I doubt any athlete will mean as much to American culture as Muhammed Ali. He was bigger than his sport, bigger than sports. He stood his ground against the US government, the Nation of Islam, and many social norms. He was an icon.

Chael’s argument doesn’t hold up with boxers in the past. There was a time where boxing was second only to baseball in popularity. There was much higher participation on the amateur and professional level than there is today. So if you became a champion in the 80’s or earlier you had to fight through much tougher and more plentiful competition.

Ali had a career that was very reminiscent of Michael Jordan. Ali was the best in two eras, before his suspension/retirement and after. Two eras and two different styles, just like MJ. When you include Ali’s cultural impact of refusing to fight in Vietnam, Ali is the greatest and always will be.

It’s makes me so happy to see people talk about Muhammad Ali with admiration and praise. It’s nice to see regardless of what people disagree about and go against eachother on, we can all agree to have a common love for someone as great as Muhammad Ali🙌🏽

the peoples champ will never be replaced. the man gave up his belts, millions in prize money and the prime of his career to stand for what he believed in

Ali had the chin to handle Tyson. He had the endurance to take Tyson into deep water. He had the skill and the speed to break Tyson down.

Pre vietnam Ali showed such speed, fight IQ and reflexes it was unheard of. he would have his hands down and dodge punches effortlessly and then counter. floyd uses the shoulder roll and then pull counters but Ali had a completely different level of reflexes and speed especially compared to heavy weights. it was post vietnam with the 4 year layoff where he starting rope a doping and he got hit a lot. he won his title back but it led to CTE and parkinsons

"My juiced up buddy LeBron" 😂😂😂

The boxing greats that were around before about the year 1990 are so great because back then if you wanted to be a combat athlete it was boxing or nothing. There was no mma, there was no bjj, there was no major kickboxing or point karate. It was boxing and that's it. There was wrestling but it was smaller than it is today and it's not that big today still. Even football and the NBA athletes didn't really make that much money relative to what they make today. So you were just competing against a much bigger pool of guys. if Jon Jones grew up in the 70s he'd have been a boxer. If Francis Ngannou grew up in the 80s he'd have been a boxer. So if you came out at the top of the heap against the rest of the competition back then you were really something special.

At the end of the Ali Frazier 3 fight, Ali did ask to cut his gloves and did say he was done. Frazier though, did not. He was blind in one eye for most of his career and his one good eye had been closed up for about 2 rounds. Frazier felt he had a lead on the cards so he tried to push through even though he was literally fighting blind. His coach called the fight against Frazier's wishes and you can see/hear Frazier protesting if you watch the broadcast. After Frazier's corner called it, Ali stood up to celebrate and then immediately collapsed in the ring. They both nearly killed each other in that fight, as well as the first fight they had. Boxing ain't like that anymore.

I don't have a lot of friends anymore but I have a guy I respect and that's Chael Sonnen.

Ali beats Tyson. All of Tyson’s losses came from longer guys who weathered the early storm and outclassed him in the later rounds. Ali was built for those grueling fights, his heart and chin were legendary

This is a back handed compliment. Someone please tell Chael that the number of competitors and nations at the Olympic games for boxing is about the same as it is for wrestling 😢

Ali is was and will forever be the Greatest period. full stop. Love the man.!

I ain't neva gonna stop loving you Chael

"Mike Tyson was the greatest of all-time!" - Chael Undefeated "Hold my ear....." - Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield

In fifty years, a LOT has changed. The equipment, shoes, gloves, rules, nutritional beliefs, and so much more. There wasn't even the internet, yet! It makes for fascinating discussions/debates. We could talk about it all day. I'm a casual when it comes to boxing, but I was a child during the Muhammad Ali era. Nothing can come close to Ali's level of super-star status these days. There was a Top 10 song about him on the radio! "Float's like a butterfly and stings like a bee". Muhammad Ali was the greatest Champ.

Chael talking about LeBron juicing will always make me laugh my ass off 😂😂

“My juiced up buddy lebron”😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Had the honor of shaking his hand when he had his car come through our carwash in Chandler Arizona.

Who beat everyone? Rocky Marciano. Ali said he doesn’t know if he would have beaten him. Wasn’t a flashy fighter, instead he wore his opponents down.

The most fascinating thing is how Ali probably established his greatness against Foreman with his sheer force of will and Foreman was broken afterward. When Foreman came back he captured the hearts and minds of people everywhere by still being a savage in the ring but also by being a great human, arguably as influential as Ali. Pretty amazing how steel sharpens steel Ali probably meant more to the rest of the world than to America... pretty amazing

He really was the greatest. Pre jail ali throwing like sixteen 1-2s back to back without being gased in the least is like the craziest fkn thing i EVER saw in my life. The only complaint i could have about ali is it was before i was born and didnt get to see it live. He transcended the sport, was a cultural icon and still is looked at this way to this day. Best ever, hands down.

Love watching u during my break at work 👍🏽👍🏽

All the boxing questions i answered easily lol besides the school one

Ali and Lee was and will always be the face of Martial Arts.

