Post #104275 by Tiki-bot on Mon, Jul 26, 2004 2:26 PM

The comparison is moot, but it's still fun to hear people's water-cooler arguments one way or the other. This is a tough one. For style and personality while laying the smack down, Ali wins for sure. For pure, athleticism, I'd give it to Lance. Lance doesn't really trash-talk, and people would think him an arrogant a$$hole if he did.

Lance may be the greatest TdF competitor of all time, but Eddie Merckx is generally regarded as the greatest overall cyclist of all time. While Lance concentrates nearly all his efforts on the TdF, Merckx spread his talent across many more races and has something like 4 times the number of wins that Lance has (along with 5 TdF wins).

Cycling is tough in that the challenge, especially one like the TdF, is so spread out over hours and days. Just the mental strength it takes to even finish, much less win, is immense. Even some seasoned pro riders can't do it.

But for unabashed entertainment and star quality, insane amounts of power and fortitude, combined with world-class athleticism, I'd hand it to Ali. Boxing is insanely hard even when you're not being pummeled - just try punching a bag a dancing around for 5 minutes and you'll see. Someone else may come along and break Lance's TdF record, but no one will ever match Ali's rare combination of style, wit, grace or power.

BTW, rent "When We Were Kings". It has the highest goosebump factor of any sports docu ever and is an outstanding portrait of Ali in his prime. Even non-boxing or sports fans will love it.