robinson again after watching him fight:“The greatest fighter ever to step into the ring.”The Boxing Writers of America were of the same opinion, voting Robinson the Best Fighter of All Time.Anthony Mason, boxing writer, said:“I think the only way to fairly rank a boxer's place in history is by comparing their résumés. And that does not mean just wins and losses - it is too easy today to fight only has beens or never will be's, and run up the record. Case in point, Floyd Mayweather. Number one of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson.In 1997, Ring ranked Robinson as the best pound-for-pound fighter in history, and in 1999 he was named "welterweight of the century," "middleweight of the century", and overall "fighter of the century" by the Associated Press.In 2007 ESPN: Serving sports fans. Anytime. Anywhere. published a story called "50 Greatest Boxers of All Time", in which it named Robinson the top boxer in history. Robinson was also ranked as the top welterweight and the number one pound-for-pound boxer of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization.Ray Leonard, a guy who calls them the way he sees them, says Robinson was the best ever, and Ali was second only to Robinson.Sugar Ray fought incredible competition, and they compared favorably with any other fighter, everTheir all time competition is almost equal, and constitutes and strongest competition of any fighters in any weight classes, in any era.Robinson had the best resume ever as both a welterweight and middleweight.Sugar Ray Robinson faced 18 all time top 100 fighters as ranked by Boxrec:#2 Henry Armstrong (welter)#19 Kid Gavilan (welter)#29 Carmen Basilio#40 Fritzie Zivic#71 Izzy Jannuzzoat middleweight:#5 Randy Turpin#15 Bobo Olson#21 Jake LaMotta#29 Gene Fullmer#44 Robert Villemain#49 Georgie Abrams#52 Paul Pender#53 Joey Giardello#54 Jose Basora#68 Rocky Graziano#69 Rocky Castellani#89 Holly Mimsat light heavyweight#9 Joey MaximRobinson faced one additional fighter between 100 and 150, #124 Tommy Bell.Robinson faced 18 top 100, beating 17, 19 top 150, beating 17. Robinson beat every fighter he faced in his weight classes but one.What about Ezzard Charles, named pound for pound best of all time by BoxrecEzzard Charles should be in the conversation as the greatest fighter of all time, pound for pound.Why?He is the only natural middleweight to win and defend the undisputed heavyweight title, anddefend it eight times, including beating the Great Joe Louis!He is the only fighter in history, in any weight class, to meet 6 top 10 of all time fighters, and defeat 5 of them!Because he was the best fighter on the planet in three different weight classes! (and that is three of the eight original weight classes, equivalent to 8 today!)Only fanboys judge the totality of his career by the fact a great fighter accrued losses, especially in the case of Ezzard Charles, who, from 1951 on, was suffering from the symptoms of ALS, (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.”Ezzard Charles was so good at middleweight, Tony Zale refused to fight himAs a middleweight, his natural fighting weight, he destroyed the great Charlie Burley twice, and Tony Zale was able to avoid him because he ducked him in late 1941 and early 1942, and then he was in the service for the remainder of the war, and his title frozen while he was gone. (Zale did not defend the title for four years after early 1942)Before he was 20 years old, in the first year of his career Charles beat former world middleweight champion and Hall of Famer Teddy Yarosz, (ranked #38 of all time,In his next fight, he stopped former light heavyweight champion Anton Christoforidis, and he was still 19 and in his first year as a pro!When he returned from the war, he believed he would still be shut out of a title shot at middleweight, so he moved up to light heavyweight.As a light heavyweight, he easily defeated the great Archie Moore not once, not twice, but three times - and Gus Lesnevich, the Light Heavyweight champion shamelessly refused to give him a title shot.So off Ezzard Charles, a natural middleweight, went off to heavyweight, where at least the champions would give him a title shot.Although he never won the Light Heavyweight title, Ring and Boxrec rightly rate him as the greatest light heavyweight of all time.Who was Ezzard Charles?Ezzard Mack Charles, known as the Cincinnati Cobra was born July 7, 1921 in