How Would Alis PunchPower (Or Lack Of) Affect Him if He Was Fighting In The 90s?

George Foreman and Sonny Liston had solid chins and had punch power that exceeded any nineties heavyweight. This answers the question,imo.

 

Well Foreman once claimed that Muhammad Ali's power was on par with that of Evander Holyfield so If we take him at his word then it's safe to say that he would do just fine.

The Larger issue is the assumption that punchers are more dangerous than boxers when history has taught us again and again that couldn't be further from the truth.

For instance, if you did a round robin tournament with every lineal Heavyweight Champion participating and you included David Tua and Chris Byrd, who would would fare better?

Byrd or Tua?

It's funny because I did a thread a while back talking about this very issue; do fighters get more credit for beating the big and strong Goliath over beating the slick and cagey David?

If you read between the lines long enough, you'll begin to notice that it's the accepted logic. The 90s was loaded with punchers and IMO that is precisely why we see Lennox Lewis rated as high as he is today; because he's beaten quite a few punchers. No mention of the fact that he blatantly ducked Chris Byrd, simply because he's not a perceived threat.

 

Great post. :good

 

Oh, what exactly are you getting at with this ****?


McCall was a fringe contender who got outboxed by Bruno, Buster Douglas, and Orlin Norris. You think he can do something against Ali?

Tua was down on the cards against Oleg, Izon, Rahman, and Oquendo. He couldn't stop Ike, Lewis, and Byrd. You think he's KOing Ali?

Mercer got outboxed by Jesse Ferguson and a 40 year old Holmes. What do you think prime Ali would do to him?

Ruddock? Bruno? Don't make me laugh. They are going to show Ali something that Foreman, Lyle, or even Terrell couldn't?

Tyson spent most of the 90s in prison and got mentally crushed by a washed up Evander fresh out of retirement.

That leaves with Bowe, Holyfield, and Lewis as the only real threats to Ali.

 

I know what you were replying to and suggesting, and I think its bull****. As is this topic, I would expect better from you.

Prior to Ali, Liston had never been stopped or dropped in a long career against the divisions most avoided punches in Zora, Valdez, and Williams. He took heavy flush shots from Williams in particular. There's a reason the "phantom punch" is so controversial, and if Liston was legit dropped as seems to be the case..maybe Ali's sneaky power is being underrated. Who's to say a fighter like Tua or McCall we previoiusly though were unstoppable could fall prey to the same punch? Their durabilty credentials are just as strong as Liston's going into the second Ali fight.

 

Thanks!

 

I've talked about an Ali-Bowe fight on another thread a few minutes ago. Lewis would be the most problematical for Ali. Ali would still win though. By decision.

 

And it would have to be the mature Lewis of the very late 90s.

Prior to that, Lewis was getting outjabbed by Bruno and Mercer.

Maybe the bouncier Holyfield of the early 90s can spark some of that Fraizer and Norton magic with his left hook and educated pressure.

Really wouldn't favor anyone in the 90s over Ali, at best Evander or Lewis could get one of three. But than again that is why Ali is the greatest.

 

Ali had plenty of power.

He stopped a human freight train in Lewiston, Maine with a six inch punch.

Liston had never been down until Ali unloaded his Stepin Fetchit punch on him.

The details of how this punch worked were known only to Ali and Fetchit.


I believe that Ali never used this punch again, because he was afraid he might kill a man in the ring. He may have promised Stepin Fetchit he would only use it to beat Liston and would not use it again.

 

Ali would have spanked the 1990s heavyweights severely.

Holyfield at his best might have given him a good fight. Early 90s Bowe and late 90s Lewis maybe.

1990s Tyson would have been stopped by Ali. Crushed.

Putting someone like Oliver McCall in there with Ali would have been pointless.


Anyway, Ali had decent power when he got serious and his hand were right .

 

Using that Lewiston fight as an example is not that sound though. That fight had has alot of questions surrounding it. Even if that kd was on the up and up Sonny got up and continued fighting before they eventually stopped it.

Anyway. I agree with what most are saying. Ali had enough pop to get the room he wanted to box. He stopped many fighters on accumulation of punches. He peppered guys.

 

Great post - I was actually going to use Holyfield as the example to prove the point, as I don't think he hit much harder than Ali did (if at all) and still had a ton of success at the world level.

You also nailed it that people tend to overrate punchers as opposed to boxers. A guy like Byrd or Tunney is a tougher out, but doesn't merit the fanfare of beating bigger punchers. I'd have liked to have seen Byrd-Lewis just to see how Lennox would've handled it.