The Greatest Ever - Ali or Phelps?
- Thread starter rodgerblue
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I think Ali would beat the crap out of Phelps in a fight
If Phelps sucker punched Ali and then jumped into a pool, Phelps wins.
If Ali sucker punched Phelps and then jumped into a pool, Phelps also wins.
If Phelps really wants to be the greatest ever, have his *** jump in the Ohio River and find Ali's lost 1960 Gold Medal. If he does that, Imma call him Champ myself.
It's swimming. Hell no. Hey, if we can find a river or ocean and get in, i can do awesome stuff. We live on land. Be athletic on that. If I met usain bolt, he could start running right in front of me. If I gave ali some sass, he'd whip my monkey *** right then and there.
How is it Phelps when he isn't even the fastest swimmer. Race to the other side of the pool, or down and back. 50 & 100 M freestyle. He isn't even in that race. Oh, if you want to see who is fastest but upside down, he's your guy. Or race, but only if you purposely go slower and move your arms like this, and not this. Who cares? Is Usain Bolt about to run backwards or sideways. No, because that's stupid as **** and no one cares. Its the only Olympic sport where the rules were derived from children going, ok but now you have to do it this a way.
How is it Phelps when he isn't even the fastest swimmer. Race to the other side of the pool, or down and back. 50 & 100 M freestyle. He isn't even in that race. Oh, if you want to see who is fastest but upside down, he's your guy. Or race, but only if you purposely go slower and move your arms like this, and not this. Who cares? Is Usain Bolt about to run backwards or sideways. No, because that's stupid as **** and no one cares. Its the only Olympic sport where the rules were derived from children going, ok but now you have to do it this a way.
It is impossible to really compare the two. Ali in his prime was untouchable, as is Phelps. Both did things in their discipline that at the time no one had seen anything like it. Both are considered the GOAT in their respective sports in their time.
If I had to choose however, what Ali has against him is the passage of time. Since Ali, there was Tyson. A man that in his prime, begged the question from everyone, could he take Ali at his best. He made everyone seriously question if Ali truly was the greatest the sport had seen.
Phelps has yet to have that person arrive. Before Phelps, Ian Thorpe from Australia was the top dog in the sport. Phelps then went on to dominate him head to head in his first Olympic Games. Since then, Phelps has owned the swimming world. Sure, he's been beaten a handful of times, but as he is showing in these games, he is still the top of the mountain in his sport. Because of that, I have to give the nod to Phelps.
If I had to choose however, what Ali has against him is the passage of time. Since Ali, there was Tyson. A man that in his prime, begged the question from everyone, could he take Ali at his best. He made everyone seriously question if Ali truly was the greatest the sport had seen.
Phelps has yet to have that person arrive. Before Phelps, Ian Thorpe from Australia was the top dog in the sport. Phelps then went on to dominate him head to head in his first Olympic Games. Since then, Phelps has owned the swimming world. Sure, he's been beaten a handful of times, but as he is showing in these games, he is still the top of the mountain in his sport. Because of that, I have to give the nod to Phelps.
I agree. The way he obliterated the world's best athletes in the sport in that 4x medley at 31 was amazing.
So I guess you missed it when Phelps destroyed the competition in the freestyle portion of the 4x medley? Thought so.
Most Accomplished Olympic Athlete Ever- Phelps
Best Swimmer of All Time- Phelps
Best Heavyweight Champion of All Time- Ali
Best Swimmer of All Time- Phelps
Best Heavyweight Champion of All Time- Ali
Phelps is the greatest swimmer of all time without question.
Ali is one of the two greatest boxers of all time. Many people think that Joe Lewis was better. I think it is a tossup. Lewis holds the record for most consecutive title wins (25) and length as champ (11 years 8 months). That is amazing.
http://www.boxingnews24.com/2015/10...-who-is-the-real-greatest-heavyweight-of-all/
Ali is one of the two greatest boxers of all time. Many people think that Joe Lewis was better. I think it is a tossup. Lewis holds the record for most consecutive title wins (25) and length as champ (11 years 8 months). That is amazing.
http://www.boxingnews24.com/2015/10...-who-is-the-real-greatest-heavyweight-of-all/
I'll say it again: right now, just past Ali's death, we're in a sort of hagiography period. Understandably - that's what people do when someone dies, they praise them. In Ali's case in particular, it's easy to conflate the cultural and political importance with what happened inside the ring. So, yeah, right now if you google "best boxers of all time", you're going to get very recent listings, and they will have Ali at or near the top. But only a few years ago, that wasn't the case.