Lawrenceville, Georgia. His early youth was tumultuous, and perhaps a sign of things to come.William Dettloff’s outstanding book on Charles, titled Ezzard Charles: A Boxing Life was the first attempt to explain the Cincinnati Cobra. and show where he came from.Ezzard Charles came from such a dirt poor family that they were unable to pay for his birth, and in return for his services, the Doctor’s name was given the baby. It was all his parents had to offer. Ezzard’s father, an itinerant laborer, left the family when he was five, not to reappear until his son became a famous boxer twenty plus years later. His Mother disappeared from his life as well, and at 7, Ezzard was sent to live with his grandmother and great-grandmother in a falling down house in the poorest part of Cincinnati.Dettloff says that Ezzard Charles was a timid and shy youngster, picked on by school bullies, and the shy quiet Charles, to survive, became a locally celebrated street fighter, participating in brutal backyard boxing matches from the age of eight as he stood up to the local bullies. Ezzard Charles was known as a quiet and decent Christian youth, yet increasingly feared for his incredible fighting ability.Dettloff goes on to recount how Charles life changed forever when in August of 1932, Kid Chocolate came to Cincinnati to meet Johnny Farr at the Parkway Arena. Chocolate loved to ride around in a Cadillac, flaunting his money and flashy clothes. The young Charles, dirt poor his entire life, looked at the Caddy and the clothes, and told his family that was going to be him someday, that he was going to become a boxer, and have nice things.And so he did.Ezzard Charles amateur careerIn 1937, at 16, Ezzard Charles began boxing as an amateur.He soon won the 1937 Ohio AAU welterweight championship, in 1938, he again won the state AAU amateur title as a welterweight, and in 1939 he won the Ohio state middleweight championship, and then the National Amateur MIddleweight crown.He then turned professional.Ezzard Charles as a professionalAs a middleweightIn 1940 he turned pro, and by 1941 Ezzard Charles had risen, by age 19, to be the number two contender for the world middleweight title. But Detloff documents how Charles was told bluntly that Zale would never give him a title shot, and the boxing establishment would back up his choosing to defend it against Billy Conn instead of Charles in his last title defense before the war, so Ezzard jumped to light heavyweight.His middleweight record was incredible. He twice defeated Charlie Burley, who Archie Moore said was the best boxer he ever saw. He also defeated Hall of Fame, former world middleweight champion and all around tough guy Teddy Yarosz.But since Zale had made it clear he would never get a title shot, off to Light Heavyweight he went.As a light heavyweightAt light heavyweight, he started with a bang, twice defeating future world light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim. Maxim would say Charles was the best fighter he ever saw, even better than Ray Robinson.But the #1 ranked Ezzard Charles could not get a title shot in 1947 from Light Heavyweight Champion Gus LesnevichAnd the money back in those days, for the lighter weights, was in the title.Racism and title shotsIt was not just World War II that had kept Ray Robinson, (#1 contender as welterweight from 1941 to 1946), or Ezzard Charles, (#1 at middleweight in 1942 after George Abrams lost), from getting a title shot.Robinson had been called the "uncrowned world welterweight champion" for five years.Ditto for Charles, first at middleweight, then clearly at light heavyweight - and they could not get a title shot. Red Cochrane, and Tony Zale, the welter and middleweight champions during this period, were both white. Dettloff makes clear in Ezzard Charles: A Boxing Life that racism was unquestionably at work in denying Charles his title shot at his natural weight, just as it had denied Robinson before him.Move to heavyweightCharles moved to heavyweight in late 1947, and by 1948 was the #2 contender behind Jersey Joe Walcott. Charles did not, according to Dettloff, move to heavyweight simply because heavyweights got paid more, he moved because he had a far better shot at getting a title fight. Titles were money, and the heavyweight title was the richest of them all.’Ezzard Charles beat Jersey Joe Walcott by a fifteen-round unanimous decision on June 22, 1949, to win