Most boxing people like me feel Joe “The Brown Bomber” Louis and Muhammad “The Greatest” Ali were the two greatest heavyweight champions.
Let’s look at each one. Their records as professionals are about the only thing close to what each has.
Louis was 63-3 with 52 knockouts from July 1934 to October 1952. He won his first twenty-four fights before Germany’s former heavyweight champion Max Schmeling, 48-7-4, knocked him out in twelve rounds at Yankee Stadium knocked out the Bronx, New York.
He would go on to win his next thirty-four fights before losing to former champion Ezzard “The Cincinnati Cobra” Charles, 66-5-1, on the same ballpark. He won his next eight fights before a career-ending knockout loss to Rocky Marciano, 37-0, in Madison Square Garden, New York. Louis was Marciano’s “hero”, and he cried after stopping Louis.
Louis lost time as an active boxer when he enlisted in the army on January 8, 1942. A day later, in a reunion with Buddy Baer. On March 10, he appeared at Madison Square Garden given by the Navy Relief Society. Two weeks later he returned to the ring and knocked out Abe Simon in 6 rounds. A majority of his winnings from both fights were donated to the Armed Forces Relief Fund. He was discharged in October 1945.
The IRS taxed Louis for his two matches at the end of WW2, owing the US more than $100,000.
Louis had a record-ending defense in the division at twenty-five.
Now let’s look at Muhammad Ali in comparison. He won the 1960 Olympic Light Heavyweight title in Rome, Italy. He turned professional in October 1960 and his last fight was in December 1981.
In March 1967, Ali won his twenty-ninth consecutive fight, knocking out Zora Folley at Madison Square Garden and improving to 31-0. Not getting into the draft, the New York Boxing Commission eventually took away his license.
He didn’t return to the ring until October 1970 when he took a few breaks before facing 26-0 Olympian and Heavyweight Champion “Smokin” Joe Frazier, losing by decision for the first time in Madison Square Garden. He would go on to win his next ten fights before losing to Ken Norton. He won the rematch and another match before a rematch with then-former champion Frazier for his NABF title, winning in January 1974 at Madison Square Garden.
In Ali’s next fight, he would regain the title, stopping “Big” George Foreman, 40-0, in eight rounds in Zaire, Africa. After three defenses, he defeated Frazier, who is called “the Thrilla in Manila”! After six more victories, he lost to Olympic champion Leon Spinks, 6-0-1, in February 1968. He won the rematch and did not fight for over a year, losing to Larry “The Easton Assassin” Holmes, 35-0, and in his last fight against Trevor Berbick, 19-2-1, in December 1982.
Ali had 19 title defenses to Louis’ 25.
By comparing both, they lost time; Louis was in the army, and Ali was without a license. While Louis was serving his country, Ali would eventually bring back 15 American hostages from Iraq.
There you have it, boxing fans. Would the hard-hitting Louis knock Ali out, or would the boxer Ali decide Louis? Let’s hear your opinions.
