Ali Vs Armstrong (greatest Athlete)

While watching the final stage of the Le Tour de France, the commentators showed some clips of some of the greatest athletes ever. Needless to say Ali & Armstong were shown. Who do you think is the greatest overall athlete between the two.

Jim Thorpe!

No offense it is absurd to compare athletes from different fields of play. Apples and Bananas. Lance is the greatest cyclist period. Ali was a great fighter, I like to think that if Tyson had kept his crapola together might have been even better. If you want to compare lets talk MJ versus Shaq. And so on and so on.

Between Ali and Armstong, did you mean currently, or in their prime?

Tiki bird,
Ditto with tikitoa, obscure comparison.

Prime, also keep in mind that I'm just as big of boxing fan as I am in cycling.

Cycling doesn't cause brain damage. Well wait, I guess it depends on where your brain is.

On 2004-07-26 12:42, sungod wrote:
Cycling doesn't cause brain damage.

....but only if you're wearing a helmet.

My vote is for Ali as the greatest, because HE SAID SO, and at his prime, i dont think anybody else would say different... Well maybe Frasier.

Wow, I guess the folks behind the "No sports talk" rule have moved on.

Watching Ali in his prime was mesmerizing. He was quick, coordinated, and a good counter puncher - and that was BEFORE he stepped into the ring.

For me, he is an icon of his era even more than an athlete. Ali affected the whole nation, he transcended his sport.

Let's see Lance try changing his name to Ahmed Akhbar and see if he's lighting any Olympic Torches in 30 years.

Now, for athletic accomplishment, plenty of people have done what Ali has done, or bettered him, but Lance is standing alone in that regard.

So, sportswise, I give the nod to lance.

[ Edited by: Geeky Tiki on 2004-07-26 13:11 ]

Let's see Lance try changing his name to Ahmed Akhbar and see if he's lighting any Olympic Torches in 30 years.

Or dodging the draft...

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.

I have one story of Ali to share, relayed to me by my girlfriend a few years back. At the time, she was a Congressional Aide to one of the Senators, working in the Hart Senate Office building. This building has a large center atrium, and if a famous foreign dignitary or celebrity is walking through, the workers will come out from their offices and peer over their balcony floor to catch a glimpse of the person. Usually this is done quite low key, as there is some level of decorum to maintain

She said the best reception she ever saw was when Ali was walking through for some reason. Word quickly swept through the building, and people were lined up on all floors. And spontaneously, someone yelled out 'CHAMP!' and somebody else yelled it out too ... and soon, there was a loud chorus as practically everybody was chanting and clapping 'CHAMP! CHAMP! CHAMP!'

She says it was the most moving and emotional thing she had experienced in all of her years on the Hill -- all of those people, regardless of party affiliation, all showing their support for Ali.

I never really think of Ali and Armstrong at the same time. When I think of Lance Armstrong, I usually think of Cal Ripken Jr, as those two seem to share more common traits.

Vern

Stretch Armstrong all the way!

My choice is Lance. But if you want the greatest athlete who dominated the premier event of their sport, hands down it's Pete Sampras at Wimbledon.

Trader Woody

Oh man is that a funny picture. What a smile

On 2004-07-26 14:26, Tiki-bot wrote:
. 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.

Cycling is boring to watch - a guy riding a bike, quietly.

Smack talk, laced with verse, meter & rhyme, before & after the fight and then knocking another guy on his but is always better.

May favorite Ali story is when he gave Howard Cosell a hammer with the admonition that he would need that to protect against Ali when he ever said anything bad about him.

Who would have won in their prime: Lance Armstrong or Greg LeMonde?