the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. On September 27, 1950, Ezzard beat Joe Louis by a fifteen-round unanimous decision on September 27, 1950, and any doubt he was champion - many people thought the old Brown Bomber should be champion when he came out of retirement - were gone.Charles made eight successful title defenses, before losing the title to Jersey Joe Walcott by a seventh-round knockout on July 18, 1951. Ezzard tried to regain the World Heavyweight Championship three times, losing once to Walcott in 1952 and twice to Rocky Marciano in 1954.Ezzard Charles late career losses are due to ALSBefore losing the title to Jersey Joe Walcott he was 73-5-1 in three of the original 8 weight classes. One of those losses was a controversial split decision that most of those who saw the fight thought he won against Elmer Ray, so he was effectively 74-4-1. In addition, Charles avenged every single one of those losses, with 79 pro fights he had beaten every man he faced at least once.The last four years of Charles career, when he was unquestionably suffering from major disability from ALS are what really distort his record, he fought 24 times and lost 14. It is notable that he had retired due to increasing problems with his mobility, but was forced back in the ring by poverty! The fact he managed to win 14, against legitimate heavyweights, when he was literally deteriorating by the day is incredible.So why is Ezzard Charles not remembered or ranked higher?As discussed above, the last four years of Charles career are what too many people use to downgrade Ezzard Charles. Those 4 years, when he was ill with ALS, he fought 24 times and won only 10. But those people ignore Charles peak record because it refutes their claims.Charles was a generationally great fighter. Just look at the guys he beat. He was 3-0 against Hall of Famer Archie Moore, 2-0 against the most avoided fighter in history in Charley Burley, 2–1 against the second most avoided middleweight in history in Lloyd Marshall, 3-0 against Joey Maxim 1–0 against Joe Louis, and 4-1 against #20 all time heavyweight Jimmy Bivins in his career.Charles knocked out the great Lloyd Marshall twice. And then there is the death of Sam Baroudi, this is important because after his death Charles never went after an opponent with the same killer instinct that he had before. When analyzing a fighter one must look at him at his peak, and in his prime Ezzard Charles was perhaps the greatest all time fighter in history, with a more than all time great record.Anthony Mason, boxing writer, said:“I think the only way to fairly rank a boxer's place in history is by comparing their résumés. And that does not mean just wins and losses - it is too easy today to fight only has beens or never will be's, and run up the record. Case in point, Floyd Mayweather."Lewis Watson, the boxing writer and historian, speaks of the artificial puffing up of records against cherry picked competition, saying:“unbeaten records are fairly padded; you have to look if there are any notable victories coming against first rate competition."And oh boy, did Ezzard Charles have notable victories in 3 weight classes against the very best of all time!Ezzard Charles record against top 100 competition as ranked by Boxrec:#1 of all time (heavy) Joe Louis#2 of all time (light heavy) Archie Moore#3 of all time (heavy) Rocky Marciano#4 of all time (welter) Charley Burley#9 of all time (light heavy) Joey Maxim#10 of all time (heavy) Jimmy Bivens#17 of all time (heavy) Jersey Joe Walcott#18 of all time (light heavy) Gus Lesnevich#21 of all time (middle) Lloyd Marshall#25 of all time (heavy) Elmer Ray#38 of all time (middleweight) Teddy Yarosz#39 Oakland Billy Smith#41 of all time (middle) Anton Christoforidis#50 of all time (heavy) Joe Baski#59 of all time (heavy) Nino Valdes#87 of all time (heavy) Rex Layne#95 of all time (heavy) Tommy JacksonEzzard Charles fought 17 top 100 of all time fighters, tying Ali, and beat 15 of 17 at least once. That also ties Ali!Charles is alone in meeting 6 top 10 all time fighters and beating 5 of them.Ezzard Charles should be remembered more, and higher ranked, than he is - Ezzard Charles was one of the greatest fighters who ever lived. Certainly virtually all human experts rate him the best light heavyweight who ever lived, (Boxrec’s computer would as well, if the post-1955 fights were subtracted).In the words of William Dettloff, taken his