Holyfield, however, argues that his own resume surpasses Ali’s. He believes his accomplishments have largely been overlooked despite becoming the only four-time heavyweight champion after surpassing Ali’s record.
“I’m the only four-time heavyweight champion of the world, but they are still talking about Ali when I broke his record. I’ve been the only four-time heavyweight champion of the world for 24 years,” said Holyfield to Secondsout.
“You can’t talk about it until you break someone’s record; they don’t say nothing about me. How do you cut somebody out of history? Now I didn’t even know I was the first person to be undisputed in two weight divisions until Usyk did it.
“They keep saying Ali is the best fighter, no I am. He was three times, I’m four.”
Holyfield won his fourth heavyweight title in 2000 when he defeated John Ruiz to reclaim the WBA belt. More than two decades later, nobody has matched that feat.
Beyond his heavyweight accomplishments, Holyfield was also the first fighter to become the undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, a distinction later matched by Oleksandr Usyk. His career included victories over Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Michael Dokes and Michael Moorer.
The debate over the greatest heavyweight of all time remains subjective, with many fans continuing to rank Ali first because of his accomplishments inside and outside the ring.
Holyfield remains the only four-time heavyweight champion in boxing history, while his achievement of becoming the first undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight was later matched by Oleksandr Usyk. Those accomplishments form the basis of his belief that his place in the sport’s history has been overlooked.
