Ali's Countering Ability

You're wrong.

 

Bugner's speed was average. Ali certainly fought faster, but he also fought slower (Try Wepner, Williams)

Ali had a few go-to counters, he was not a versatile counter puncher, but the handful of counter tricks he relied on he did very, very well.

Ali came over a left jab with a right hand as well as anybody in history. It's just pretty when he does it. He tore Folley up with this tactic, hit Liston with some beauties, rocked Foreman on the ropes with it...It was just great.

Ali also loved to let an opponent fall into a right uppercut when they ducked. Frazier famously neutralized this, but Jerry Quarry, George Chuvalo, Archie Moore, and Floyd Patterson famously fell for it again and again.

Jabbing the correct way against Ali and moving at angles, never straight up and down, were key elements to defeating him, actually. If you didn't, he would quite literally beat the tar out of you with the same few moves over and over.

 

The seventh round against Bugner was as good as we ever saw Ali as a stalking counter puncher. He actually counters a jab with a left uppercut at one time. Those are truly rare. He also counters with a couple of left hooks.

In FOTC, I really like how Ali at times comes inside Frazier's left hook with a straight right. Throwing it perfectly to get the shoulder up against the hook.

Another favourite of mine is when he puts Mildenberger down with a left check-hook.

But let's not make him up as some McCallum, of course. His counters were almost exclusively against lefts. It was very, very rare to see him counter a right or roll under a hook and counter.

 

Stevie, I felt that sometimes Bugner could be cautious or more accurately, tentative, and therefore easier to time and counter...what do you think?

 

Originally Posted by Danmann
Bugner was slow, how anyone can say otherwise is an example of trying to upgrade Ali. Bugner was known as slow, agisnt everyone, reporters always made fun of him for it. In fact, back then, weightlifting was almost unknown for boxers, and his past as shotputter and weight training (which he dropped as boxer) were sometimes mistakenly blamed for his problem

How?

 

Nice .gif! Classy the way he dopped his left, probably to entice him then set himself for the right hand counter.

I used to like Ali countering Frazier's steps inside with a quick lead left hook and step off!