Shannon Briggs, a seasoned heavyweight boxer, thinks only one man in history comes close to Muhammad Ali's greatness in boxing.
Briggs shared his thoughts on the greatest heavyweights during a recent chat with First Round TV. When asked about his Mount Rushmore of boxing, Briggs put two names at the top: Muhammad Ali and Jack Johnson.
Ali, known as "The Greatest," won the world heavyweight championship three times. He brought new levels of skill and sharp wit to the ring. Ali's famous fights include the Thrilla in Manila with Joe Frazier and the Rumble in the Jungle with George Foreman. He faced off against other boxing giants like Ken Norton, Ron Lyle, and Floyd Patterson.
Outside the ring, Ali stood up for civil rights causes and refused the Vietnam draft, even though it hurt his career.
But Briggs says there's one man who stands shoulder to shoulder with Ali: Jack Johnson.
"Jack Johnson cause of the climate of the world he was living in. Unreal. You could tell me go fight, there's a million white men outside, they all want to kill your ass and you got to fight for this title. I'm gunna be sh***ing bricks. You can't see my legs but they shaking already. He don't care about none of that. He got ice cold water in his veins … So, number one in the history of boxing, cause that nerve is something that's unreal …"
Briggs puts Johnson and Ali neck and neck at the top of his list. Johnson broke barriers as the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion, holding the title from 1908 to 1915. He faced extreme racial adversity both in and out of the ring.
Johnson's ring success and defiance of segregation-era norms made him a powerful figure in boxing and American history.
You can watch Briggs' full interview and hear more of his thoughts on boxing greats on First Round TV's YouTube channel.