Who is THE NAME in boxing?

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Now it's Mayweather. Was Ali. Biggest ever was probably Dempsey.

I'll go with the Mayweather part of your statement, too bad Mayweather isn't fighting GGG, and yet public is so into spectacle that this Mcgregor crap probably has more interest for them than a GGG fight would.

Much more, the McGregor fight will be the biggest event since the FOTC. It's maddening.

[Blodhemn]

Where's Beterbiev? According to somebody he's the star the American public clamors for.

[Jip]

Syntax has nailed it in both his posts

Ali is an immortal. The legend of Ali lives on as strong as any other icon in their particular sport. Remarkable story.

Then there is tyson who is truly notorious. What these two have in common are that average joe knows who they are. Floyd Mayweather isn't even on the same scale as these guys. Thankfully for the boxing world the Mayweather era is nearly at an end, leaving a gap for a new positive face for boxing.

My wife didn't realise big George was a boxer. My wife also met mark foster (British swimming Olympian) in Marbella. She said he was the one off strictly come dancing!!

World icons: ali & tyson

Megastars: oscar, pac, floyd, foreman

Superstars: cotto, joshua, hopkins, golovkin

There has been many stars in boxing, but only 2 worldwide icons. Yeah foreman is close, his boxing career, the epic fight he had with ali. His grill. He is close.

[asdfjkl]

People will always forget sporters over time, I can name piles of absolute world top contenders that barely anyone has ever heard of.

Wait 20 years and ask a 20 year old who Muhammad Ali is and they won't have a clue.

Ever heard of Larisa Latynina?
Paavo Nurmi then?
Matt Biondi then?

Yes, that's the point. Very, very few are remembered. Ali hasn't been forgotten though, and he won't be. His name will remain as "the Greatest", even if he wasn't. In the same way as Pele will be mentioned whenever people speak about football or Babe Ruth or Joe DiMaggio when they speak about baseball. I assume. I know nothing about baseball but thought mentioning Don Bradman and cricket would just confuse people.

I'm with you GP, that's the whole point.

Ali was a boxer in the 60/70s, 50 odd years ago, but his name as his story live on. Adskljl when you say it's about the story, you are right, but then you contradict yourself by saying nobody will remember Ali in 20 years.

Ali, Tyson, that's possibly it in boxing as the others are so old it's more the fanatics that remember them.

Senna, pele, maradona, bradman, Jordan, babe Ruth, the Beatles, usain bolt... these Calibre of people are the immortals in their own field that won't be forgotten

Well, I think that, because Ali just died, that he is fresh into the memories again, but in 20 years people will talk about Mike Tyson again. This is also why football players regularly do such idiotic things nowadays, with their hairstyles and tattoos, and going after famous girls. Like Mike Tyson who had Pamela Anderson once.

It's for a big part about the people talking, not the skills and numbers.
Remarkeble is that Bohemian Rhapsody is the most famous song, Michael Jackson the biggest star and the beatles the biggest band.

[Kalan]

Heavyweights --- John L Sullivan... Jack Dempsey... Joe Louis... Rocky Marciano... Muhammad Ali... George Foreman... Mike Tyson

Non-Heavyweights: Floyd Mayweather... Willie Pep... Sugar Ray Robinson... Sugar Ray Leonard

There's a big difference between the best known boxers -- and the best boxers.

[victor-romeo]

Syntax has nailed it in both his posts

Ali is an immortal. The legend of Ali lives on as strong as any other icon in their particular sport. Remarkable story.

Then there is tyson who is truly notorious. What these two have in common are that average joe knows who they are. Floyd Mayweather isn't even on the same scale as these guys. Thankfully for the boxing world the Mayweather era is nearly at an end, leaving a gap for a new positive face for boxing.

My wife didn't realise big George was a boxer. My wife also met mark foster (British swimming Olympian) in Marbella. She said he was the one off strictly come dancing!!

World icons: ali & tyson

Megastars: oscar, pac, floyd, foreman

Superstars: cotto, joshua, hopkins, golovkin

There has been many stars in boxing, but only 2 worldwide icons. Yeah foreman is close, his boxing career, the epic fight he had with ali. His grill. He is close.

No Sugar Ray Leonard?

[Tony1244]

Of those 3, I'd say Ali.

A good way to judge is ask people who know nothing about boxing, who they've heard of.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Of those 3, I'd say Ali.

A good way to judge is ask people who know nothing about boxing, who they've heard of.

You'd get more McGregor answers than Robinson.

[Tony1244]

Of those 3, I'd say Ali.

A good way to judge is ask people who know nothing about boxing, who they've heard of.

You'd get more McGregor answers than Robinson.

Foreman is a famous inventor who invented the grill. They made a movie about Robinson called 47.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Of those 3, I'd say Ali.

A good way to judge is ask people who know nothing about boxing, who they've heard of.

You'd get more McGregor answers than Robinson.

Foreman is a famous inventor who invented the grill. They made a movie about Robinson called 47.

He wasn't the biggest draw in his day. All the flack Floyd gets, deservedly so, he is a saint towards woman compared to the way Robinson treated his wife. I'm always puzzled when I see someone trash Floyd for that while they praise SRR who really should have been locked up.

[Tony1244]

You'd get more McGregor answers than Robinson.

Foreman is a famous inventor who invented the grill. They made a movie about Robinson called 47.

He wasn't the biggest draw in his day. All the flack Floyd gets, deservedly so, he is a saint towards woman compared to the way Robinson treated his wife. I'm always puzzled when I see someone trash Floyd for that while they praise SRR who really should have been locked up.

We hear about it a lot more now. SRR, to the best of my knowledge was always polite on camera and people usually don't dig much deeper.

Celebrities of all stripes got away with a lot more. Babe Ruth's cheating, drinking, and probably snorting. didn't exactly make it into the NY Times.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I had no idea how vile Robinson was until the HBO doc on him.

[gp.]

Of those 3, I'd say Ali.

A good way to judge is ask people who know nothing about boxing, who they've heard of.

You'd get more McGregor answers than Robinson.

Today you might. Ten years ago you wouldn't, and ten years from now you wouldn't.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Of those 3, I'd say Ali.

A good way to judge is ask people who know nothing about boxing, who they've heard of.

You'd get more McGregor answers than Robinson.

Today you might. Ten years ago you wouldn't, and ten years from now you wouldn't.

You'd get zero each ten years ago, maybe still a few McGregor's in a decade, Still zero for Robinson. That's why this will be the biggest fight ever, regular sports fans don't particularly know the difference between Boxing and MMA.

[Tony1244]

You'd get more McGregor answers than Robinson.

Today you might. Ten years ago you wouldn't, and ten years from now you wouldn't.

You'd get zero each ten years ago, maybe still a few McGregor's in a decade, Still zero for Robinson. That's why this will be the biggest fight ever, regular sports fans don't particularly know the difference between Boxing and MMA.

Virtually every female I know sees boxing, UFC, and professional wrestling as one in the same.

[chinarich]

I don't think any current boxer transcends boxing the way Ali and Tyson did, both are icons (for vastly different reasons) and known beyond the sport. Mayweather hasn't crossed over in the same way...