The Ali Legacy

[exploited]

It's a tough call. I think a personality like Ali would do well in any era.

[Philly]

Your dominance compared to your own peers is what counts. Every sport changes. You can only be judged by how much better you were compared to your contemporaries.

[IndependentProfessor]

Meh - I never got boxing.

Premise: You are going to fight another guy. The goal is to hit the other guy so hard, or wear him down, or injure him so that he cannot fight for 10 consecutive seconds.

Rules: You can't hold. You can't kick. You can't headbutt. You can't hit below the waist. You can't use elbows. And many, many, many more.

Sorry, but that isn't "fighting". It's basically pro wrestling, but where the outcome hasn't been prearranged.

When I think of "fighting", it's an anything goes affair. No time limits. No rules (other than things like no weapons, and when someone quits, it's over). In other words, when I think of "fighting", I think of the Octagon, circa early 90s. Not this namby-pamby shit we have today.

[Philly]

That's because you want boxing to be a street fight but it's a sport. You don't have to even knock the other guy out. You get scored on your performance. It's not my favorite sport, but I respect the hell out of it.

[spacemonkey]

The fat ladies of wall mart put on a better battle then the last big name may/pac battle, and way cheaper.

[exploited]

[NAB]

It's debatable whether Ali was the greatest boxer ever (he's definitely in the top tier), but its hard to deny that he was the greatest sports figure of all time.

I recall seeing polls back in the day (done at various location on the planet), and Ali was, by far, one of the most recognizable people on the planet in his day. His fame transcended just boxing.

[IndependentProfessor]

[Philly]

Football has judges. They're called refs. Most sports have them.

[micfranklin]

Ali was a cool dude and revolutionary IMO.