IS MUHAMMAD ALI REALLY THE GREATEST?

Yes

TO be considered as a great you have to transcend the sport which you dominate and very few athletes have managed it (“Ali’s show comes to town... and it packs a punch!”, March 4).

When Muhammad Ali said: “I am the greatest” he was right. People who didn’t even like boxing would watch his fights on TV because they loved him.

They’ll be queueing around the block to see his exhibition at the O2 in London featuring his boxing gloves, boots and other equipment from his glory days when he ruled the world. I’ll certainly be there. James Clark, Nottingham

No

MUHAMMAD Ali is the best boxer who ever lived and is quite rightly a 20th century icon. His fame spread far wider than the boxing ring and he is a hero to millions.

But is he the greatest sportsman ever? I don’t think so.

Football is more popular than boxing and players such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and George Best could all lay claim to having a greater influence on popular culture than Ali.

Their names are sprinkled with magic dust, too, and catch the imagination in the same way as Ali. Duncan Harvey,

Manchester