Willie Pep or Ali

It's like the difference between RJJ and Sweet Pea. Pep was far better in terms of having a technique that would carry him after his best. Ali wasn't near as slick when the legs aged and the reflexes slowed. Pep is slicker whole career considering I think. Ali's ability to absorb punches was as important as anything in his comeback.

 

For pure defensive ability its Pep...he has an argument for the best ever in this regard.

 

Pep easily. Ali didn't have good fundamentals nor great punch variety, what he had was athleticism in spades, an atg chin and a huge fighting heart.

 

Ali had very good fundamentals to fall back on, as proven by his success throughout the 70's when past his physical prime. He didn't win fights by simply being tough and having a great chin. Pep was the better pure boxer, though. That's pretty much always going to be the case when you're comparing a HW to a FW.

 

That's a good point too, Pea. Ali was a high end pure boxer *for a heavyweight*.

 

Willie was by far the better defensive fighter, his uncanny defense was intuitive, you can`t teach that kind of ability and combined with his solid boxing fundamentals you had yourself a helluva fighter. Ali`s defensive prowess in his youth however had a lot to do with his speed and athleticism, not so much an instinctive defense a la Benitez, Pep or Locche, fighters who were not blessed with as much athleticism or speed as Ali was.

 

Pep was the best and Ali learned of his example...Pep was the best pure boxer of foot and hand Lb4Lb

 

Ali of course. We are comparing a HW to a lightweight in the category of slickness. There is no doubt the edge goes to Ali.

 

My man.

Good to see someone else who don't buy the cliché that Ali was only athleticism and chin.

As for the question, Pep was without a doubt slicker in absolute terms, but if you look at in p4p terms it gets closer. Hard to say, but Pep still looks a pretty good shout.

 

Ali was doing his own thing, a lot his qualities transcend boxing. His slickness in spite of protesting fundamentals of his era(not saying he didn't have them though) is hard to compare to a technician such as Pepp.

It's like comparing someone who runs against traffic with someone who runs with it.

Pepp was probably more slicker though. Alis real slickness died well well before he retired.

 

Obviously the smaller man finds it easier to be faster and thus "slicker". But for a heavyweight, Ali was ridiculously slick. If you adjust it to the weight class, IMO Ali was slicker "pound for pound" - we've literally never seen another heavyweight like that. Whereas we have seen people of Pep's weight be as slick (Whitaker, Locche etc). Ali's technique was not as good but his speed, athleticism, and judgement of distance made up for it.

 

Pep was slicker.

 

Pep, and by a mile.

 

Pep was probably the slickest boxer ever, the peak 60s Ali was pretty slick too but Pep was the slickest of them all I would say.