Quote Originally Posted by Beanflicker View Post
I never understood the whole "he retired undefeated, so therefore he's the greatest" thing. Going 49-0, even if it wasn't against great compedition, is impressive as hell.

But does that mean Sven Ottke is one of the best of all time? If Valuev would have retired after beating McCline, with a comparable record of 46-0 and 14 years of boxing under his belt, would he be considered even in the top 20 of all time?
Agreed.

If you have German blood then Spen Okkte is the best in the world.

If you have an Italian background "ehhh A Marciano" was the best heavweight....fuk youse!

if you are Welsh some bloke from down there is undefeated too :-) .



They are all top champions who went a real long way in the sport whatever the circumstances are, respect for all of them.
Its usually only other peoples national pride or love of another boxer getting in the way of history; pulling strips off these fighters or building them up even further than they deserve, its two sides of the same coin.