Tony Bellew has bestowed some high praise upon a former heavyweight world champion in a recent interview.
Bellew named former world heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe as his favourite ever fighter the other day, however has came in with an even greater compliment for another former fighter.
Speaking to Carl Froch on Froch On Fighting, Bellew described Muhammad Ali as “the greatest man” who ever competed in the sport of boxing, in reference to Ali’s struggles outside of the ring.
“Muhammad Ali, every day of the week and twice on Sundays. My hero, absolute icon.”
“I adored him, the greatest man to ever put gloves on. I’m not saying he was the greatest boxer, he was the greatest man to ever compete in any sport, for what he stood for.”
“He was the most famous face in the whole world, the king of the most marquee division in the whole of boxing. And this guy gave everything for what he believed in. No sportsman would do that today.”
“He gave up everything; his family, his lifestyle, his training and his profession, all because he refused to go to war. I just think, what a man.”
Bellew is referring of course to Ali’s refusal to serve in the Vietnam war, which saw him nearly sent to prison and banned from boxing for four years in the prime of his career.
Still by far boxing’s biggest icon and even nicknamed ‘The Greatest’, Ali is not just regarded as an influential sportsman, but one of the most powerful famous figures in history. He was named Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC and Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated.