In the eyes of many, Muhammad Ali is the greatest fighter to have ever laced up the gloves.
He began his professional career back in 1960, just months after he captured an Olympic Gold Medal in the Summer games of that same year.
He defeated Sonny Liston via second round stoppage to become the world heavyweight champion when he was just 22-years-old in 1964, repeating this feat in their rematch months later.
After making just shy of ten defences of his crown, Ali was forced to put his career on hold when he refused to enlist in the Vietnam War, but made a sensational comeback several years later.
Perhaps the most famous victory of his professional career came in 1974 when he defeated ‘Big’ George Foreman. in what is more commonly known as ‘The Rumble In The Jungle’. Ali weathered an early storm from Foreman to eventually stop him in the eighth round in Kinshasa, Zaire.
Despite embracing the tag of ‘The Greatest,’ Ali once named Joe Louis as the best heavyweight of all time.
“I used to tease Joe Louis by reminding him that I was the greatest of all time. But Joe Louis was the greatest heavyweight fighter ever.”
Ali is also on record as saying that he was ‘the greatest,’ but Louis was ‘the ‘best.’
Louis, known as ‘The Brown Bomber’, is one of the most influential figures in boxing history. He still holds the record for the most successful title defences, reigning as the as the world heavyweight champion between 1937 and 1949, defending his crown on 25 occasions during this period, defeating the likes of Max Schmelling, Jersey Joe Walcott and Tommy Farr throughout his reign.
Louis’ impact extended far beyond the boxing ring, making him a crucial figure in the American Civil Rights Movement and a national hero, particularly after his symbolic rematch victory over German boxer Schmeling during the rise of Nazism.
