From Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, to Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis, everyone was inspired by Muhammad Ali, a man better known as ‘The Greatest’

Muhammad Ali's legacy was expressed perfectly in his own words. He is unequivocally 'The Greatest of All Time'.

The legendary heavyweight world title holder set the standard for what a champion should be, leaving a lasting impression on the sport of boxing.

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When a child is born, the odds of him becoming one of the defining sporting icons of his era are astronomical.

So too are the odds of him becoming one of the defining political and cultural figures of his era.

Muhammad Ali achieved both of these feats by the time he was 33.

Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the 'Fight of the Century' at Madison Square Garden, a fight he lost to Joe Frazier, talkSPORT looks at how his impact on boxing is still being felt today, with current heavyweights continuing to idolise him half a century later.

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Tyson Fury

When asked about being compared to Ali, Fury said: "I think it's beautiful. Muhammad Ali is one of the greatest boxers of all times.

"I'm doing my thing and just enjoying life, taking one day at a time and inspiring people to do well in their lives, too.

"He's someone I admire and respect, a great fighter...

"Characters are what we need in the sport, we need people with personality.

"Not just a sports talent, but also a talented personality to connect to the normal person on the street."

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Anthony Joshua

"Great champion, great icon.

"He was a global figure in the days of no social media. Real unique, real special.

"It's just how you present yourself, don't shy away, embrace the world, embrace people. And I'm sure he found that within him and it clicked.

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"Luckily he got to project that through his boxing as well. He had a double whammy, he had the boxing and a larger-than-life character as well.

"So with him, that's how he became the icon he is and the man we see him as today - 'The Greatest'.

"His achievements in the ring, his achievements outside of the ring, especially becoming champion in civil rights movements.

"So many political reasons why he shouldn't have been champion. He overcame adversity and he made history."

Deontay Wilder

“Muhammad Ali was the true meaning of, 'The Greatest of All Time'. What he did inside and outside of the ring was phenomenal.

"I know that my era is different from his by far, but he’s a great example and that’s what he’s doing for me and my career because I’m looking at the example that he set, and I’m trying to follow his footsteps in my own way.

“What Ali [and others] stood for during the civil rights era means a lot to me. Without their sacrifice, there’s no telling what I’d be doing right now, or how my life would be right now

"You’ve got to pay homage to that. I don’t think this generation that’s coming up today really understood what people like him and the ancestors did to allow us to do be able to do what we’re doing now, man...

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“I did get an opportunity to meet Muhammad Ali, thank God. I met him back in 2007 at the AIBA World Boxing Championships. I would be [at] the Olympics the next year.

"I had the opportunity to shake his hand. We couldn’t really interact with him because we couldn’t really understand certain things he was saying, because of the Parkinson’s disease, but you could tell that he was a funny, funny man.

“You could just tell by the things he was doing with us, like throwing boxing hands. He loved to be around people. As an older man, you can see how he was when he was a younger guy, how he liked to entertain people.

"I’ll always remember that moment and it felt good to meet an icon, one of my idols, in Muhammad Ali.”

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Dillian Whyte

"Ali was a superb human being, he was good to people in and outside the ring.

"The man's done so much and changed so many people's lives. There isn't a word for him. You can't call him a 'legend', you can't call him a 'superstar'. There isn't a word for him.

"He's just an amazing man, he's an inspiration. The guy was colourful, he was passionate, he had love, he stood for what he believed in and he was a great fighter.

"Even with his sickness he outlived most of the younger guys he fought in his career. Even when he was down and out, he was still a warrior all the way up until he passed."

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Ali's impact was also felt by the generation of fighters between his and the current era.

The heavyweight champions like Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield succeeded Ali and were all attempting to emulate his greatness.

Evander Holyfield

"I'm glad to have known Ali because when I was a kid, at eight years old, I was told I would be like Ali.

"To take it upon yourself and say, 'I'm the greatest', you put yourself in a position for people to take pot shots at you – this is what Ali did.

"It's amazing, him becoming three-time heavyweight champion of the world. At that time people thought, 'Who could beat three?

"You have to be stronger to get up from a loss to go on and that's what Ali proved to be."

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Lennox Lewis

"Muhammad Ali inspired me to chase my dreams in and out of the ring.

"He meant a great deal to me. I kind of fashioned my whole career after him. Watching him on television as a youngster really did something to me.

"I loved his flashiness, I loved what he stood for – like going against America in the Vietnam War.

"I loved the fact that he always had helpful advice, was a nice man that he was very religious, that he wanted to help people."

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Mike Tyson

An emotional Tyson told 'I Am Rapaport': "I always like to think I'm a bad motherf*****. A vicious motherf*****.

"I don't give a f***, but that's the part where Ali overshines me, because I can't understand a man that's willing to die for this. I talked the s*** but he's the real deal.

"Ali is a giant. There's no way other fighters can match him. He'd die for this s***. I'm not going to die for this.

"That's real talk. Ali is a savage, he's an animal. He's a different breed of person. He's not like us."

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