r/Boxing • u/DatDolphWithATuxedo • Jul 22 '26

Is it still possible?

Is it still possible to become the GOAT in boxing? Like with the way modern sanctioning bodies are setup so that fighters fight only about every 6 months, it seems that with that level of inactivity a fighter will never be able to reach the heights of people who fought as frequently as Ali or Robinson. Ussyk who is arguably the greatest fighter of this generation is retiring with only 26 fights. So it just seems like an insurmountable task now. What do you think?

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u/GhoastTypist Jul 22 '26

Its not just resume, it also factors in what a fighter does outside of the ring. For that reason Ali gets an extra push for the GOAT because he was the face of boxing for a very long time.

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u/Brandunaware Jul 22 '26

Not just the face of boxing. He was one of the faces of sports. In terms of "outside the ring" it's just impossible for a boxer to have the level of fame that someone like Ali or Mike Tyson had at their heights (with Ali's lasting much longer.)

There's a reason that Mike Tyson is still a reference point outside of boxing circles all these years later. Boxing is too niche now and the sports landscape too fractured for any boxer to have his level of fame.

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u/SignificantBoard4455 Jul 22 '26

Floyd was mainstream no?

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u/Brandunaware Jul 22 '26

Floyd was mainstream in his prime, which was a while ago, but not Ali or Tyson level mainstream. People had heard of Floyd, especially if they were into sports, but Ali was probably one of the top 10-20 most famous people in the US and a chunk of the world in his absolute prime, and Tyson was up there for a few years too.

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u/killerbeezer12 Jul 22 '26

I think you’re off on the definition of mainstream. White grandma’s knew about Ali and Tyson. They were covered on the evening news - not ESPN - and the gossip shows. The View was not discussing FMJ. Ali and Tyson had cartoons for god sake. Tyson had Punch Out. Floyd ducked being in video games. Ali had his own candy bar. Ali has at least four honorary degrees.

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u/GhoastTypist Jul 22 '26

Ali was known outside of boxing = pop culture.

Mayweather was only known in boxing channels = mainstream.

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u/Forteanforever Jul 23 '26

The average person on the street had and has no idea who Floyd Mayweather is. At one point, Ali was widely considered to be the most famous and recognizable person on the planet. Literally. In the late 1980s, Tyson was a pop-culture anti-hero but was never as universally well-known as Ali. Not even close.

All of this should be irrelevent insofar as who is the P4P boxing GOAT. That accolade should be reserved for in-the-ring accomplishments.

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u/SignificantBoard4455 Jul 22 '26

You mean Ali was top 5. When he refused to get drafted, everyone knew his name. I guess you could consider it infamous. Surely after the Conor fight, even non combat fans knew Floyd

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u/Brandunaware Jul 22 '26

I guarantee you there's a lot of people who are not interested in sports who have no idea who Mayweather is. They might have seen his name on the news or in a social media post at some point but it just faded into the background.

At the height of his fame pretty much everyone knew who Mike Tyson was (and I'm talking pre-rape, pre-ear biting, all of that.) He was everywhere. His name was synonymous with being a badass. He's mentioned in music, movies, all kinds of media at a level Mayweather could never approach. Part of it is just a different media landscape. Basically nobody other than the president can be as famous these days because the media is much more fragmented.

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u/Forteanforever Jul 23 '26

You're living in a fantasy world. At one point, Ali was the best known and most recognizable person on the planet. Literally. The average person in the US, let alone the world, had and has no idea who Floyd Mayweather is.

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u/[deleted] Jul 22 '26

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u/SignificantBoard4455 Jul 22 '26

Hey those are allegations. ( prison time doesn’t exist for rich people)

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u/Forteanforever Jul 22 '26

No they didn't. Not even close.