What is considered the absolute prime /peak Ali performance

Dude it is generally the very one that your username ironically contains!

Although he was

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a shot fighter-by a police officer & had a few feet of lower intestine removed & had to regain his bulk after wasting away, he was still highly ranked.

Cleveland Williams barely laid a glove on Ali, who showed dazzling ring footwork, effortless seeming speed, great grace, generalship, control of distance, even power & some body shots.

Houston Astrodome. 1966. In High Definition.

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More than a peak performance i'd just consider right before exile his peak. If you gave him a huge challenge at that point he'd whip himself into perfect shape and perform that's for sure. Trouble was there was no-one to remotely extend him at that exact point.

I'd favor no-one.

 

Agreed. Yet there’s still people who think Marciano and Louis could beat him.

 

So how good was Williams the fights before an after the Ali fight?

 

That is a great question and for some reason the answer is ignored. After recuperating Cleveland won four of his bouts before losing to Ali and then won the five bouts after it:

https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/9382

 

Against who exactly.

One doesn't have to exaggerate things for Ali's record to stand tall.

 

I'm one of 'em...hell...Ali told Howard Cosell in 1976 he didn't know if he could have beaten Marciano. He had all kinds of trouble with Rocky when they filmed their "Computer Fight" in Miami in the summer of 1969. Rocky was 45 and Ali was 27. I'm taking Marciano...

 

Come on. Ali was being polite for once. As for the Computer Fight both were out of fighting shape and Ali couldn’t afford to embarrass hurt Marciano. If he did he’d be hate more than Johnson for beating up an old man.

 

Yes it was with your nameskake. Cleveland Williams may not be anywhere near the best opponent Ali fought in his prime but it was the bout when Muhammad displayed his full brilliant arsenal. Probably no heavy from any era could have beaten him on that night.

 

Ali and Marciano liked and respected one another. Rocky was close enough to the Alis that he told Belinda Ali would "never retire" because he had the bug. Marciano said Ali was the fastest thing on wheels and didn't know if he could beat him but he would have liked to have tried. I think it was the Walcott fight that Ali and Angie watched on tape together and Ali remarked that Rocky just kept coming.

 

I know deep down Rocky and Ali respected and probably liked each other. But like you said Rocky kept on coming. But so did Frazier,Foreman and a few others. He’d get timed by Ali and find it difficult to land on him due to his speed and movement.

 

Rocky would have been a tough out but as you say Ali has fought more guys like Rocky than Rocky has fought guys like Ali.

 

Cleveland Williams is generally considered his nest performance.

No one beats him.

 

Cleveland Williams