Trying to put down Muhammad Ali indirectly by belittling him for a while and then praising him a little bit so the viewer doesn't realize In spite of that, if his argument was true I would have understood him saying that but on the contrary, his arguments are invalid Muhammad Ali lost his best years and yet had 19 title defenses, beat all boxer in the greatest era. All of that way out of his prime. No wonder people consider him the greatest ❤

Combat martial arts is one form of sport where it's completely relevant to study athletes of the past. I've learned a lot with youtube. It's great. You can see old fights, see them train, interviews and interviews about them. Who among us saw Ali and Frazier? We grew up hearing or reading about it but not until now can we go and watch every round. I highly recommend it for educational purposes if you make a living in this sport. One thing I never knew about Ali until I pulled up the Frazier fights was how tough he was. We all think of him as the master boxer matador dancing and floating, but the man was tough as nails. All you have to do is watch one of those fights. The body shots he was getting hit with were sick.

"my juiced up buddy lebron"🤣

Ali! Cheers, Uncle Chael! ❤

Roy Jones Jr imo in his prime was so dame fast it’s scary.

Boxing has 2 sides: the business side pro boxing and the sports side amateur side. Back then, boxers would fight weekly. Ali had like 120 amateur fights and 60 pro fights. In todays days, you can easily have 120 amateur fights, but 60 pro is pretty rare.

The original argument doesn't make sense, when Ali and other boxers from back then were at their best the nba and nfl didn't or just barely existed. Boxing was the only sport a freak athlete could make real money in. That's the reason boxing is the only sport in the world that has any argument over early era's being superior to what they are today

Boxing always remember by his name 🐐 Muhammad Ali. He was bigger than his sport.

Muhammad ali forever ✊

Ali was an icon of the C20. Far greater than sport.

Can tell Chael grew up in the mean streets of West Linn. There are good boxing gyms all over the country. His silly questions should draw looks of concern because knowing a boxer, trying a boxing lesson, etc. are not unusual things.

It was the first Ali -Liston championship fight, where Liston had a substance on his gloves, that got into Ali’s eyes. Ali eyes were burning and he couldn’t see, so he told his trainer Angelo Dundee to cut his gloves. Dundee told him it was the Championship bout, and he wasn’t cutting the gloves. Ali’s eyes cleared up and he proceeded to beat Liston, until he quit on his stool in the 6 rd. Before Mike Tyson, Ali was the youngest to win the Heavyweight title after that fight with Liston.

I’m from Albuquerque New Mexico , we have a boxing gym every corner boxers all threw the schools

This is why globally soccer (football to everywhere outside America) is by far the biggest sport on earth. The Super Bowl gets 100’s of millions that view it but The World Cup gets billions just in the final let alone the total viewership for the entire tournament (it is so big it doesn’t even have to specify it is a soccer tournament, it is just simply the World Cup and we all know what that means).

Jack Johnson has to be in this discussion. The racism he overcame, unlimited rounds in some cases. Daniele Bolelli does and incredible multi-part podcast about Jack.

Sugar Ray Robinson

Chael, please buy a mic it would make production value much higher

Respect to chael sonnen

Chael being modest

It was Frazier's corner for the trilogy fight against Ali that stopped Joe from heading back in, but Joe himself still wanted to fight on.

Your title shows your intelligence

I personally know Allen Green. Him and his brother worked for my dad. I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

There are like seven boxing gyms with in a mile from my house

Ail fought everyone in his era

He was a true athlete

Chael can you please to a video on the USA women’s soccer team playing men and your thoughts. How or how does it not help the story line as you like to reference. Please again and thank you.

I live around Boston…not West Lynn OR - there are PLENTY of places to lace up the gloves in/around Boston & Providence lol

Ali was 210 pounds not 198 when he won the championship from Liston in 64

CHAEL! Please speak on the robbery which was the main event last night. I’m curious to hear your thoughts!

Chael how good is the story of Irene Aldana getting a title shot at nunes? Aldana has been training with grasso an she has taken out Valentina beaten by nunes then stepped down an reigned if irene can beat nunes it really sets a bar along with two mexican female champs simultaneously

7:50 correction, youre talking about manilla and its true the last round never happened. BUT joe argued with his corner PLEADED to be let out for the last round. joes corner stopped the fight not joe

Chael "the goat of how to turn a 2 minute point into 10 minutes" Sonnen

Hey, Coach! Sneaking in the back door at the cinema, after hours! Sorry I'm late! I think the most gifted boxer of all time, is Sugar Ray Leonard! He was beautiful to watch! Most influential, Ali ! Scariest, Iron Mike! Best ever... I'd have to go with Lennox. (As far as playing the "SPORT" of boxing!) That overhand right was the freaking TERMINATOR! It would've been fun to see him & Fury go a couple!

That's crazy, in England it's the complete opposite boxing gyms everywhere good luck finding a wrestling gym. We complement each other;).