great book, Ezzard Charles:“was a marvellous pugilist who wreaked havoc in the ring but beyond the ropes remained “humble, honourable, hard-working and all the other things you wanted your kid to be when you sent him off into the world.”Then what about the Greatest, Muhammad Ali?Mike Tyson is a proud, very, very, well versed boxing historian. Asked repeated about beating Ali, this is his response:“Nobody beats Ali”.And Mike explains that those who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s and perceived Tyson as the winner just because he hit harder and had bigger muscles let themselves be fooled by Ali’s physical appearance:“Ali is a fuckin’ animal, he looks more like a model than a fighter, but what he is, he’s like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a pretty face.”But could you have beaten him on your best day, the reporter said? Mike emphasized, saying Ali was simply too fast and too skilled, saying again:“NOBODY beats Ali.”Mike goes on to explain that:“Ali will take you in deep waters and drown you!”But it was Ali’s psychological make up that impressed Mike the most…Mike is blunt and to the point when he talks about Ali:“I always like to think I'm a bad motherf**ker. A vicious motherf**ker. I don't give a f**k, but that's the part where he, Ali, overshines me, because I can't understand a man that's willing to die for this. I talked the sh*t, but he's the real deal. Ali is a giant. There's no way other fighters can match him. He'd die for this sh*t. I'm not going to die for this. That's real talk. Ali is a savage, he's an animal. He's a different breed of person. He's not like us."What awes Mike the most is Ali’s indomitable will, and willingness to go further and harder than anyone else:“This is the thing about Ali: When we were watching him get beat up as an old man-even when I was a young kid-he's not going to quit, you've got to kill him. He won't quit.”Mike Tyson Gets Emotional When Talking About Muhammad AliMike Tyson, in a 2012 interview with Thisis50 | If it's Hot it's Here!, described how Ali collapsed to the canvas after stopping Joe Frazier in their third fight in 1975:“[Ali] he had too much pride. He'd rather die than let somebody beat him," said Tyson.When asked again who would've won between the two had they met at age 20, Tyson didn't hesitate in answering:“Never stopping and he’s dead tired? I can’t beat that man. Hell fucking no. No fucking way," said Tyson.Mike also quoted Cus D’Amato:“He is the greatest heavyweight boxer of all-time, I think. Yeah. No doubt because Ali has qualities you can't put on a statistic scale like height and weight and reach and all that stuff. He had internal fortitude. He's just an amazing man and Cus always said you're never going to see a guy like him again. Cus was the biggest fan of Ali. He just thought that he was the greatest fighter that God ever created."Mike Tyson First Met Muhammad Ali In JuvieBoxing Historian Monte Cox wrote that:“Muhammad Ali was the most naturally gifted heavyweight champion in history.”Muhammad Ali, The GreatestFamed Boxing Historian Don Cogswell wrote, (IBRO Journal # 81):“Muhammad Ali, in his first title reign, presented such a speed disparity between contestants as to appear supernatural."Certainly other fighters strongly stated they felt Ali was the fastest, and best, fighter they had ever seenFloyd Patterson said of Ali and comparing him to other greats such as Joe Louis:“I was a lot faster than Joe Louis, and Ali was a lot faster than me!"Ken Norton says in Going the Distance:“Ali was the best fighter I ever saw, and I think the best heavyweight ever. Larry Holmes was a great heavyweight, but not Ali. He was lucky he didn’t fight Ali in his prime.Earnie Shavers said the same thing in his book, Welcome to the Big Time. Earnie said the best fighter he ever faced was Muhammad Ali. Earnie admitted:“Ali was “old when he faced me, but he was still the best fighter I ever was in the ring with. Jimmy Young was the most slippery, and Larry Holmes could fight, but Ali, he was the best. Even an old Ali was the best.””But raw talent is not what made Ali the best, his willingness to fight everyone, and his beating all but one at least once, was what made him the best everBBC boxing writer and historian Ben Dirs said of the Golden Age:“Ali reigned in the most talent-rich era of heavyweight boxing, winning the title from the fearsome Sonny Liston in 1964, winning it again from the even more fearsome George Foreman 10 years later and beating greats such as Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in between."Manny Steward, as Mike Tyson had, expressed Ali’s warrior heart and matchless ability to win best:“[Ali] he did what he had to do to find a way to win and that was one of the unique things about Ali.