I've seen Ali say the hardest punchers he ever faced were Smokin Joe Frazier & Earnie Shavers BUT the hardest single punch he ever took was Henry Cooper's left hook "Enery's 'Ammer" Angelo Dundee's clever corner work saved history being changed. Ali didnt clown in round 5 did he ??
I just saw a video of Ali getting his Jaw broken. I think it was from Ken Norton. A long time ago I heard that Foreman broke Ali's arm but I couldn't find any information it.
Norton was not a huge puncher. Hard puncher yes. One issue he had was a tendency to punch with an open glove and another his very wide stance. Ken caught Ali right to break his jaw nor necessary an extremely hard blow. Foreman never broke Ali’s arm
Best punch to the head, the Left from Frazier in the 1st fight, one of the best punches ever thrown by an ATG with power. Ali took it, got up and continued, shows how great his ability to take one was. Best Body shot from Foreman, several of them.
I'm guessing to a certain extent but just my opinion based on the timing and accuracy of the punch not to mention Ali's reaction. It's the 1st fight with Joe Frazier but not the Knockdown or even the hook in the 11th. It's in the 9th round of the first fight. Early in the round. Ali is on tbe ropes and brings his chin up at the precise moment Joe whips a short hook right on his chin. It snaps Ali's head in a way that would have knocked out mere mortals. We know Ali wasnt normal in that regard. Ali is hurt badly and reels along the ropes taking vicious beating for most of the round. Don Dunphy even says " Ali is in real trouble here". It started to look like a stoppage was upcoming. Ali rallied back like only he could. He had those amazing recovery powers. Frazier had to be amazed as well. You can't hit a man any better than that. Ali comes back at the very end of the same round and hurts Joe. Ali won the round though he actually shouldn't have.
Amazing round, kudos for pointing that one out. I thought either THAT uppercut by Foreman or one of the early right hands by Shavers rocked Ali even harder than anything Joe threw. The difference is that by then Ali was employing his rope-a-dope and better at rolling with punches. In FOTC Ali was exposed for having a preposterously lazy right hand for blocking....each time I watch that fight I can't get over how Ali seemed nearly incapable of blocking that hook. It was a fight I think he learned a lot from...like how to keep your right hand up as much as possible against a big hooker lol. Shoulda known that one heck of a lot earlier, and I wouldn't be surprised if Dundee opened up a family-size can of whoop ass during the FOTC over it (would have LOVED to have heard that).
I've read at least two or three places that he broke Peralta's arm in the rematch, but there's no mention of anything like that in the fight summary on boxrec and I'v never seen footage of the fight.
I thought nonsense was a pretty strong word...just watch the Cooper fight, it was a freeking incredible left that might have won Cooper the fight....
To say that the punch Cooper landed on Ali is the hardest punch he ever took is, in my opinion, nonsense.