Getting in the Ring with the Boxing Greats

Walking back through time, boxing has seen a fair share of legends, whose stories are as varied and colorful as they come. Some, just like any fairytale rose of humble beginnings to take up the world. Some, through gritty determination, will continuously stand even when felled a couple of times. Some are born and made, having the strength of 10 men. These characters, these boxing greats have once a time walked in the aisle where only the greatest had walk.

He was undoubtedly the best face of boxing, but Muhammad Ali was fortunate to rise up when the films and reels of television were first commercially used. And because of that, the masses have seen the not so humble (and overly cocky) beginnings of Cassius Clay, when he scored his first professional victory over the reigning champion Sonny Liston. And they have witnessed when he changed his name to Muhammad Ali, and took further time in the limelight. They saw his ignoble defeat against Joe Frazier, his dazzling comeback fight against George Foreman, and his ultimate revenge against Frazier in Manila.

Muhammad Ali was not ‘the greatest’ in boxing (his self appointed nickname was ‘the greatest’); he was also the best man for the spotlight. Not only his brash, egoistic, and abusive nature appealing to the fans, he also matched his words with superb career prowess, 56 wins with 37 KOs and 5 losses, 2 of them were made when his health was severely degraded.

On October 1980, many saw Ali’s legacy handed down to Larry Holmes on a boxing match, symbolically as a ‘Passing of Torch’. The Ali that fought the match against one of the rising boxing greats was suffering severely from Parkinson’s disease, and many had viewed the controversial match with disdain. But still, it had started the career of one of the greatest boxers of history, who would then make the most spectacular title defenses of 20 times.

Larry Holmes, who previously trained as Ali’s sparring partner was best suited as the world’s greatest contender. He was the opposite of Ali in character, and wasn’t flamboyant.