“Manny Steward, goes on:“When [Ali] found out that something wasn’t working he would just abandon the boxing skills, the pretty boy, and all of that stuff and just have to sit down and just outfight a guy.”Heavyweight History With Emanuel Steward: Part 2 Of 3 • East Side Boxing • News ArchivesAli himself quoted in “The Greatest” said:“When people ask me about who was the greatest of all time, I say look at the records. I fought better competition, over a longer period of time than any other fighter in history.”Ali fought 11 Hall of Famers, more than any other heavyweightOnly Ezzard Charles comes close with 10 Hall of Famers in his resumeAli beat 10 of 11 Hall of Famers, the best record in historyThe only Hall of Famer he could not beat was Larry Holmes, and Ali was 38 and ill with Parkinson’s, when he fought Larry.Ali fought 6 undisputed World Champions, and beat them allAli fought 9 opponents with some claim on the title, and beat all but Larry Holmes when he was 38 and illAli fought 23 fighters in the top 150 as ranked by Boxrec, and beat 22 of themThe only top 150 fighter he could not beat was Larry Holmes, and Ali was 38 and ill with Parkinson’s, when he fought Larry.Ali was 11–0 in rematches,That is the best rematch win percentage in historyAli fought 53% of his fights, over half, against top 160 competition as ranked by BoxrecThat is the best fight percentage in history against top rated competition.Ali had a 94% win rate against top 100 of all time opposition;That is the second best of all time (first is Rocky Marciano)Ali faced 17 top 100 of all time heavyweights, beating 16 of 17 at least once;Angelo Dundee, Ali's and Sugar Ray Leonard's trainer, said:“look at Ali’s quality of opposition. He shook up the world against Liston, then did it again. He shocked the world against Foreman. He won two out of three against Frazier. Same against Ken Norton. He beat Patterson twice. The also-rans on Ali’s record—Jerry Quarry, Ron Lyle, Zora Folley, Oscar Bonavena, Bob Foster, Ernie Terrell—were as good as all but two or three opponents Joe Louis beat during his 11 years as champ."There were 17 top 100 all time heavyweights active during Ali’s reign - he faced every one.Manny Steward said it best about Ali:“Muhammad Ali was the only champion that I know of that fought anybody, everybody. It was nothing about styles. He fought guys who were terrible for him style wise, but Ali would just tell Angelo Dundee, “Let’s fight”—and he put him with a guy like Kenny Norton who was always going to be a problem because of the way Kenny kept his elbows, he blocked jabs and right hands and that’s all Ali basically had and then he fought him I think three times; Joe Frazier; he went to London to fight Brian London and Henry Cooper; and he went I think to Canada to fight (George) Chuvalo; he fought Karl Mildenberger to fight the German in Germany. He didn’t care whose style that he had to fight so in that way, Ali was the greatest because fought anybody, everybody, in their country, if it was a style that was bad for him he didn’t care, fight him in a rematch he’d do that, whatever.Heavyweight History With Emanuel Steward: Part 2 Of 3 • East Side Boxing • News ArchivesAli faced those 17 top 100 heavyweights, and beat all but one, and when he was 39 and ill; he faced and beat 21 of 22 top 150 fighters, the best of any heavyweight, ever.Ali himself quoted in “The Greatest” said:“When people ask me about who was the greatest of all time, I say look at the records. I fought better competition, over a longer period of time than any other fighter in history.”Ali faced the best of the best:#2 Archie Moore (ranked as light-heavyweight but fought for heavyweight title twice)#4 Sonny Liston#13 Joe Frazier#14 Larry Holmes#15 Floyd Patterson#19 George Foreman#20 Bob Foster (ranked as light heavyweight but fought for heavyweight title twice)#22 Cleveland Williams#34 Ken Norton#36 Zora Folley#43 Henry Cooper#44 Ernie Terrell#48 Jimmy Ellis#51 Karl Mildenberger#57 Oscar Bonavena#67 Jerry Quarry#68 Ron LyleAli faced 17 top 100 all time heavyweights