I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. I really think his intangibles outweigh his amazing physical gifts.
Just wondering, who do you think could be prime Ali?
Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, and possibly Jack Dempsey.
Joe Louis had the most amazing combinations a heavyweight has ever had. He had the ability to hit you with 6 hits in the blink of an eye. Ali could do the same. However, unlike Ali each hit was a short KO punch among the hardest that has ever been. The man was the finest technician I've seen in the heavyweights. If Ali clowned around once, that could be it. Otherwise, I think he takes it. But against Joe Louis, one mistake and you are gone. Ali really wasn't a technical boxer, and that could be his downfall against the brown bomber. According to who ou talk to, Norton beat Ali in all 3 of his fights. It wasn't that Norton was a greater fighter, he certainly wasn't. He just used a more text book style to beat him. Of course, that was Ali past his prime.
Rocky Marciano is actually Ali's pick for the man he thinks would be his toughest opponent. My personal favorite boxer, Marciano was the finest conditioned heavyweight of all time, one of the hardest hitters, incredible resistance to pain and KO's, and probably the most unrelenting champion ever. Ali has the size and style to pick Rocky apart, I can definitely see a stoppage by cuts. However, Marciano has underrated magic and is a misunderstood champion. He fought from a crouch which was the bane of Ali, and he had arguably the best infighting of any heavyweight champion ever (Another weakness of Ali). Add into that Marciano was an unrelenting powerhouse and NEVER got discouraged (I think his mental toughness surpasses Ali's), a fight between him and Ali would be hell on wheels. Allot of people say a prime Ali would simply be too fast for Marciano to catch, but the youthful speedster was leveled by Henry Cooper, who can't compare to Rocky.
I have to put Dempsey in there because he was a fucking animal who fought from a crouch. However, I think Ali wins a comfortable decision against him.
If Gene Tunney, Joe Walcott, and Ezzard Charles were just a little bigger they would have GREAT fights with Ali. Still, even with their smaller size they would do well. Prime Arche Moore as well. Ali wins all those fights, but those men would give him a good fight.
And of course Frazier has a 30% of beating him any day. Allot of people say Smoking Joe wouldn't have a chance with a fast Ali, but I don't buy that for a second. Joe will find a way inside, Henry Cooper did. People forget how truly great Joe was.
I'll also go out ona limb and try not to lose my credit by saying Teofilo Stevenson would have a great fight with the greatest. He never turned pro, so I don't know how Teofilo would have done. But, he had the best right hand I've ever seen, and I don't know any fighter that made it look easier (including Ali).
In the end, the Ali that decimated Cleveland Williams is so amazingly fast and in control that he would be the favorite against any fighter short of Joe Louis.