Ali was not 198 pounds he was around 212 - 221 most of his career

My BEST FRIEND is a gold loves in B.C. Canada , Oregon and Washington! I have a boxing down street! A lot good boxing gyms are in the Portland.

every city in america has multiple boxing gyms 😂

Chael knows who steph curry is. What a time to be alive. The greatest to ever do it in his field, blew the competition out of the water, is acknowledging some little basketball nerd😂💯 #Dubnation

I’m in the SF Bay Area. There are a LOT of boxing gyms here. I don’t know anyone who boxes. I also don’t know anyone who does MMA. I do have a friend who is a boxing manager and got licensed and all that (they don’t box). The closest boxing gym is about a half mile away. It’s about the same distance from me to an MMA gym. I will say I’ve dated several women who had previously dated MMA fighters and they enjoyed it so much they ALL individually have a no MMA fighters rule. I still don’t think I know enough to talk about the greatest of all time. For most people that becomes a popularity contest. Ali, Fraser, and Tyson are folks who a lot of people are terrified of. Emanual Agustus is incredibly fun to watch, but he’s certainly not the best of all time. I’d leave it up to people who are heavily invested in the global sport (it’s in the Olympics).

George Foreman is stylistically a nightmare for Tyson who was afraid to fight 40 year old Foreman. Holyfield who did fight 40 year old Foreman and beat Tyson twice said nobody hit him harder than George. Tyson's trainer and father figure warned him that Foreman was his kryptonite. I would love to watch that because seeing Foreman go to work is just incredible.

Splitting hairs but Joe Frazier never quit on his stool. His trainer Eddie Futch did the right thing and stopped the fight.

Chael is funny but without even having to think I know 3 boxing gyms that are close to me. 1 in Virginia Beach & 2 in Norfolk. I know a lot of ppl that box including my son & his 2 little brothers. Not to mention I know at least 30 ppl that do Muay Thai since I did that for about 4 years

A guy I was neighbors with as a kid had a few fights and started a gym in New Jersey. But yeah besides that I've never met a boxer lol.

Chael The people’s champ

Like your video about what the vernacular Fighter meant. (Rogan vs Tyson). Greatness, what is it? Great Athlete - Iron Mike Great Leader - FDR, JFK, Mandela Who has just as much fighting accomplishments as Mike and still is just as inspiring as those leaders. walked the talk, went 15 rounds with Uncle Sam. Brother, now that is Greatness.

I know many boxers, many kids in my neighbourhood were boxers, 4 of my uncles were golden gloves boxers, I went to school with a WBO lightweight world champion. I have no idea what he's talking about.

sounds like cheal just watched the Big George Forman movie

The thing you don't understand boxing was everywhere from the 1930s to the 60s more like MMA today. now it's just in the inner cities in the US but if you go to Mexico or Ireland, there's a boxing gym on every corner.

When Ali refused to fight for these lame arse men who wanted him to die for him, they grounded him, this also efected his career. For before it, he was something else.

My friends box im slightly confused about the first questions haha

Muhammed Ali was mysterious asf; wanna Go now isso

🐐

I'm from Lowell Massachusetts. Everyone knows a boxer or has a family member who boxed lol

Never is worse than late

I'm from the UK and have three boxing gyms in walking distance. no real basketball courts though!

My juiced up buddy Lebron 😆😂

Welcome to the party

Ali transcended sports unlike any other athlete, the closest figure I can think of would be Michael Jackson, which is saying a lot.

I have a buddy that boxed. Jimmy “baby face” Franco. He fought, but it never went anywhere for him.

What exactly was said in this video......?

I just realized how great Leon Edwards is

This guy’s got an issue with boxing😂 The f#cking guru of all sports over here.

I like drunk Chael

Certain areas/neighborhoods have a lot of boxing.

I myself disagree! Because I grew up boxing from a young age! I new all kinds of fighters! I new were every gym in the city was! There Is thousands of boxers worldwide! I have respect for everyone who gets in that ring! God bless you

Mohammad Ali the greatest

There's a lot of stories about how Don King tried to get Mike Tyson to fight George Foreman, and Foreman extended his career for the Tyson payday fight but also publicly said he didn't want to fight Tyson, and Mike Tyson told Don King he wanted nothing to do with Foreman because it was a bad style matchup. Tyson is too much like the short scrappy Joe Frazier that Foreman was able to dominate so easily, though Frazier had beaten Muhammed Ali.

Get so pissed whenever chael says you couldn’t name a boxer bc I’m from mass and they are fucking everywhere bro 😭😭

Lol I went to school with Douglas Lima bud. Everyone knew Joe Frazier, Ali, Lennox Lewis, Foreman, Holyfield, Bofa, Chávez, Julio. I Graduated in 2005 everyone i knew growing up knew about all if this as well

Listening to this man, reminds me of pro wrestling or NASCAR. Many times the logic of it is mind numbing dumb… but there’s an entertainment factor that comes with it.

Evolution happens over millions of years Chael.

Things do not always develop in a straight line upwards and that includes evolution. There are points in history where things actually regress and I believe sports is not an exception.

There are three ways to win in boxing: ko, tko, decision. So, how does Mike beat Ali? Because he's not stopping him, let alone knocking him out. NO ONE stopped or ko'd Ali. And do you really believe Mike's going to decision Ali? Finally, Mike acknowledged Ali would beat him, and no, he wasn't just being humble.

Amir albazi knows how to use a mic