Reasons

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People love someone who can overcome seemingly impossible barriers.

 

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Ali beat both Sonny Liston, and George Foreman, and took it one step further and defeated the mighty U.S. Government.

 

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Joe Louis beat the Color Bar by becoming the first Black Heavyweight Champion in twenty-two years and, then, stepped up by destroying the Arian Race???s unwilling representative and his former conqueror, Max Schmeling, on the Eve of World War II, becoming an authentic American Hero.

 

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How can anyone compete with that?!

 

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Both Louis and Ali were larger than life characters in larger than life times; which greatly contributes to their lasting legacy.

 

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and the only reason Ali is considered top 5

 

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Poor old Larry came along at the end of one of the most turbulent eras in history and had no real dragons to slay.

 

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He had no fearsome threats like Sonny Liston or George Foreman or Nazi Germany.

 

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All he had in front of him were some pretty good fighters; but he beat them.

 

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Can anything else be asked of a fighter than to take on all comers and vanquish them?

 

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A fighter can not help when he is born or the environment of the world at the time he fights.

 

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All he can do is train hard and be the best he can be???..and Larry Holmes did just that.

 

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Still, while we???re on the subject, how does Larry???s competition measure up to that of Louis and Ali???s? In ???The Brown Bomber???s??? pre-title days he beat some pretty fierce competition in former world champions Primo Carnera, Max Baer and Jack Sharkey as well as ranking contenders King Levinsky and Paulino Uzcudun.

 

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Baer was the Foreman of his day and was just months removed from losing the world title in an upset decision to Jim Braddock when Louis bounced him three times on the way to a fourth round stoppage.

 

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I disagree 100%

 

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After kayoing Braddock in eight for the title, Louis defeated more men defending his belt than any other heavyweight champion ever to own the gold.

 

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Among the victims were such notable fighters as slick Englishman Tommy Farr, former world champion Max Schmeling, Big Abe Simon, Max Baer???s younger but bigger brother Buddy, former light-heavyweight champion, slick master-boxer Billy Conn, the explosive Lou Nova, the slick and awkward Arturo Godoy, the murderous punching Tami Mauriello, and the classic cutie Jersey Joe Walcott among many, many others???25 in all. Go ahead, check the record books. They weren???t all the bum of the month.

 

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Ali? Well, for starters, he upset one of the most feared fighters of all time, Sonny Liston, to win the title in 1964.

 

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Then, during his first reign gained a mercy stoppage over former champ Floyd Patterson, humiliated WBA titlist Ernie Terrell, out-toughed tough man George Chuvalo, put on a dazzling display against faded puncher Cleveland Williams while stopping him inside three and kayoed Zora Folley in seven in his last defense before engaging in a three year battle with Uncle Sam.

 

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After the layoff, right out of the gate he stopped the #2 ranked fighter in the world, Jerry Quarry in three rounds on a serious cut and gave Oscar Bonavena the only knock-out defeat of his career in the fifteenth round before dropping a decision to then-champion, Joe Frazier.

 

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After the loss to Frazier, Ali beat contenders Jimmy Ellis, Buster Mathis, Mac Foster, Joe Bugner, and reigning Light Heavyweight Champion, Bob Foster among others before losing a split decision to Ken Norton. In his next fight, Ali returned the favor to Norton and then avenged his loss to Frazier before becoming only the second man in history to regain the heavyweight championship with a shocking eighth round knock-out over Sonny Liston???s protégé, George Foreman.

 

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Following Foreman, Ali took on all comers, like Louis, beating Frazier, Bugner, and Norton in rematches and taking on top contenders Ron Lyle, Jimmy Young, and possibly the hardest punching heavyweight who has ever lived, Earnie Shavers before losing his beloved belt in a huge upset to boxing novice, Leon Spinks.

 

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Still, he made history when he came back to decision Spinks in the Superdome and became the only man to ever win the linear Heavyweight Championship three times.

 

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How does Holmes compare?

 

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Well, Larry didn???t start off his pro-career to much hoopla.

 

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It wasn???t until he faced and defeated the fearsome Shavers that the boxing public began to take him seriously.

 

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Then came his WBC Title victory over Ali???s old nemesis, Ken Norton, in a fight that could rival ???The Thrilla in Manila??? and Holyfield-Bowe I for most exciting heavyweight championship bout ever.

 

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No one was in their seats when the decision was announced in Holmes favor.

 

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. Following his harrowing display of courage in winning the title, Larry, like Louis and Ali before him, turned no challenger away.

 

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Not true, Ali avoided a rematch with Foreman for 3 1/2 years.....total bitch