Who is The Greatest Of All Time? In this article, we take a look at one of the most popular debates in sport, referencing the guests who have appeared on The Boxing Bug. We also throw in a few other names that deserve a mention.
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Ali, Muhammad
A very, very easy question. I'm just going to say legitimately Muhammad Ali was my favorite boxer to watch. He was poetry in motion and the best boxer I've ever seen in my life. By far, for me, it was Muhammad Ali. These questions are so interesting because it brings back such a special time in my life and I'm almost getting choked up thinking about some of it, but I will go with Ali. It's called the Golden Age honestly for a reason, it's not just people being snobby. The best fought the best. At a very young age, I got a chance to see Muhammad Ali fight Floyd Patterson in their rematch live at Madison Square Garden. It was a beautiful memory of my dad, like "Hey, I've got these tickets!". That was really amazing; it was hard for me to tell who was winning at that age. I wasn't schooled enough at it and I asked my father and he said Ali’s got the fight!
Johnny Wright
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Of all time, if you are talking about legacy inside and outside of the ring, you have to say, Muhammad Ali. I wouldn't say he was the best fighter, but I think he was the most effective and impactful fighter inside and outside the ring. So it has to be Muhammad Ali, but if you are talking about after Ali, there's been a lot of great fighters. Secondly, I'd say Tommy Hearns, he was before my time but he was a destructive fighter. And then I'd say Floyd Mayweather.
Alister Thomas
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I think Cleveland Williams is his best performance. He had a sort of viciousness in that fight that you didn't often see.
David Hipkin
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Here is a controversial one. What about if I said to you that if you look at Muhammad Ali's record you can pick quite a few holes in it! The Rumble in Rumble in the Jungle and the Liston bouts are incredible, but then after that you could say that in the 1970s era he got a few decisions based on his reputation. There are a few competitive ones and he gets a couple of results and you can question if that would have happened if it wasn't Muhammad Ali. I don't know if that tarnishes a legacy; I don't think it does but I'm just saying that if we're going to really criticise a fighter’s record and because it's Ali, people just tend to gloss over that and don't focus on it. I don't want to say something outlandish but you know… it’s an interesting thing. If you look at his career after the Rumble in The Jungle, there are some ups and downs. I still think it is hard for me to say that Ali is not the greatest heavyweight of all time.
Gary Brooking
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Alvarez, Saul
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Balboa, Rocky
No debate here. Everyone loves Rocky.
The Boxing Bug
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Calzaghe, Joe
I think Joe Calzaghe is underrated at 46 and 0. He's another one who I loved watching when I first got into the sport. I do think his accomplishments are definitely underrated.
Sam SW Fight Hub
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Instead of holding trying to run he just started trading and Mitchell could really fight and he could really punch as well. That is just the type of fighter he was; Joe Calzaghe was always quite humble but he's a brilliant boxer.
Sean M.
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He's is one of my favorite all-time fighters throughout my interest in boxing, watching him come through. He was often underrated and from a betting point of view as well. I always liked him because he was so hard to beat. He’s lightning fast, he’s got a rock-hard chin… an amazing chin. And he's just got this mindset that is just extraordinary and he doesn't look like a traditional boxer but he's just incredible. I loved his fights.
David Hipkin
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I rate the Hopkins win quite highly. Look what Hopkins went on to do after the Calzaghe defeat.
Rich Boxing Bets
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I always thought Calzaghe was CRIMINALLY underrated.
Johnny Wright
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Crawford, Terence
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Dubois, Daniel
I am starting to hear now how he is an elite heavyweight. I have been watching his whole career; he is no different now to the fighter he was when he got beaten by Joe Joyce. He's the same fighter! He goes back in straight lines, he doesn't move his head, he fights in patterns. He's got that horrible thing, that so many British fighters have, of bouncing... and he does it in rhythm, so it can be read!
Rich Boxing Bets
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I have seen some improvements, but perhaps it was because of the opposition. It was a terrible fight with Hrgovic, I have never seen someone take so many right-hands. Hrgovic was obviously not in much shape and thought it would be straightforward. But Doubois; what I like is he is in his mid-twenties. When did we last have that, a mid-twenties heavyweight who is a natural puncher too? And I quite like his mindset - he just doesn't plan everything and waste time thinking about corporate responses. I find him quite refreshing.
David Hipkin
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Fury, Tyson
At 6'8" or 6'9", I think Fury's style would mean he could hang with fighters from all previous eras. With him being so awkward and gangly. Very tough as well; no doubt in his toughness, getting up from all those heavy knockdowns in his career.
Sam SW Fight Hub
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I didn't think Fury was going to be as good as he was in that Usyk rematch. I thought he was gone, I really did. I said beforehand that I gave him a 20% chance in that fight. He fought brilliantly; he lost comfortably but he fought brilliantly given what I thought he had left. Considering the shape he is in, I am amazed he can still do 12 rounds. I thought he would get old overnight. I think he thought that if he got to the final bell, there was a chance he would get the nod. I think he was fighting to go the distance, not fighting to win. He said all that chat about "smashing" Usyk, but he's never really smashed anyone! He is not a big puncher, he has never scored a 10-8 round against a southpaw I don't think, let alone stopped one, so how was he going to suddenly do that against one of the ATG southpaws?
