Although he himself is referred to as ‘The Greatest’, Muhammad Ali believed another man trumped him as the best boxer in the history of the sport when it came to the all-time pound-for-pound rankings.
Ali remains as the only three-time lineal heavyweight champion, having defeated each of Sonny Liston, George Foreman and Leon Spinks to thrice carry the fabled baton as ‘the man to beat the man’.
A six-time Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year that was involved in six ‘Fight of the Year’ winners, Ali is deservedly discussed in conversations as to whom the best to ever lace up the gloves.
However, when weighing in on the debate himself, Ali looked toward boxing’s other standout candidate, revealing that he believes Sugar Ray Robinson to have been boxing’s greatest fighter of all time.
“That man was beautiful. Timing, speed, reflexes, rhythm, his body, everything was beautiful.
“I’d say I’m the greatest heavyweight of all time, but pound-for-pound, I still say Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest of all time.”
The ‘pound-for-pound’ term itself was first brought in to give credit to Robinson in the late 1940’s, allowing the legendary Georgia-based phenomenon to be praised as the best fighter on the planet without requiring comparison to how he would fare against the larger heavyweights of his time.
A former welterweight and middleweight champion, Robinson would lose only one of his first 132 professional contests, but retired with a record of 174-19-6 after 201 bouts at the age of 44 years old, before his passing in 1989.
