Ali is easily the greatest HW to ever grace the ring. He knew how to market himself behind the skill.
Even those who did not like him at the time had no choice but to respect him.

Ali always amazed me for several reasons. The first is his obvious skill in the ring. But that is the fighter part that amazed me the second was the man himself. He came along in an era where America was in a transition. Civil rights were at the forefront of USA being in a disarray and Vietnam came along soon after. Ali managed to not only dominate in the ring but he made use of his fame to help causes more then just his own. Something you do not see often not just in boxing but in the world in general.
Was Ali the greatest fighter to ever grace the ring??...Probably not. Robinson IMO takes that title now and more then likely for quite some time to come. Even a Prime Ali would tell you that straight from his own mouth. A strong case can be made also for Hank Armstrong..Willie Pep..and a few others....

But Ali is the most recognizable figure to ever participate in this sport and perhaps the face of boxing. He is known the world wide still to this day. There was a study done one time where people went to third world countries with pictures of famous people. Ali was recognized second to only the Pope!!!! This was in places where people did not even have TV!!!!!

Like I said though there are some other guys over the years who may be ranked along side or even surpass Ali as a P4P all time great but No One and I stress No ONE!!!! Has brought boxing more attention in a positive manner then Ali.....And perhaps no other fighter to ever grace the ring is more beloved