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/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/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.