“I am the greatest, I said it before I knew I was, I figured that if I said it enough I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.” – Muhammad Ali. How could someone be so confident in themselves. Without a single doubt in his mind he was the greatest and he very quickly proved bout after bout that he truly was. His attitude and boastful manner would have made him seem rude and arrogant while he wasn’t and does the title of “The Heavyweight Champion of the world” really mean that much when discussing the greatest.
Ali was always confident, in his heart he knew he was the greatest and it was his only goal for us to finally know his true self. He fought with such grace and speed that at times it looked like he only had to touch his opponent to win the fight. In fights like the “Thrilla in Manilla” Ali would push his body over a ledge that his opponents couldn’t that allowed him to win fights that seemed impossible to win. His career records were not closely compared by those who are in the debate of “ The Greatest Ever”. His 56 wins 5 losses and 37 knockouts were seemingly unbeatable (Collins). Being the greatest cant just be determined by the records and statistics.
Personality and lifestyle are key things that are included in the debate. Ali was a very exciting person to follow, he always had a spotlight on him. He was very confident in himself and while at times he could seem cocky, arrogant and mean when he was belitering his opponents and pickpocketing their self confidence he would always prove the kind of person he was when dealing with everyday people. One of these encounters was with an older man who offered the star one of his cookies he had Alex Atkinson4th2/11/19made at home, Ali who had a sweet tooth accepted and helped the man start a small business doing something he loved. Ali always was friendly with his fans and many became his friends proving that he had a great personality and cared about those around him.
Many people say that just because Ali was “The Heavyweight Champion of the world” doesn’t mean that he was the greatest. However what they do not realize is that he held that title for 14 years and lost it for only 7 months near the very end of his career, only to regain it before he ultimately ended his boxing career in 1981. While the title itself did not seem to be that impressive, the accomplishments of beating the boxers he did and the fact that he held it for 14 years is very impressive. (“Muhammad”)Muhammad Ali was the greatest boxer ever. His confidence in himself and his abilities helped his to beat many of his opponents, and while that could make him seem like a mean arrogant person he always proved them wrong when he would reach out to the everyday people around him. This “Heavyweight Champion of the world” was really the greatest ever and held the title for so long in a time when boxing was in its prime.