Burt Sugar - who probably knew fight history as well as anyone - had Ali at number 7. Just one example, but it's consistent with other rankings I've seen.
http://www.si.com/boxing/photos/2012/03/26bert-sugars-all-time-greatest-fighters
Burt Sugar - who probably knew fight history as well as anyone - had Ali at number 7. Just one example, but it's consistent with other rankings I've seen.
http://www.si.com/boxing/photos/2012/03/26bert-sugars-all-time-greatest-fighters
Contest would only be fair if it were a boxing match in a square pool. Phelps FTMFW!
One sport gets punched in the face repeatedly, the other is doing the safest form of cardio for your muscles/bones/joints.
I'm not sure I can say Ali is definitively better than Phelps.. but I certainly can't say Phelps is better than Ali.
And why are we even comparing "Accompolished Olympian"? One dominant year of swimming could net you more medals than 30 years of Olympic boxing. A swimmer will always be the greatest Olympian until another sport has the same medal opportunities.
I'm not sure I can say Ali is definitively better than Phelps.. but I certainly can't say Phelps is better than Ali.
And why are we even comparing "Accompolished Olympian"? One dominant year of swimming could net you more medals than 30 years of Olympic boxing. A swimmer will always be the greatest Olympian until another sport has the same medal opportunities.
I also think you can make the argument that the greatest Olympian can, and should, only come from the Decathlon. Can Phelps also swim the 1500, Synchronize swim, Dive, and play Water Polo?
Track says hi, maybe. Lots of running events, but are there as many as swimming, and all of the swim variations? And aside from Decathlons, how many Olympians are shot putting and running the 1600?
Still think Swimming, being a more specialized sport, offers a much more realistic chance for medal count than Track and/or Field.
At least he participated in the joke. That's gotta count for something, right?
Secretariat, greatest athletic performance ever.
Jesse Owens f***ed Hitler.
He's the greatest Olympian without any question.
Learn pissing off the Furher because you are just that bad ***.
He's the greatest Olympian without any question.
Learn pissing off the Furher because you are just that bad ***.
I liked Bert Sugar and liked to listen to him. But he may have had too many bourbons when he made that list.
Ray Ewry won 8 individual Olympic golds and 2 individual Intercalated golds from 1900-1908.
Ewry's eight Olympic gold medals in individual events (i.e. non-relay), although now second to Michael Phelps's 13, was the record, all alone, for 100 years and 23 days—from July 23, 1908, until Phelps won his eighth on August 15, 2008 (followed by his ninth on August 16).
His record of winning three gold medals in one event, although it had subsequently been equaled by seven other athletes, was not surpassed for 60 years—from 1908 until Al Oerter won his fourth gold (discus throw) in 1968, a feat equaled byCarl Lewis when he won his fourth (long jump) in 1996, and by Michael Phelps when he won his fourth (200 meter individual medley) in 2016.
Finally, his record of three gold medals in two events, set in July 1908 (standing long jump on July 20 and standing high jump on July 23), has never been surpassed and had for 104 years and 11 days not been equaled—until in 2012 Michael Phelps won his third gold in the 100 meter butterfly on August 3, having won his third in the 200-meter individual medley on August 2.
Ewry's superiority is also displayed by the fact that his world record in the standing long jump (3.47 m or 11 ft 5 in[4]) was still standing when the event was discontinued internationally in the 1930s.
Ewry's eight Olympic gold medals in individual events (i.e. non-relay), although now second to Michael Phelps's 13, was the record, all alone, for 100 years and 23 days—from July 23, 1908, until Phelps won his eighth on August 15, 2008 (followed by his ninth on August 16).
His record of winning three gold medals in one event, although it had subsequently been equaled by seven other athletes, was not surpassed for 60 years—from 1908 until Al Oerter won his fourth gold (discus throw) in 1968, a feat equaled byCarl Lewis when he won his fourth (long jump) in 1996, and by Michael Phelps when he won his fourth (200 meter individual medley) in 2016.
Finally, his record of three gold medals in two events, set in July 1908 (standing long jump on July 20 and standing high jump on July 23), has never been surpassed and had for 104 years and 11 days not been equaled—until in 2012 Michael Phelps won his third gold in the 100 meter butterfly on August 3, having won his third in the 200-meter individual medley on August 2.
Ewry's superiority is also displayed by the fact that his world record in the standing long jump (3.47 m or 11 ft 5 in[4]) was still standing when the event was discontinued internationally in the 1930s.
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Phelps was significantly more successful as an Olympic athlete.
Phelps was much more dominant in his sport.
Although his story is not finished, it is very hard to imagine Phelps having even close to Ali's impact on greater society.
Phelps was much more dominant in his sport.
Although his story is not finished, it is very hard to imagine Phelps having even close to Ali's impact on greater society.