Evander Holyfield says he's the best boxer ever. The former heavyweight champ puts himself above Muhammad Ali in a recent chat with Seconds Out.
Holyfield didn't hold back when talking about his place in boxing history. He pointed out his unique achievement of winning the heavyweight title four times.
"I'm the only four-time heavyweight champion of the world but they are still talking about Ali when I broke his record," Holyfield said. He's held this record for 24 years now.
The boxer known as 'The Real Deal' seems frustrated that his accomplishments don't get the same recognition as Ali's. "You can't talk about it until you break someone's record, they don't say nothing about me. How do you cut somebody out of history?" he asked.
Holyfield didn't stop there. He directly compared himself to Ali: "They keep saying Ali is the best fighter, no I am. He was three times, I'm four."
It's true that Holyfield's resume is impressive. He's the only fighter to win the heavyweight championship four separate times. He's also one of just two boxers to be undisputed champion in both cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.
But Ali, nicknamed 'The Greatest', has left a huge mark on boxing history. He rose to fame after winning Olympic gold in 1960. In 1964, he shocked the world by knocking out Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight championship.
Ali's career took a pause for over four years when he refused to join the Vietnam War. But he came back strong in the early 1970s. His comeback peaked in 1974 when he beat George Foreman in the famous 'Rumble In The Jungle', reclaiming the heavyweight title.
Holyfield feels his achievements should put him above Ali in boxing's pantheon. But with Ali's cultural impact and legendary status, that's a tough argument to win. The debate about who's truly the greatest will likely continue for years to come.
