Who beats Ali? No hedging your bets, who do YOU pick to straight up beat him?

I still remain unwilling to match Marciano vs Clay with legitimacy.

The way Clay grew in boxing ability in the Championship years prior to the boxing liscence being stripped, he was simply incredible. The manner in which he TOTALLY out classed, embarrased and inihilated the contenders was second to NONE.
If a guide to boxings technical brilliance is ever witnessed, the manner of preciseness of Clay against all contenders was unmistakably, the finest display by any other H/W champ... The potentially, finest future porformances were taken from us, by the insect brained, ill-conceived, half baked, poorly structured minds involved in the US government, of the time. The US government hasnt improved its image since. Geographical ignorance and lack of self credibility remains the govenrnments short list of its issues.
Back to the subject. Clay was simply amazing... and the likes of any fighter dealing with him pre-74, had he continued through the (stripped) years, remains tantalising to ponder.
Just take into account, Frazier, and Foreman would have remained contenders... moving on to face the greatest speciman of a fighter before, or since..
Mid 70s.. He may have been more impressive.. Having been better adjusted and comfortable with his aging body. I doubt he would have been subjected to the FOTC punishment, had he continued to defend the title in the lost years...

Pure speculation... although, its not fanciful to suggest Clay would have bettered all contenders through to late 70s. The game syle would certainly have changed, yet... the outcomes wouldnt have.

The door is left slightly ajar for contentious arguement amongst fight fans regarding his greatness, or ability to be beaten.
When all is said and done though, his toughest challenge was the FOTC... without the lay off, Im certain the result would have been different...yet, the Frazier in that fight was in his finest condition... EVER.
Ali was bashed from pillar to post in the closing rounds, and the brilliance of Ali to last through it, suggests the qualities of him.

There is no fighter, who remains as outstandingly awesome, as Clay, prior to the lay off, during the championship years.

 

Ali of the 60´s? No one beats this version. Simply the greatest.
The Predator

 

Lennox Lewis beats him

 

..........Why???? Because he beat an already beaten Tyson.. past his peak by 5 years???

Because he didnt fight Bowe????

Because McCall... the emotionally handicapped half wit belted him???

Because he stopped the emotionally out of control Golota???

Because he faught **** all legitimate men, with qualifications in their prime??

Because he was a tall man??

For **** sake, get serious and name why Lewis would beat Clay.. at the time Clay destroyed Willliams for instance.

Never before, or again has precision been so exact.

 

Alright son, don't wet yourself.

Men like Lennox Lewis did not exist back in Ali's day. Heavyweights where smaller, and the so called big heavyweights where clumsey and stupid not to mention small by todays standards. Lennox Lewis would have been a monster, here is a man that would have made Liston and Foreman look small. Lewis is - one of - if not the most powerful heavyweight of all time. Anyone that says Forman or Shavers needs to apply some common sense, they where powerful in their day because they where fighting smaller men. Lewis was one of the most intelligent heavyweights in terms of ring craft of all time. He had quick hands and was immensely strong - has there ever been a stronger heavyweight - I doubt it, also Lewis has all the size & reach advantages.

When you look at this fight in the cold light of day Lewis has all the advantages with the exception of speed, and this wil be hard to take for some blinkered Ali fans (of which there are many), but this could be an enormous mismatch Ali could have been smoked by Lewis within 2-3 rounds. I'd pick Lewis by KO around round 7 and I think I am being some what kind to little Ali.

 

What a joke...

Lewis had one advantage.. size. No hand speed... **** all foot work in order to chase at speed.. His timing was great for opponents his size.. yet, he was hardly the untagable fighter that instills adulation in the minds of anyone.

Lewis was a lazy fighter in appearance... patient to the fighters eye... and boring to the viewers...

Fine, he is a modern great.. Not the man to beat prime Clay .

 

Are you saying Ali had more power than Lewis? or more strength than Lewis?

Whenever Lewis was in a big fight he raised his game. Ali would be too small for him, look what little Henry Cooper did to Ali, if Lewis connected - lights out Ali.

 

Ali would be too small for him LOL. What a joke. Ali wasn't small and his game was based on outspeeding his opponents and hitting them without being hit (not by brawling like a Tyson, Frazier etc)- this doesn't depend on size, if ya too slow, you're you're gonna be nailed all nite long by ali..... "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see."

 

The same Lewis who couldn't take out an old Holyfield in 24 rounds?

His advantages in reach and height was even greater against Holyfield, and that version of Holyfield was both far slower and had lesser stamina than peak Ali.

 

The majority of Alis oponents had more power than himself... Lewis may be a larger, heavier man... stiff ****..

Prime Clay, lewis would look like Ernie Terell... blinded.. unable to land a telling blow.. and stupid.

When the Clay name is mentioned... there remains a good handful of prime oponents names that Clay... ALI.. defeated... those name are always put forward in serious discussion as potential (dream opponents) for Lewis..

Who did the Fkn fantastic Lewis seriously dismantle... in their prime.... at their peak.. who went on to higher accolades... and will remain spoken of indefinately?? And, do those names ever become a serious threat to prime Clay??

 

Are you just going to award Clay the win without steping into the ring then?

 

Elaborate on the comment. Are you suggesting the match up have a decision, based upon stlyles, abilities, peak porformances, advantages or dis-advs ?? I would lay anything on he line, and back Clay at his peak against any fighter..

Or do you suggest I never stepped into the ring??

 

I am saying that when you match two all time greats anything can happen.

If you listed your top 20 all time heavyweights then I could find sombody around your #20 who would have a good chance against your #1 without necisarily disagreeing with your list.

All logic would have suggested that Mike Tyson would have beaten James Douglas but he didnt which is why they had to hold the fight to find out.

 

I don't agree with you in everything, Janitor, as you well know, but these words should really, really be heeded. It's nothing more than ridiculous to hear all this ****-sure prediction of how this ATG would wipe out that ATG and etc. etc. These are all great fighters we're talking about and on their day there's no one they wouldn't make life exceedingly difficult for.

Ali wouldn't completely outclass a fully focussed and motivated Lewis anymore than Lewis would KO Ali inside of three rounds. They both have the tools to complicate matters for the other, to say the least. And Marciano, Louis etc wouldn't be a walk in the park for Ali, far from it.

There's no one I would favour against a peak Ali, but there are several that I give a reasonable chance of beating. Those with the best chance in one fight are Holmes and Lewis with Norton, Frazier, Louis, Marciano and perhaps Tyson close behind. Over three it may be Louis. The ones I would give the best chance of KO'ing him are Louis and Tyson. The ONLY one I'd give even a small chance of KO'ing a peak Ali early is Tyson.

 

Have to laugh at this post deriding all Lewis's opponents, the using a shot (literally and figuratively) Cleveland Williams as the reference point.