Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, De La Hoya And Crawford All Named The Same Fighter As The Greatest Ever

Four of the biggest names in boxing have named the same legendary fighter as who they believe to be the greatest ever.

One man who is often regarded as being the ‘GOAT’ is late-great heavyweight icon Muhammad Ali, who remains arguably the most influential figure that the sport has ever seen.

Despite his incredible legacy, Ali once revealed in a feature with ESPN that Sugar Ray Robinson, who he described as his ‘idol’, is actually the greatest fighter of all time.

“My idol when I was growing up was Sugar Ray Robinson. He was the greatest of them all.”

Much like Ali, Robinson’s influence on boxing and his technical brilliance set him apart from the rest. He fought over 200 times as a professional, becoming a six-time world champion in the process.

Another heavyweight great who dominated the sport during the 80’s is Mike Tyson, who also paid homage to Robinson in a resurfaced interview.

“Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest fighter that ever lived.”

Robinson reigned as the welterweight champion between 1946 and 1951, before he made the move up to middleweight where he captured the world championship five times in a nine year period.

Legendary fighter-turned-promoter Oscar De La Hoya didn’t hesitate to name ‘Sugar Ray’ as the greatest fighter of all time in his opinion whilst speaking to ESNEWS.

“Sugar Ray Robinson is the greatest of all time! That’s basically it, look at this here [his shirt] all the weight divisions, hardest puncher, best footwork, he would fight multiple times a month, took on the very best, took on the toughest challenges. Sugar Ray Robinson, he’s literally the GOAT.”

One fighter who has taken the boxing world by storm more recently is two-weight undisputed champion Terence Crawford, who claimed in an interview with Manouk Akopyan that ‘nobody’ will surpass Robinson.

“I think Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali. I don’t think those spots will ever be taken.”

Robinson gave his life to boxing, and remains respected by millions of fighters, fans and analysts around the world. After a brave battle with Alzheimer’s disease, he passed away aged just 67-years-old in 1989.