Ali"s worst opponent ?

of ALL his opponents ??....that'll be hard knowing much about the early ones.

 

ok...i'd be thinking along lines of maybe lubbers or coopman i think......maybe blin..but he took bugner to a sd...but bugner was young then and handled him in the rematch.

 

Good question. During the 1970s, I think I'd tentatively have to go with Evangelista, who lost over eight in his previous match against Zanon, and had never competed over a distance longer than eight rounds, as the most unqualified challenger Ali ever defended against, more so than Coopman, who at least had a few wins over ten rounds. Time proved Evangelista [who was a reasonable first defense for Holmes after winning the EBU title, then defending it over the championship distance] was much better than Coopman, but Alfredo was an extremely controversial defense for Muhammad in 1977. Coopman wasn't such a lightning rod for Ali coming off of Manila, but neither had yet been a European champion yet.

Buster Mathis had been a quality heavyweight contender before running into Jerry Quarry in March 1968. But to come back an challenge Ali for the NABF Title after a layoff of two and a half years, when Buster was back up to 257 after 234 for JQ was an abomination, and Muhammad just didn't have the heart to go for the kill at the end. The fire Mathis showed against Chuvalo was completely gone. If there's one career win Ali regrets taking as a mismatch, this one might be it.

After Evangelista, Coopman and Mathis? Leon Spinks was the least qualified, but at least he was excellent in his successful challenge itself. However, he was awful in the rematch. Since upsetting Soria for Olympic Gold in Montreal, Leon had failed to impress in his draw with LeDoux or decision over Righetti. If Muhammad had opted to defend the title one final time after regaining it from Leon, I think Mike Rossman [who upset Galindez on the Ali-Spinks II undercard] would have been a much better qualified challenger than Leon, Coopman or Evangelista had been.

Wepner was all right, and a colorful character who acquitted himself very well in Cleveland. His toughness wasn't questioned, just his cut resistance, and this was expected to be another bloodbath. If bleeding didn't decide the outcome, he could be suitably durable for a title shot, and he was. [He might have been far more lasting against Frazier than Daniels and Stander were, with the height differential between Chuck and Joe likely precluding cut induced butting, but Frazier's reign didn't happen during a bright spot in Wepner's career. If Chuck was to ever get a shot at the HW crown, Ali gave it to him at the perfect moment for Wepner.]

I think Lubbers, Blin, and Dunn had enough experience and accomplishment that they were reasonable opponents for Ali. Richard had a glass jaw, but Muhammad may have had a point in suggesting Dunn would have become champion if Ali had been in the same condition he was for Young. And he wasn't necessarily worse than Leon.

Lubbers was trying to go the distance, while Blin and Dunn were trying to win with spirit. Put them in place of Leon Spinks in February 1978, or Jimmy Young in April 1976, and Blin or Dunn might also have pulled the upset. [Evangelista, Bugner, and Coopman would have played it too safe to even try.]

 

You think you meant... ???

Isn't it your post ?

Richard Dunn maybe.


More significantly, can you think of anyone he missed during his reigns ?

 

Coopman put up the worst performance vs Ali. Fell to the canvas with Alis first real combination. He gets my vote.

 

Coopman was irredeemably awful. He was knocked unconscious by Evangelista, which is something very few men can claim. He also found time to lose to Lubbers and Zannon on multiple occasions.

Although Wepner had a lot of decisive losses, he'd had enough peaks mixed in with his career valleys that he wasn't an awful opponent, and someone as competent as Mildenberger doesn't deserve to be mentioned in this category.

 

Coopman just stood there for 4 plus rounds and did nothing....did not even try.

Wepner tried his heart out, gave it his all so I agree he was certainly not Alis worst opponent. Dunn again tried his heart out and he actually rocked Ali with a couple of straight lefts. So although low on the skill department Dunn made up for it with his drive and determination.

 

And I can be persuaded to change my vote from Evangelista to Coopman, because as I stated, I am tentative about it. [I do think Alfredo was a less qualified challenger though. At least Leon had been the ten round distance a couple of times.]

 

Evangelista was just awful and Ali trained for him on a gallon of icecream a day while he laid on the couch watching tv, but somehow Coopman was even worse. Can't believe I'm saying there was a known heavy more lousy then Alfredo but there was. Geese.

 

Didn't Ali himself say it was Rudi Lubbers?

 

He told Reg Gutteridge in a brief interview between rounds that, "I'm getting old now. Years ago, I woulda took this man in one round!"

Lubbers was pretty smart, durable [not dropped or stopped until turning 30] and well prepared though, and Ali was preserving his right hand for Frazier II. He made attempts to finish a cornered Rudi with shoeshines in the seventh, but the referee never considered Lubbers to be in distress, so he wasn't fooled into calling a premature stoppage. Each man did some pummeling of the cornered other in the closing round 12 [Ali looking far more impressive with a great many more flicks when he did it, of course], the best three minutes of the bout, such as it was.

There's some footage of Lubbers winning as an amateur in 1968, and Bugner-Lubbers is readily available. Rudi was a known quantity going in with Ali. He trained nine months for Muhammad, while Ali trained just ten days [but Muhammad had his second bout with Norton a month earlier]. No amount of training was going to increase the Dutchman's speed, punching power, height or reach, so he was hopelessly outmatched physically.

Keep in mind that they were in an outdoor stadium in stifling heat and humidity, so it was to Ali's advantage to be extended in that climate. This experience would pay huge dividends for him in Kinshasa, Kuala Lumpur and Manila, as Jakarta was a different climate for him to compete in. [Evangelista and Coopman didn't have that kind of steamy setting to slow them down in, they just sucked.]

What came out of Ali-Lubbers is about what should have been expected after Bugner-Lubbers. Rudi again made a reasonable effort against impossible odds. Bugner did hit him with some solid rights, after which Lubbers demonstrated some decent survival skills. Ali boxed sensibly, jabbing his way to a virtual shutout win, and his legs looked very good as the final bell sounded. Rudi didn't pull a Jimmy Young [who was horrid against Ali]. Lubbers did essentially fight his fight. This was somebody who would compete at 175 in the future, and would deck his own whipping boy Coopman in his next bout en route to a ten round decision.

Maybe he was the least talented opponent to go the distance with Ali, but I also think his performance in Jakarta was far from the worst of any of Muhammad's opponents. He also went 12 rounds with a vastly superior Ali to the one Coopman and Evangelista challenged.

 

If you watch both bouts there is no doubt Lubbers put up a much more skillful fight than Coopman. Lubbers was moving away from Ali and I believe this may be what saved him from a KO. Ali never liked fighting going foreword. He was always more comfortable moving side to side boxing. In the fight he had to chase his opponent.

Coopman was the worst fighter Ali faced from Liston onward.