I agree with 95% of this. Ali didn't use a left hook much at all, but if memory serves that was the punch that KO'd a durable Bonavena. And speaking of left hooks, Ali was often nailed by them.
Come on Pepe/Il Duce or whatever, fair enough you hate Ali for some reason but you're way over the top. You indicate that Chuvalo never lost. In 27 rounds with Ali he must have won about 3 rounds! Duane Bobbick!!! And you want to be taken seriously! The sad thing is you're not trolling and really believe that bull****.
For sure an Ali hater, no doubt!..Im goin cross eyed just from the Wlad comment!!..These guys just reach for reasons to say Ali did everything wrong and would lose to everyone else in the world..simply not true and if this guy is that close minded and that much of an Ali hater he must have his reasons...but none are legit.
Defense over rated? Liston wore out his arm trying to catch him. And his speedy left jab (normally seen as an offensive weapon) was his best defense in that he used it to void an opponent's best shots. Of course, his ability to improvise such as his "rope-a-dope" showed his ring savvy and cleverness. As for his power, he creamed Cleveland Williams (3rds), Zora Folley (7rds), Brian London (3rds) = none of these guys were tomato cans. Then came the three year exile from boxing. Thereafter, Ali had only a couple of KOs and resorted to his skillful boxing rather than power in order to win his matches. Yes, he had remarkable hand speed, but his power cannot be said to be overrated.
Ali's defense was not overrated. If you want to say something was overrated, you could say his defensive skills from a textbook sense were overrated, but his defensive ability was not. Meaning that he did a lot of "wrong" things, but he made them right/made them work with his talent - speed and reflexes, and his overall ring generalship/ring sense/ability to read his opponent's movements. However, many of Ali's skills were not as wrong as many think. Many criticized Ali's lean back and hands down, but guys like Jim Corbett and Jack Johnson were leaning back with hands down long before Ali did it. Defensive dancing footwork was used by Corbett, Johnson, O'Brien, and Tunney long before Ali. Same with clinching, rolling, ducking, and blocking. They all made it work because they could. But Ali combined his defensive skill with an offensive arsenal that was pretty to watch - blazing hand speed, well-timed and placed punches, very good accuracy, good punch volume, wonderful combinations, and yes, underrated power. If you get as many knockouts as Ali did, you can punch. He could hurt guys and knew how to finish them. There was a poetry to what he did both offensively and defensively. More flashy in style than the more economical and efficient Jack Johnson.
Jimmy Slattery was famous for boxing with his hands at waist level. " If it works ,don't change it". PS How long before your first vol of Jack Johnson is on the stands? Xmas is coming!
I would n't say that Ali's defence was underrated. He got caught in the first Henry Cooper fight,for example, but that was more down to complacency rather than poor defence. As for his power - He could bang a bit when he sat down on his punches and could cause damage with combinations right up to the middle seventies.
Ali`s defense when he was prime was great. No point in debating that. Ofcourse it diminished after his layoff. I dont know if Ali`s punching power was underated but I do believe his physical strength and even his size was somewhat maybe underestimated. He was looked at as a boxer/mover/dancer.
In the Ring With Jack Johnson - Part I: The Rise will be available as of December. 710 pages chock full of detailed primary source information, photos, etc.
Are you joking? Guys who are quick on their feet don't get knocked out by the likes of Nate Tubbs, and Ingemar Johanson.
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