How Come Ali Has Never Been TKO'd from a Bodyshot?

Just going through his career set, some of the body shots he's taken make me flinch. How come?

 

He took bodyshots like nobody in the HW division.
I once read that Norton said in an interview that when he hit Ali he felt like punching concrete.
Muhammad not only had an ATG jaw but an iron body.

 

Ali's punch resistance was a much underrated part of his makeup. Both to head and bodyshots. Take a look at some of the flush headshots he took and fought on, often seemingly unaffected.

 

He was plain tough, could take it, was in great shape, very experienced, had a great defense, and knew how to clinch, block, and roll with punches. Just a special fighter. They don't call him the greatest for nothing.

 

well chuck wepner did knock him down with one, although its highly disputed, kinda like the whole leonard-eklund debacle

but yeah he was as tough as any hw in history so some people just have it i guess

 

He's one tough SOB?

 

He took some hellacious shots for sure, he conditioned his body alot throughout his career with alot of ab exercises, medicine ball throws to the body and allowing his sparring partners to wail away on his midsection. Theres one clip I've seen back when he was still Clay where his letting someone throw a medicine ball full force into his body while he's just screaming "HARDER!" so even when he was younger he had an iron tummy.

Added to this his extreme toughness, mental strength and probably the most underrated aspects his ability to roll with and block punches. He was also a great at not exhibiting emotion even if he was hurt. The most hurt I've seen him from a body shot would be the 3rd Norton fight where after taking a left hook to the body he crouches over in pain, happened somewhere around 5-6th round.

 

As has been said,Ali was tough as hell. One of the toughest ever.

 

Iron bodies exist in boxing

Ali used to let his sparring partners beat him up day after day, I think this contributed to his toughness and ability to absorb punishment in real fights.

 

Probably because the body got so much harm that it simply stopped giving the signals that "it's over"
After a while it doesn't hurt anymore...

 

:rofl

funny formulation

 

:deal

 

Tough SOB. Accustomed to taking shots in sparring, and just plain insanely durable. Perhaps more durable to the body than any other fighter we can witness on film.

 

George Foreman says that one of of his clearest recollections of the fight in Zaire is hitting Ali with a massive body blow that would have finished most fighters. Foreman said he could see that it hurt Ali, and Ali winced...but only for a second, then he just scowled at George as if to say "That the best you got?"

Pretty dispiriting, I'd imagine...especially after flattening Frazier and Norton with ease. Ali's refusal to be hurt or intimidated by Foreman played a key part in Ali getting the win.

 

Tough *******. He had incredible will to resist succumbing to hard punches.
But there really is no need to put the body through that sort of punishment so many times. He pissed blood after some of those fights. His liver and kidneys took took much punishment, just like his brain did.
It's one thing toughening the abs with medicine ball, but it's quite another to let sparring partners and opponents wail away on the sides and kidneys like that.

The fact that Ali is still living this day is testament to his toughness, but the condition he's been living in the last 30 years shows that even 'super human' has it's limitations.