in 26 fights, he beat 16 of the 17 at least once, 5 of them twice, for a 94% victory rate against all time top 100 competition!In addition, Ali beat five fighters ranked between 100 and 160, to wit:#116 Joe Bugner#118 Doug Jones#124 Jimmy Young#131 Mac Foster#141 Earnie Shavers,and Ali faced 23 fighters in the top 150 and beat 22 of them at least once in 31 fights.That meant more than half of his fighters were against top 150 competition, the best percentage in any weight class in boxing history!And we never saw Ali in his prime, because it was taken from him…Ali achieved all he did without the benefit of a classic prime period, which is simply amazing.Doctor Ferdie Pacheco covered this in Muhammad Ali: A View from the Corner, in which he wrote:“Ali was never the same fighter after his years out of the ring. That speed which made him so special was gone forever, and he had to depend on his ability to take a punch, and that led to terrible damage later in his career.”THAT is the whole point. Without his speed, lost during his exile, Ali was still a winner based on toughness, will, and guile.Angelo Dundee certainly said it best:“Clay was speed, harmony in motion, an extraordinary sight to see. It seemed impossible to hit him. Ali, the guy that came back after his inactivity, was more flat-footed; he had to go in and fight and take more punishment.”Larry Holmes, his friend and sparring partner, who learned boxing from him, said in Against the Odds:“I was always amazed how good Ali was when I first went to work with him at Deer Lake. Considering they had taken the best years of his career, and most of his speed, he was still a great champion.”Cus D’Amato, one of history’s greatest trainers, when asked by Ali after the end of his exile - Cus was a mentor to Ali - when asked if he could still beat top heavyweights such as Joe Frazier, told Ali:“Since your style of fighting is dependent on split second timing – speed, coordination, as well as power – your reflexes will have suffered because of inactivity of 3 years, and in my opinion, the outcome would be very much in doubt.” –Top 30 Greatest Cus D'Amato QuotesBoxing writer Jack Dougherty said:“Ali retired from boxing in 1981 with a career record of 56-5. He is still the only boxer to claim the heavyweight title three times. “The Greatest” received his nickname for a good reason, but we’ll never know how much greater Ali could’ve been had he not missed three years of his boxing prime.Muhammad Ali's Boxing Ban Cost Him More Than You Think - Sportscasting | Pure SportsJeff Cox of CNBC wrote:“The years he didn’t fight took him from age 25 to the cusp of his 29th birthday, prime time for any pro athlete but particularly a heavyweight boxer.Was he really 'The Greatest'? Muhammad Ali's complicated legacyMonte Cox says of the effect Ali’s exile had on him:“The Muhammad Ali of 60’s was the fastest heavyweight ever….Ali, in his prime, was able to out-speed his mistakes. Eddie Futch commented, “Ali takes his mistakes, shows them to you, and then beats you with them.” Ali got away with his mistakes because of his astoundingly quick reflexes, speed of foot, and uncanny ability to gauge distance.Muhammad Ali, The GreatestWe will never know how good Ali could have been…Again, Angelo Dundee says it best:“Due to his beliefs, he was robbed of the best years of his life -- that's a subject that we must not forget, ever…And nevertheless, he was so great that he still was the best among all of his opponents, which is something that must be taken into account when talking about Ali: He was robbed of his best years, his prime years.Jack Dougherty says:“Ali would return to the ring in 1970 to continue building his legendary resume, but he could never get those three years back…“We’ll never know how much greater Ali could’ve been had he not missed three years of his boxing prime.Krishnadev Calamur, at the time Senior Edtor of the Atlantic summed it up:“Ali triumphed, [over the Government] but his victory came at great personal cost. As Angelo Dundee, his trainer, said Ali’s beliefs cost him “the best years of his life.” Before he was prevented from fighting, “it seemed impossible to hit him,” he said. The man who returned to the ring “was more flat-footed.”When Muhammad Ali Refused to Go to VietnamAnd finally, the Big Bear, Sonny Liston.In Gods of War Springs Toledo makes a pretty fair case Sonny could have beaten every heavyweight in history