David Hipkin
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Hamed, Naseem
I think Naseem Hamed was an excellent fighter when he was with Brendan Ingle. Brendan was an amazing trainer and coach and a man of the community.
Sean M.
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Hatton, Ricky
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Holmes, Larry
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Holyfield, Evander
I'm a massive Holyfield fan. My two favorite fighters in the late 80s were Tyson and he was obviously destroying the heavyweights and Holyfield was doing the same with the cruiserweights and I couldn't wait till they fought! I was so disappointed when that fight got canceled. I absolutely love Evander, a brilliant fighter. I would say he's probably the best cruiserweight of all time and he's definitely up there with the best heavyweights of all time. I discount a lot of Tyson's performances post-prison but I also do give some credit for Holyfield in 1996, beating Tyson as the underdog. I still give him credit for that win.
Sean M.
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I am a huge fan of Holyfield and I think, a bit like with Lennox Lewis, his career achievements get better as more time passes and we look back on them. Right now, I would still rate Holyfield above Usyk. But at the same time, I think Usyk would beat him. If that's possible, I think those two things can be true at the same time.
David Hipkin
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Hopkins, Bernard
When I interviewed Bernard Hopkins I just found myself smiling and looking at him and thinking to myself “am I really chatting with this guy?”! It was just incredible.
Wes Graham
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Inoue, Naoya
There are only three guys in the conversation right now. Inoue, Usyk and Bud (Crawford). If Usyk put away Fury it would be hard to argue against him, but I'd go with Inoue.
Rich Boxing Bets
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Jones, Roy Jr.
My favourite fighter? Roy Jones. Definitely Roy Jones with that rare mix of speed and dynamite power. I would say that I think the Tarver defeat is damaging to his legacy, but I think you need to look at it in the context of where they were at that point in time.
Rich Boxing Bets
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If Jones had retired before that Tarver defeat, people would be still talking about him as one of the greatest fighters of all time, but he suffered with some horrific KOs at the end of his career. But what an amazing fighter he was. Absolutely gifted.
Sean M.
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Joshua, Anthony
I'm keen on people that have displayed real heart. Amazing athletes and people who can fight, they're great, but the people who can turn it on under real pressure, I like to always be on the side of them with my money! There was a lot of talk before Joshua's fight with Dubois and I have always thought he was a bit suspect, a bit of a flat-track bully. And when the pressure is on, he tends not to like it very much and will find a way out.
Kieran Ward
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Anthony Joshua... a big guy, 6'6" and absolutely ripped to shreds. I think he would have struggled in previous eras. I think he's just too easy to hit, ultimately.
Sam SW Fight Hub
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Lewis, Lennox
Number one at heavyweight all time I think I think you’ve got to go with Lennox you know. Maybe Ali and then Lennox - probably same same. Ali or Lennox; it's got to be one of those two, because the thing is Ali picked up some losses and he boxed on a bit too long so his record just got a little bit tarnished at the end there.
Wes Graham
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Underrated? I still think Lennox Lewis is hugely underrated. I think among journalists especially; journalists never like a boxer who is more intelligent than them and Lennox is one of those guys! I think the first bet I ever had on boxing was among friends and it was Lewis to be Mike Tyson and they were all so convinced that he would win. I was so convinced Lennox Lewis was going to beat Tyson - it was a bet with three friends and only one paid up! Everyone at press row for that fight thought Tyson was going to win it.
James Donaghy
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Mayweather, Floyd Jr.
Floyd Mayweather is probably one of the best fighters of the last thirty years, obviously. But how would be have coped with Hearns? He never fought someone with that power, and that height and reach...
Rich Boxing Bets
Since early-2000 to now, the best fighter I've seen? I'd say Floyd Mayweather at number one. He has to be in there. That's including the new generation, even though he's retired. And that's due to his slick boxing skills and masterful defence. With Floyd, he picked the right fights at the right time but he also fought the best.
Alister Thomas
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Pacquiao, Manny
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Tyson, Mike
The problem with Tyson is his peak was very short, 1986 to 1989. The Holmes he fought was a shell of his previous self. The real greats, think about them: Dempsey, Johnson, Louis, Ali, Frazer, Foreman, Lewis, Holmes, Holyfeild... so maybe not in the top ten. So probably top twenty I'd say. He's a bit overrated because of that whole aura he had around him, from such a short period of dominance. And when he came back, he was not the same. I mean he beat Bruno, a top five heavyweight at the time. But probably top-twenty. On paper his best win was Spinks.
