Zaire..was this Ali's greatest hour ?

100% yes. This fight cemented his legacy.

 

Probably ,it might also have sealed the deal regarding his health problems.

 

I think Manila did that to him. That's the time he should have gotten out.
His health problems would have probably come to him later in life whether he ever boxed or not. The trauma he took definitely precipitated his condition though.

 

No:nono


The Thrilla in Manilla....

Frazier was his biggest rival, so beating him 2 out of 3 - was his signature achievement..

 

Absolutely. In what was expected to be his last hurrah, Ali opened a new chapter to his legacy, flying in the face of the conventional 'they never come back' wisdom of the time.

 

I don't believe that for one second, IMO his health problems are 100% caused by boxing.

 

Ali had already beaten Frazier decisively the year before. Foreman was the superior opponent, Ali was a big underdog, and he was challenging to reclaim the title.

 

The fight against Foreman really did cement his legacy as the best HW ever. Even if he had lost, he would be considered top 5. But I think winning this fight pushed him past Joe Louis into the number 1 spot for many.

 

Well the cause of parkinson's syndrome is currently unknown. However it is widely believed to be a genetically based in the medical profession. Just look at guys like Michael J Fox who has never been a fighter is suffering from the syndrome.
Most people who get Parkinson's start seeing signs in there 50's and 60's, Ali started showing signs in his mid 30's. This suggests that boxing sped up his Parkinson's that was coming to him later in life.

It also should be noted that of the many boxer who get pugilistic dementia very few get Parkinsons.
Ali, to my understanding, does not have pugilistic dementia just Parkinsons.

 

parkinsons syndrome is alis illness. alzheimers/ dementia is loss of memory people!! Robinson, pep, saad, graziano, ellis, quarry, patterson all had alzheimers/ dementia loss.

 

Not for me.
The Foreman fight must have been a great event, what with the build up and amazing finale but I prefer the lightning fast hands and feet of the Cleveland Williams fight. Just awesome.

 

stevo, correct that was his best performance. And he was only 24 yrs old. Those 39 months cost him dearly!!

 

It's the Ali fight I enjoy thinking about the most. Yeah, it could well be his finest hour; once again he beat the scariest heavyweight in the world and shattered Foreman's aura of invincibility. It's also the way he did it that makes it special.

 

If Foreman wasn't drugged it was an impressive win.

If Foreman was drugged it was one of Ali's better fixes.
It wasn't as obvious as the Liston fights.