Emanuel Steward, the legendary boxing trainer, once made a bold claim about the greatest boxer of all time. He put Sugar Ray Robinson ahead of Muhammad Ali, a statement that might surprise many boxing fans.
Ali, known as 'The Greatest', changed boxing multiple times throughout his career. He won Olympic Gold in 1960 and grabbed his first world heavyweight title by beating Sonny Liston in 1964. Ali went on to defeat other heavyweight greats like Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, and George Foreman.
But Steward, who trained many champions himself, had a different view. He ranked Sugar Ray Robinson as the best fighter ever.
"Sugar Ray Robinson [number one]. The best welterweight ever! A Phenomenal record at a time when records were real!"
Steward said this when he revealed his list of greatest fighters. He put Robinson at the top, even above Ali.
Robinson's career certainly backs up Steward's opinion. He fought professionally for 25 years, from 1940 to 1965. During that time, he had over 200 professional fights. Robinson held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951 and was a five-time middleweight champion over nine years.
Sugar Ray Robinson passed away in 1989 at 67 years old after battling Alzheimer's disease. But his legacy lives on, and for trainers like Emanuel Steward, he remains the standard by which all other boxers are measured.