Rich Boxing Bets
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A prime Mike Tyson just rampaging through the heavyweight division in these sort of mid to late 80s um and you know you have people in the house talking about boxing and Tyson was just constantly spoken about and it was almost like he was just completely unbeatable and of course many people did think he was unbeatable.
Sean M.
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Tyson was an exciting charismatic guy would say anything do anything so he was really exciting he had highlight real Knockouts of these people so he was an exciting fighter to watch but uh he was overrated as a boxer Grade B in my opinion.
Johnny Wright
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If you watch his form, his technique, his power between 1986 and 1989 I think he'd be competitive against any heavyweight in history. I think Ali would mess with his mind, because Ali was Ali and that's what he did! Ali's going to just get in his head and destroy Mike. Mike never was mentally ready for a guy like Ali. But power and speed, he's a threat to my other big heavyweights like Larry Holmes, Joe Lewis, Lennox Lewis... but it's hard to call. Those are all great fights in my opinion.
Rick Gagne
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Overrated? That’s very easy. Mike Tyson. I thing I I'll say about Tyson is he is the best technical heavyweight in history. I've never seen a better technician at heavyweight, I think his style is really difficult to do. There's a high level of difficulty with that particular front-on style if you're a small guy, and he's small for the division. I often ask people to find me a technical floor in Tyson.. they can't because he doesn't have one. But I think Teddy Atlas summed him up very well when he called him a mental midget and I think that's very true. I've never seen Tyson (I'm fairly certain) overcome adversity in the ring and I score that very highly with great heavyweights. Every time he was up against it, he folded. He folded against Evander Holyfield twice and against Lennox in those legacy fights.I think that's where you rank greatness.
James Donaghy
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People get so angry with me for this - I always hear "you're only 23, you don't know anything about boxing!" - but when I started boxing at 14 all I did was watch Mike Tyson motivation videos. I was such a big Mike Tyson fan. Look how fast he was! When he was with Cus D'Amato, when he was focused, no one could beat him! But the more I have learned about boxing, I absolutely think he is the most overrated of all time. Now that I know what I know.
Jack Alter
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I've definitely got a soft spot for Tyson because my dad loved him. And I think so many people love him; even if you're not a die-hard boxing fan. He is known throughout the world, and so is his story. As a kid, I used to love watching the YouTube videos - me and my dad would watch all those videos of him, all of his knockout reels.
Zane Powell
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I grew up watching him, I thought he was unbeatable, he was my sporting hero, But I think the problem is this simple question: what was his defining win? Who was his best win against? I don't know anyone who has got a quick answer for that; a lot of people will straight away go to Michael Spink. But wasn’t he coming off injuries? And he was a tiny heavyweight who really looked beaten before the first bell. Then they will say Larry Holmes, but he was 38, and had very little preparation and was also coming out of retirement. Everyone else at the real elite, generational level, beat him. And that leaves me with Donovan Ruddock. I think Ruddock is Mike Tyson’s best win. Tyson has the best knockout reel in boxing history and to this day he is capable of some wonderful soundbites, but the GOAT? Not for me.
David Hipkin
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Usyk, Oleksandr
He's incredible isn't he. He's just a phenomenal talent. One of the things that is really underrated about Usyk is his IQ. He knows when to work, he knows when to not, he knows when to get a breather, he knows when to trade, and when he gets caught with a good punch, he's got a really good poker-face. He knows when to keep his guard up, he knows when to switch it up. I think obviously his stamina is incredible. That is something that is probably natural as well as hard work. A lot of people were dismissing him when he moved up to heavyweight but I always fancied him to beat AJ and I always fancied him to beat Tyson Fury. He has had an excellent run at heavyweight. And at cruiserweight, he is definitely top-2 all time. He's just a brilliant fighter.
Sean M.
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Right now my favorite boxer is Usyk. I'm a huge, HUGE Usyk fan and I could probably talk about him for hours. Obviously technically he's great and his fitness is fantastic, but his mental strength is phenomenal. He's a professional - you know he's respectful to everybody he fights, and you look at what his country is going through as well and he's still at the top of his game. So yes, I've got a lot of respect for him.
Zane Powell
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I think this is incredible if it is true: in training Usyk spars 15 rounds not 12. He does four-minute rounds not three and he takes a 30-second rest between rounds, not a minute. And if during any one of those rounds his back touches the ropes, he resets the clock and goes again! If that's true, and who knows, but if it is true it's just extraordinary when you know you've got some people who are cutting corners, skipping their road-work, making life easier, while you've got Usyk going out of his way to make the toughest of sports even tougher. He's incredible.
David Hipkin
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Whitaker, Pernell
Either active or historically, probably the most underrated fighter that I could think of was Pernell Whitaker. I think he gets credit that he's a great fighter but I think he's the most underrated because I don't think he gets full credit for quite how great he was! He was great to watch and I just think he was very underrated given who beat.
Johnny Wright
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Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson; 15 November 2024. Why so serious?
Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury; 18 May 2024. The 9th Round.