except possibly a young Ali.Sonny would have eaten Jack Johnson alive.Manny Steward says Sonny’s 1958–1960 March to the Title was the most dominant period by any fighter, ever, of all timeFrom February of 1959, to his march to the title, Sonny decimated the top ten ratings, knocking out 7 out of the top 10 contenders. Only one went the distance with Sonny - and lost. Only Ingemar Johansson and Henry Cooper, of those fighters rated in the top ten during Liston’s prime years, escaped beatings by him - and they refused to fight him.That kind of domination over the entire top 10 has never been done before, or after, Liston did it.His opponents during this period had a combined record of four hundred nineteen wins with only ninety-nine losses. (Bear in mind that thirteen of those losses came to Liston himself.)Manny says in awe about Liston’s march to the title:“I watched Sonny Liston when I was a teenager do something that I’ve never seen any heavyweight do—walk through the whole division almost from being the number ten guy all the way up to the champion because he was that devastating like around ’57, and ’58, and ’59. I mean he had unbelievable brutal punching power. He was mean, punched with both handsHeavyweight History With Emanuel Steward: Part 3 Of 3 • East Side Boxing • News ArchivesManny went on to say he thought that Sonny at his devastating March to the Title best could have beaten anyone in history, including Ali:“If they had fought, in like say ’58 or ’59, a prime Sonny Liston and a prime I would still say Cassius Clay or whatever—I don’t know. I don’t know. Sonny at that stage was just such a really powerful wrecking machine and I remember the fights he had with Cleveland Williams—oh my God. I don’t know, Sonny might have won if they would have fought at that time.And yes, Sonny was that damn good…People have forgotten just how great a fighter Sonny Liston was, and that Sonny Liston was a legitimate boxing master.Ray Arcel said:“Sonny Liston was a great boxer. Lot of people never recognized that, because of his power, but Sonny really could box.”Liston had it all. He had deceptive hand speed, great footwork, outstanding fundamentals, and incredible power in both hands. He is probably the strongest man to ever set foot in a boxing ring.Sonny Liston - Skills - Reemus BoxingBoxing Historian Monte Cox wrote that:“Liston was made to be a fighter. His physical attributes bordered on the freakish. At barely six-foot, one-inch, he had an eighty-four inch reach—longer than that of all other champions with the exception of Primo Carnera. His neck was a massive eighteen inches. But the number that leaps off the page—the statistic that looks initially like a typo—is that which corresponds to his hands. When closed into a fist, they measured fifteen inches around, virtually twice the size of an average man’s. To contemplate the impact of a fist that large, delivered over a distance that great, from a man so determined to do damage, would give even the bravest opponent pause..”A Case for Sonny Liston by Monte Cox.George Foreman himself said Sonny Liston was the hardest puncher he ever faced, when he sparred with him after the Olympics in the 60’s. Sonny was at least 40 then, and probably closer to 50, but George said he had never felt power like Sonny’s, and that Liston was the only man ever able to force him backwards by sheer brute strength in the ring.You-tube and other videos do not convey the extent of Sonny Liston's pure raw power, nor do they convey his extraordinary ability to deliver power shots.A combination of Sonny’s extraordinary boxing ability, his reach, and his pinpoint accuracy allowed him to deliver kill shots outside the range of almost every opponent he faced.Talent wise, Sonny Liston was perhaps the best of all time other than Ali and he was far more technically skilled. Record wise, we do not really know. He got started late, had constant legal troubles, and was the most feared and avoided fighter in history. Only President Kennedy asking Patterson to fight him got him a title shot after years as the mandatory #1 contender.Sonny's first pro fight lasted 33 seconds: Liston leveled Don Smith with his first punch, and Smith was out for 3 minutes!Zora Foley said:“you can’t believe how strong Sonny is until you feel it.”A good example of Sonny's sheer strength was an exercise he devised in training camp of loading an industrial sized wheelbarrow full