If Ali didn't go to prison in 1967 and instead stayed active do you think he would have beaten Frazier in 1970? Is Frazier's win over Ali overrated because Ali had been 3 years out of the ring?
Frazier's victory was very decisive. If he only clutched a SD/MD, then one could entertain the thought of it being overrated.
Ali didn't go to prison he lost his liscense and was facing the possibility of jail if he lost his case but he won. Ali had already been back a year and won 2 fights against ranked world level guys quarry and bonavena. That plus what Ali went on to do for many years after to me shows that Frazier's win in FOTC was truly a great achievement.
Given that Ali was coming back from a three year layoff and had only two fights before facing Frazier, it's clear that he was not ready for a fighter of Frazier's calibre and Ali was not the fighter he once was. But it was still a very impressive performance by Frazier but he wouldn't have beaten a prime Ali.
Muhammad Ali went to PRISON for committing unspeakable forms of serial assault on first an 18-year-old girl (almost a child, legally) named Desiree Washington, followed by Margie Schoedinger, Maria Halpin, Selene Walters and Juanita Broaddrick. If only you'd read what he did to them you'd know without reading any further that he must have gone to prison for it. Ali...was not a good guy in this story. Frazier and his brother Niles are the good guys here.
Nah it's a great win. Ali never went to prison and did have a couple of tune up fights. Yeah he wasn't as light on his feet on his return but he adapted and had many great wins after. Joe was clearly very determined in that fight after all the smack talk beforehand.
Ali came off a three-year retirement and beat the WBA #3 contender Jerry Quarry, two months later beat the WBA #1 contender Oscar Bonavena, ... three months after that he fought Frazier .. and about four months after the Frazier fight, Ali beat the WBA #2 contender Jimmy Ellis. That's a pretty remarkable nine-month sprint ... facing the top three contenders and the world champion. So it's a little difficult to say Ali wasn't ready for Frazier. He stopped the #1, #2 and #3 contenders ... he just lost to Frazier in a brutal fight.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The version of Ali that fought Frazier was no longer Prime Ali. He had the hand speed but not the mobility. Frazier would have had a very difficult time cornering Prime Ali and if he did, the exchange would not favor him. Ali was probably ready but his arsenal was not as formidable.