Is Jersey Joe Walcott the most skilled operator of all time?

I think Ali is a great fighter for instance, but I'm not sure he would beat Walcott. If Norton was able to figure out a tendency that Ali did, Walcott would certianly be able to do it.

This is the guy that found flaws in Charles who is easily one of the most skilled operators of all time.

Ali has the speed advantage, no doubt, but as far as guile and countering ability Walcott is easily ahead.

 

You mean due to Ali's speed or his size?

I'm not sure his size will come into play because Ali will find out quickly that bringing the fight to Walcott, especially when you're typically a guy that fights on the outside, is a big mistake.

However, I do believe that Ali's speed and reach could make it very difficult for Walcott to get to Ali and this fight would be reduced to a chess match with Ali doing little more than flicking the jab and trying to stay outside.

I think it could be similiar in a way to how Roy Jones fought against James Toney. He didn't really try to commit to many of his punches. He used his speed to stay away.

At the same time, I think Walcott is a smarter, better, and more dangerous fighter than Toney and the gap between he and Ali from a physical standpoint isn't as great as it was between Toney and Jones.

EDIT after your EDIT.

True, but Cooper knocked him down with a left hook. Walcott is a superior fighter than Cooper and also has a better left hook in the sense that it's probably more powerful and you rarely ever see it coming.

 

I agree in the sense that Ali would likely win a boring fight with his speed, but I would not be surprised if Walcott put him on the deck once or twice, not because he's the biggest puncher, but he's the sneakiest puncher Ali will have ever faced.

I think a good fight would also be Ali against a younger Archie Moore. The Moore that Ali got was a shell of his former self, but still managed to land several counters that Ali didn't see coming, especially with that left hook.

Stylistically, I think guys like Marciano and Moore would match up better against Ali than Louis or Walcott (from that particular era), but I think it would at least be an interesting fight between Walcott and Ali.

 

What do you think about a younger Moore vs Ali? I think Moore along with Marciano are among the best and most skilled inside fighters of all time.

Moore wasn't even the same fighter when he lost to Patterson. He didn't have the legs to do what he needed to do. Honestly, I think his last great effort was against Marciano.

He has many wins after that, but I'm not sure he was the same fighter, it's just that his abundance of skill and natural gifts allowed him to progress.

And if you're talking about TommyV, he's 16 and he's still a virgin.