Quote Originally Posted by Dark Lord Al View Post
So you dont think if no Clay , Liston wouldnt have been a big star , or Frazier , or Big George ? someone would have taken his place with honours
Liston, Frazier and Big George? Are you SERIOUS? The public couldn't have given a fuck less about those guys. Liston and George were unapproachable, unfriendly lugs, and Frazier never got over with the general public until he beat Ali. Being good and winning alone doesn't make you a superstar, no need to look further than the Klitschko's to reaffirm that.

Ali never took a spot, he created a spot that was never matched before or after. You don't talk about Ali's fame compared to other boxers, you talk about his fame compared to everyone else, because he is arguably the most famous man in the world. So to suggest that Liston, Foreman, or another lug would have taken his place... that's just insanity.

I'm far from an Ali fan. I think he was a dickhead as a person, and I think he gets WAY too much credit for ducking the Viet Nam war. He wasn't courageous, he was afraid to go over there and risk getting killed like any other guy. He didn't give two fucks about the Veit Nam war and "fighting those viet cong" until they changed the draft criteria to make him eligible. Before that, you never heard him open his mouth about it.

So yeah, I think he was a prick and overrated as a person, but I'm not going to act like he wasn't the greatest of all time. He was. His KO victory of a prime Foreman alone is worth 30 of Louis' Bum of the Month club victories or more. He had arguably the greatest skills and he has INARGUABLY fought and conquered the greatest HW opposition.