Ali's speed and God given talent was, is and always will be the best the HW division will ever see. Ali of the 60's loses only if he's not at his best. Period.
I think Floyd Patterson in his prime was equally as fast if not faster. I think Wlad Klitschko is as talented as any heavyweight ever. His speed for his size and his immense power are truly incredible. However, his flaws are more considerable than Ali's. Joe Louis is also not far behind.
The Muhammad Ali of 60s was the fastest heavyweight ever. In the May 5, 1969 Sports Illustrated, Alis jab was measured with an omegascope. Alis jab, it was found, could smash a balsa board 16.5 inches away in 19/100 of a second. It actually covered the distance in 4/100 of a second, which is the blink of an eye. Jimmy Jacobs, who owned the worlds largest collection of fight films, said that on film tests with a synchronizer Alis jab was faster than that of Sugar Ray Robinson. Jacobs contended that Ali was not only the fastest heavyweight, but also the fastest fighter he ever saw on film.
There can hardly be any doubt that 60's Ali was the overall fastest HW to ever lace them up, can there? Anyone who says differently is hardly to be taken seriously as anything resembling an objective observer on Ali IMO.
People can't hold the Norton fights against Ali too much. He was just a bogeyman for Ali whos style caused him troubles. He is similar to Turpin for Ray Robinson just had a style that he couldnt look good against and struggled with.
i got to agree,these ppl need to sit down and watch 1 of the greatest fighters at work.they are missing the point i think
Would Ali be able to grab the ropes and clinch like mummy? Or would the ref actually enforce the rules of the game?
ali had many ways to wina fight,if the ref let him use those tactics why not employ them.i've been around boxing since 1958 hes 1 of the best i've ever seen.chuvalo calls him the best ever and fastest,so who to believe?
No, it's not out there. I think Walcott clearly won the first fight. I even have a first hand account of a man who sat live ringside at Walcott-Louis I. He said it was one of the worst decision's he has ever seen. He was a big Joe Louis fan. Let's say Louis gives Walcott a rubber match...say when Walcott was heavyweight champion in 1951, 3 years after they fought in 48(like Ali in 76 after fighting Norton in 73)....How do you think Louis does?
He did get gift decisions, and special treatment by refs. Look at Bonevena fight, after knockdowns he never went to corner, stood right behind ref. Never had points deducted for his ecessive holding, and he held like crazy in 1960's too. His resume is bloated with decisions he did not deserve, and fights he won from favorable judges.