Ok, I was about to post this in the sport section, but with Jake LaMotta etc, I think it would be more interesting to post this in general disc.
Read before you vote.... (and please, I dont want to see Jake LaMotta winning this poll because of Raging Bull...be objective...) who is the greatest boxer that ever lived?
John L. Sullivan The first modern world heavyweight champ. AKA "The Boston Strongboy"
Known for his extreme brutality. Started with bare-knuckles boxing matches and made his way to the top until the new age of "smart boxing" made him face the new techniques which were superior to his fighting style...or lack of it. He was very strong but not a tactical fighter.
Jack Dempsey What can I say? he is my favorite boxer of all time. His fighting style and most of all his fighting spirit is so intense, that you just gotta love it. There were greater boxers later on, but none were so wonderful to watch. Hes the reason I started boxing myself.
Jack Johnson The best defensive boxer that ever lived.
Some may not like his style, but its efficient nontheless. So efficient that he rocked the world again and again, most notably while defeating "The Great White Hope" AKA Jim Jeffries, the retired champ who was sent to defeat the black Johnson and restore the pride of the white race. But he didnt have a chance. His age was a factor and Johnson's defensive style proved once again how brilliant it is. He later became America's NO.1 enemy when siding with the germans and Max Schmeling against Joe Lewis, in what was known as "The fight of the century" - a nickname later used to describe the fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
Joe Louis The black boxer who represented America in the ultimate clash against Hitler Germany. Note the irony that a black boxer was chosen to defeat the germans. Like I said before, Max Schmeling had Jack Johnson on his side, which was a great advantage against Louis. In the first match Schmeling won, but the 1938 rematch was the prime of Louis' career. He won in what is arguably considered to be the real "fight of the century".
He later lost to Rocky Marciano who was a big fan of his, and that basically started the end of his glorious career.
Jake LaMotta Do I need to say anything about his mob connection?...maybe I should just quote LaMotta himself while explaining his actions :
"I did what I had to do to get a shot at the title, and if I had to do it all over again, I'd do the same thing."
That was the case. The mob's influence on the boxing world was huge. Frankie Carbo AKA Mr.Grey was THE mobster to see if a lil fight fixing was what you want. As for Jake LaMotta, he needed the mobsters to give him the shot at the title which he truly deserved but couldnt get on his own. He accepted the deal to sell a fight, he later testified about it, the rest is history, we've got a movie called "Raging Bull" and so on.
As a boxer, he was outstanding, earning the name "Raging Bull" and rightly so. However, too bad for him, ha had to face a superior opponent in the shape of Sugar Ray Robinson....the man who would become the greatest boxer that ever lived. He lost 5 times out of 6 to Robinson, and I think the numbers speak for themselves. LaMotta was a great boxer, but certainly not as good as Robinson.
Sugar Ray Robinson The greatest boxer of all time....IMO anyway.
In his style, Robinson basically represents the new age of boxing. The superb technique which depends on constant leg movement has proven to be the most efficient one. A combination of speed, tactics and power that is no less than breathtaking. In a nutshell, he was the ultimate fighter.
Muhammad Ali Probably the most famous boxer. Any grandma who knows jack about boxing will recognize the name. Im not going into all his off-ring stories which you're all familiar with. As far as boxing goes, he stunned the world when he defeated Sonny Liston in a fight, which was considered by many to be a "fix"...and that was not the last time the word "fix" was used against Ali. However, he made his way to the top, and will always be remembered for his famous matches against Joe Frazier, most notably "The Thrilla in Manila" - a fight which is considered by many (including me) to be the greatest boxing match the world has ever witnessed. Really, I watched this fight like 200 times, and it never cease to amaze me. You really see 2 guys who barely stand on their feet, yet they continue to fight to the very last drop of blood so to speak. A truly "heroic" fight which symbolizes the willpower of man. Yeah, I just wrote that line.
Mike Tyson What can I say, he was the goldenboy of boxing. "Iron Mike" was trained by no less than legendary coach Cus D'Amato. Despite D'Amato's death, Tyson continued to win again and again. He will always be remembered for "The Bite Fight" during which he tried a piece of Holyfield's ear, and of course...for the match against Lennox Lewis, where he lost the title but managed to redeem his "badass image" with the gesture of wiping Lennox' blood from his eyes....who said boxing is a barbaric sport? cant u see the love?
Allright then, I'm gonna finish with this, I've left a few names which truly deserve to be listed here...anyone wants to say a word about Floyd "The Gentleman" Patterson?
I know it was a long read, but you should thank me it was only about certain boxers...you dont want me to start talking about the history of boxing and the Queensberry Rules do you?
So in conclusion, my fav boxer is Jack Dempsey, but my vote goes to Sugar Ray Robinson - definitely the greatest boxer of all time.
