Quote Originally Posted by IamInuit View Post
Even Barry Sanders (TBE RB). Had that guy played on a winning team and not the Lions he would have been hated also.
Well you bringing up Barry Sanders is interesting because it is EXACTLY why I dislike Ali!

Now I rate Sanders as one of the best RB's ever and not THE hands down best, but that's just me and my own opinion. I could talk for days on end about it...still rate Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, and Bo Jackson up there.

Anywho back on topic....you see Barry Sanders was the Joe Louis of runningbacks, he would be flashy with his skill, but he NEVER spiked the football, he NEVER danced, he NEVER gloated or showed up an opponent.....watch his touchdowns and you'll see the stoic Joe Louis nature he had.....hand the referee the ball and go to the sidelines. EVERY....FUCKING......TIME.

I have great respect for Joe Louis because he had to toe a certain line, one which must have been absolute HELL for him at times. He was never to have his picture made with a white woman, he was never to gloat over an opponent, he was never to be anything but a gentleman....now imagine had he been as loquacious as Muhammad Ali who would run in front of cameras and beat his chest claiming he was the best, the greatest, the greatest of ALL-TIME!.....Joe Louis was never even allowed to utter those words but let's say he talked the way a Prime Roy Jones Jr or a Prime James Toney talked and was constantly big upping himself and patting himself on the back....you think that 25 Consecutive Successful Tittle Defenses.....a record which still stands TO THIS VERY DAY wouldn't be brought up colorfully? You don't think Ali would catch shit for losing the title multiple times? You don't think Joe Louis could have said "I lost 3 years of my prime serving my country so I could have had 30 or 40 consecutive successful title defenses" would have given Ali's lips pause?

What if had Ali said....
"You had a bum of the month club" - Ali
Only for Joe Louis to retort
"Everyone is a bum compared to me" - Joe Louis

Do you not think people would see Joe Louis in a different light? The man was an absolute MONSTER of a heavyweight, hands down the greatest of all-time! The statistics say so. Only Joe Louis was never allowed to brag about it himself...in the end, Ali was great, but The G.O.A.T? That's all talk from Ali, he was a squeaky wheel and wanted attention.....Joe Louis got attention with his SKILL not with his words.