What was the plan for Ali had he won? Was it just a farewell fight, or was it supposed to put him back in the title picture in some way?
Well he said in interviews he wanted Dokes or cooney. Something like that. Good thing he didn't. I would think his team would have the sense to just not allow him to fight anymore anyway!
Tyson idolised Ali and would have never fought him. Infact he used Ali's defeats to Holmes and Berbick as his motivation to destroy the two.
Say Ali barely sqeaks past Berbick and holds the title.....you reckon Tyson still wont fight him?. I enjoyed when he kicked Holmes and Berbicks ass
I don't recall Muhammad discussing any plans beyond Berbick prior to that match taking place. Holmes was such a disaster that he needed to focus exclusively on redeeming that showing, and proving he could still be a viable heavyweight. Even Ali-Frazier IV was not being mentioned as a prospective pairing prior to Berbick-Ali and Frazier-Cummings taking place. (Actually, Joe was jokingly asked about taking on son Marvis. He laughed and said, "Sure, I'll fight him, but when I say 'Fall!,' he must fall!") He clearly intended to carry on if he could have managed a credible win, but everything hinged on getting out of the Bahamas with a reputable success.
Dokes does make sense, because of their 1977 exhibition. Michael was not an absolute stranger in the ring to him. Also, Dokes was being "awarded" KO Magazine's "Feather Fists" award around this time. He wasn't somebody seen as likely to hurt Ali.
atsch Well I'm glad he didn't. No doubt he still had the heart but his skills and reflexes had completely deteriorated
And of course that loss of skills and reflexes was what he cited as the specific reason he called it quits. Berbick wasn't the first HW one would think of as exposing and exploiting that deterioration, but Dokes might have been. Ali would have been utterly humiliated.
If Ali won, there's no way he would have stuck around for years after that. Tyson was not even close to being in the picture yet. That was much later.
Had Ali beat Berbick in Dec. 1981 he was gonna get a shot at Mike Weaver by the summer of '82 for the WBA title....... Not that beating Berbick was truly enough to warrant a shot at Weaver, but boxing is business...... "Weaver-Berbick" meant nothing, so it never occurred...... BUT! Weaver's team tried to fight Cobb, but Cobb hooked up with Larry Holmes instead......... Anyway, Dokes got his shot in the famous Joey Curtis blown call / panic stoppage that shafted Weaver's ass hardcore.... MR.BILL
Yeah I seem to remember hearing a fight with Weaver would have been next. And that would have been a disaster.
Zombie Ali could've been given a gift decision against Berbick, but he obviously wouldn't last until '86 to land a fight with Tyson, no matter what competition he faced.