To become a world champion, a fighter needs to believe that he or she is the greatest. No one embodies this more than him muhammad ali.

Part of Ali’s character was to label himself the best, but his achievements also led others to do the same. Within the ropes, he became the first-ever three-time heavyweight champion, defeating the likes of Sonny Liston, George Foreman and Joe Frazier along the way. Outside the ring, his cultural impact is immeasurable.

Although he was number one in the eyes of many, no one else could surpass the achievements of Joe Louis, or the modern boxing of Lennox Lewis. Larry Holmes is often considered a top ten heavyweight of all time, but rarely ranked number one.

talking sky sports“The Easton Assassin” explains why he deserves the top spot.

“I don’t really get the recognition that Mike Tyson does. I had (almost) 20 title defenses. Mike Tyson had three or four and then lost.

“I held the title for seven-and-a-half years. They didn’t want to recognize me. (Muhammad) Ali didn’t have the fight I had to defend the title. He didn’t hold the title for seven-and-a-half years. There’s only one guy who’s had the title for more than seven-and-a-half years (and that) is Joe Louis. The only guy with a record like I have is Rocky Marciano, no one else.”

“Why did Muhammad Ali have to be the greatest? He could say he was the greatest, you could say he was the greatest, but I know different. I am the greatest!”

Theoretically, Holmes could point to his victory over Ali in 1980 as an example of his own, although a closer look would suggest that Ali should have been nowhere near the ring that night. Holmes later said he asked the referee to stop the move but was forced to continue fighting, defeating the legend in what was Ali’s only stoppage of the fight.

The comparisons to Marciano were undeniable, as he came within one fight of matching the latter’s famous 49-0 record, losing on points to Michael Spinks in ’85. He failed to seek revenge in a rematch six months later and retired for two years before losing to Mike Tyson in four rounds. Holmes fought until 2002 before retiring.