Longtime boxing commentator Jim Lampley has seen some of the greatest fighters of all time compete in the ring, but he remains loyal to one juggernaut.
Jim Lampley is a boxing pioneer and one of the most recognizable voices in combat sports. The diverse broadcaster has called 14 Olympic Games, and numerous big-name boxing events, and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.
Lampley has also chopped it up at the broadcast desk with several big-name boxing legends including Roy Jones Jr., Lennox Lewis, and Andre Ward. During Mike Tyson’s rise in the 1980s, Lampley was and remains an important voice in the boxing world.
But when it comes to the fighter he admired the most, he looks back to his youth.
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Jim Lampley remains loyal to his childhood boxing idol
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Lampley stayed loyal to his roots when asked about his favorite all-time fighter.
“My favorite fighter of all time, yes there is one, his name is Muhammad Ali,” Lampley said. “My first true love affair with a fighter was Cassius Clay. I was thrilled both by the social/historical position of Cassius Clay, because I was a southern boy raised to fight against racism and respect people who didn’t fight against racism. Listen to all my neighbors in the South who couldn’t pronounce the word ‘negro’ correctly, etc. It was very big to me and in my heart…
“So when Cassius Clay came along, taunting the white establishment the way he did. I bonded and identified [with that], and he was my favorite fighter way before the movement in the ring, and multi-talented presentation of how he could fight…so to this day, still, favorite fighter? Muhammad Ali.”
Muhammad Ali is a common name mentioned amongst boxing fans’ all-time favorite combatants, but Lampley’s pick is a little surprising. Despite seeing a slew of legends enter and leave the ring since Ali’s career, Ali remains at the top of his list all these years later.
Muhammad Ali remains at the top of Jim Lampley’s all-time list
Ali, commonly known as ‘The Greatest’, made a difference in and out of the boxing ring during his life and career. He defeated a slew of heavyweight legends during his prime, including famous performances against the likes of Joe Frazier, George Foreman, and Floyd Patterson.
Ali ended his career with a 56-5 professional record after spoiling fans with numerous memories on the microphone and in the ring. He set the standard for heavyweight boxing greatness, leading to the development of top names like Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, and Mike Tyson.
Ali and Lampley share spots in the boxing history books for their impact on the sport. After their HOF inductions, their legacies will be intertwined for years to come.