What was Ali's work ethic like?

He generally was inconsistent I think prior to his exile he was realtively sharp despite his hernia injury prior to the Liston rematch. Post exile he was sporadic in his efforts he would train hard and get out of shape and then repeat the process over and over again. He really pushed himself to get in shape for his second encounters with Norton and Frazier and Spinks but he relied mostly on experience, instinct and natural ability.

 

In the 60's he was always in shape. In the 70's he rarely was very good shape, There have been said by for example Dundee that he wasn't really in peak shape even for the first Frazier fight. Women was his main distraction, even during camp.

 

Muhammad Ali had to be one of the most promiscuous boxers ever. Mike Tyson also.

 

Can`t blame either of them for that only wish it was me

 

I think Larry Holmes said something similar about Ali lol

 

Perhaps the 3 year layoff somewhat affected his desire, maybe he was t living the life and just couldn’t get back the hunger to the point of him in the 60s

 

Young Ali during the 60s was as sharpest and focused as possible; indeed, he was literally a borderline narcissist due to his obsession with being in top shape.

70s Ali was a totally different deal. Old, increasingly tired, self-indulgent and too immersed into the "Ali Superstar" show for his own good.

 

On the way up, he was as devoted as anyone serious about challenging for the title, did all the right things, and kept it up as champ from all accounts - I don't think he ever showed up looking out of shape prior to the exile.

Afterwards, age, apathy and the toll of temptation kept building ... if he had some kind of motivation, usually where his ego was involved (rematches, regaining the title the second and third times - though Holmes said Ali really didn't train all that hard for Foreman), he could work as hard as anyone; but without that, he counted on being Ali as enough to eke out a win

 

Would be better to wait until you retire though. Women can be a major distraction in camp. A Heavyweight champ must have endless amounts of beautiful young women throwing themselves at him. Sounds like a paradise to me. Extremely difficult to resist, you must exercise tremendous willpower to resist.

 

Gotcha!
Chances are the groupies are going to focus on the new up and coming champ instead of the retired "has been"... so you better get the goodies while you can.

 

Depends on how well you managed your earnings. If you made bad investments or spend all the money then they won't be interested. If you're sitting on a massive pile of cash yep, then you could have your pick.

 

Let's also remember that Young Ali was building his "franchise" as a bizarre loud mouth who proclaimed high and loud he was "The Greatest" and also "The most Beautiful" of all times.

When you are saying you are the most beautiful boxer ever you sure need to look the part; thus an additional reason for Ali to stay in peak shape.

 

I've had a few beauties in my life, hope to experience a few more before my time ends on this planet. I cannot imagine having the sea of women the champs experience.

 

I think that Ali definitely WAS in great shape for Foreman. You could see by just looking at him in the ring how hard he trained for that fight.