Everyone is overlooking slow heavy footed Bowe/ Open guard Ali are going to get hit hard and not have Byrds elusiveness or rolling with punches abilities. lewis is the only one that matches well with Ike here.And even then the 84 inch reach Lewis may get tagged but at least he has the neccessary skills and power to keep Ike off and possibly stop him. He was also early in his career..he fought Tua at about 17 fights? that punch Ike hit Byrd with was end game ! He may have been stiff but he was far from slow .
If Ali can take Foreman's best punches, Frazier's best hooks, Shaver's right hand, and Liston's punches without getting stopped then I think he'll be alright against a 20 fight novice who never even fought for a world title.
He clearly had a good chance of beating Lewis. He had the chin, durability, strength and power to seriously test Lewis. If Lewis stands toe to toe, he opens himself up. If he uses his height Ike can bull forward and maul Lewis. Lewis would tie him up, but Ike would keep coming. Ike would not gas out or follow Lewis around the ring like Tua did. Lewis could possibly stink out the joint and escape with a decision, or end up on the floor. But, there is no way that I can say Lewis definately beats Ike. Ali could box around him and win a UD. Bowe and Ike would be a great fight, but Bowe's workrate and durability should steer Bowe to a decision.
When did Ike ever "maul" a top rated fighter? His best performance was against a decent heavyweight Chris Byrd and he looked like trash until the knockout.