I fought Evander Holyfield, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier but none hit harder than ‘Unbreakable Chin’

"Nobody, other than Sonny Liston in sparring, stood and punched it out with me with any success.

"Joe Frazier only tried once and even the great Muhammad Ali couldn’t back up quick enough. Ron Lyle would not back up.

"He was the strongest man I ever faced in any fight. The likes of Shannon Briggs, and men like that, didn’t affect me because they were just ordinary fighters.

"They didn’t make an impression and I just chased them around. The men I faced in the seventies were more fearsome than the ones I faced in the eighties and the nineties, with the exception of Evander Holyfield. Evander could have competed in any era."

Lyle was a title challenger on multiple occasions but never successfully amounted to becoming a world champion.

He too fought Ali, and caused problems with his power, bloodying the great's nose early on in 1975.

But he was eventually stopped, in no disgrace, succumbing to the widely considered best to ever grace the ring.

Foreman went on to have a brilliant time in the ring showing real longevity as a professional.

He holds the record for becoming the oldest ever heavyweight champion aged 45 knocking out Michael Moorer in 1994.

Three years later, he elected to hang up his gloves and retire after losing on a narrow points decision to Shannon Briggs.

Holyfield too left an incredible legacy in the boxing ring which includes his win over Foreman in 1991.

He reigned as an undisputed champion at both heavyweight and cruiserweight.

But none quite like Ali, who left a stamp on the sport which will likely never be matched.

His frightening technical ability and boxing skills combined with his charismatic charm and talking, made for an all-round genius.