of rocks, and wheeling it up and down a hill. George Foreman, 19, went from winning Gold in the Olympics to working with Sonny Liston, who by then, was in his 40's.In Foreman's training with "the old man," George could only carry one wheelbarrow for every 3 for Sonny. "His strength," said Foreman:“you just can't believe how strong he was!" (Foreman later took Sonny's idea, and pulled a car up and down a hill to train!)George was asked who the strongest fighter he ever saw was, and he answered:“Sonny Liston, and he was the strongest MAN I ever saw!"Rocky Marciano said of Liston:“he isn't faking his toughness, and his strength is just something you got to see, and that jab, he can knock a man out with the jab!"Cleveland Williams said:“no human being hits as hard as Sonny Liston. You can't describe his strength - no man should be that strong!"Ingemar Johansson promoted Sonny’s fights in Sweden in the 1960’s, and was asked if he would face the much older Sonny, and replied:“I will promote him, i will not fight him!”Boxing writer and historian Bobby Franklin said, while marvelling at Liston's skills at such an advanced age when he destroyed Patterson twice:“It is interesting to note that while the fights were blow outs, Liston did not come out swinging wildly. He took Floyd apart methodically, setting his man up with left jabs and solid body shots. Sonny showed fast hands, using an accurate left jab, along with hooks and uppercuts. He had a definite game plan and executed it perfectly. If they fought a hundred times during that period the result would have been the same."The fights which best exemplify Liston’s strengths are his two short contests with Cleveland Williams. Monte Cox said it best:“Liston used beautiful head movement and what may be the division’s greatest ever jab to avoid most of Williams’ punches and to keep him off balance. Williams does occasionally land with extraordinarily powerful shots, but Sonny shakes each one off. In their combined five rounds of boxing over the course of their two fights, Liston is only shaken briefly once, and never in danger of being dropped. The most astounding thing about his approach is that he is equally comfortable coming forward or retreating—which he does whenever he feels pressured. This runs entirely contrary to the perceived wisdom about Sonny Liston. Although he was a finisher of comparable stature to Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, and Frazier, he was the only member of this shark-like group who was a boxing conservative.”A Case for Sonny Liston by Monte Cox.Sonny Liston was a truly outstanding technical boxer. Despite his awesome strength and power, Angelo Dundee noted:“he took his time to set his opponents up, to gauge their skills and reaction time, before finishing them”Take your pick - any of these Hall of Famers would be a worthy candidate for most skillful…Boxrec for stats, records, ratingsAli: A Life by Jonathan EigAssassin's creed: Larry Holmes discusses his greatness, Ali, Tyson and more - Boxing SocialCorner Men : Great Boxing Trainers by Ronald K. FriedCox’s Corner and Monte CoxEzzard Charles: A Boxing Life by William DettloffEzzard Charles: Subtle GreatnessListon and Ali: The Ugly Bear and the Boy Who Would Be King by Bob MeesMike Tyson Gets Emotional When Talking About Muhammad AliMike Tyson, in a 2012 interview with Thisis50 | If it's Hot it's Here!Mike Tyson First Met Muhammad Ali In JuvieLarry Holmes: Against the Odds by Phil BergerMuhammad Ali's Boxing Ban Cost Him More Than You Think - Sportscasting | Pure SportsMuhammad Ali: His Life and Times by Thomas HauserMuhammad Ali: A View From the Corner by Dr. Ferdie PachecoMuhammad Ali, The GreatestNorton Speaks On Fights With AliRing Magazine's 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 YearsSonny Liston - Skills - Reemus BoxingSugar Ray Robinson..."Pound for Pound"The Top 50 Pound-for-Pound Boxers of All TimeThe best pound-for-pound boxers of all timeTOP TEN Pound 4 Pound Best Boxer EverThe 25 Greatest Pound-for-Pound Boxers in History Part III: #10-1The 30 Greatest Boxers of All-Time: The Definitive ListHistorian Monte Cox: Floyd no top 10 welter. No ATG.Sugar Ray Robinson..."Pound for Pound"Sugar Ray Leonard: ‘Beauty, power, greatness, perfection - Robinson was the best’ - The RingThe Greatest: My Own Story by Muhammad AliThe Real Ali by Rahman AliWas he really 'The Greatest'? Muhammad Ali's complicated legacy