James Toney, a retired three-weight world champion, has stirred up controversy by claiming Muhammad Ali isn't the greatest fighter of all time. Toney shared his views in a recent interview on WiseNuts, arguing that Ali's skills declined after he changed his name from Cassius Clay.
Toney's comments challenge the widely held belief that Ali stands as the pinnacle of boxing greatness. Ali's career, spanning just over 20 years, saw him capture the world heavyweight championship three times. His crowning moment came in February 1964 when he defeated Sonny Liston for the title. Ali went on to secure historic victories against boxing legends Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, and George Foreman.
Despite Ali's impressive record, Toney didn't hold back in his criticism during the WiseNuts interview. The former middleweight, super-middleweight, and cruiserweight world champion said:
"Everybody love Ali but he ain't the greatest fighter of all time. When he was Cassius Clay, he was great. Ali is trash … I know we got a whole bunch of fans, I'm a fan myself, but I'm sorry, he is not the greatest fighter of all time."
Toney didn't stop there. He went on to name who he believes deserves the title of boxing's greatest:
"The greatest fighter of all time is Sugar Ray Robinson. He fought beautiful, Ali wanted to be him, that was his idol. Ali tried to fight like him – he tried – but he couldn't do it."
Sugar Ray Robinson, another boxing legend, fought for 25 years and stepped into the ring on over 200 occasions. Robinson became a six-time world champion during his career. One of his most notable victories came in February 1951 when he knocked out Jake LaMotta in the 13th round.
Toney's comments have certainly shaken up the boxing world. They've reopened the debate about who truly deserves the title of the greatest fighter of all time. While many will disagree with Toney's assessment, his words remind us of the subjective nature of such discussions in sports.
