If Muhammed Ali was never banned from boxing how would his career pan out?

Frazier would beat Ali before or after the lay-off.

 

Frazier just had the right combination of style and attributes to defeat Ali, and would beat him at least once before or after the layoff, IMO. Ali could never have held Frazier off. He didn't hit hard enough, and Frazier was too good at putting on pressure and also possessed Ali's kryptonite, a quick, powerful left hook.

It's easy to sit there predicting easy victories against fighters who gave Ali hellish struggles when he actually fought them in reality, but that's just how I see it. Even limited guys like George Chuvalo and Karl Mildenberger gave 'prime' Ali tough fights, and Frazier was immeasurably more formidable than them.

 

If Chuvalo can get to Ali so can Frazier, with more punches and more damage. He'd catch Ali dancing with left hooks that were like the one's in the 15th round.

 

I've great time for both guys, but it is crazy to think the pre ban Ali was as slow on his feet as the 70's version, and the quicker one doesn't get hit anything like as many times by Frazier.

 

What amazes me is how the most famous boxer of all time still gets his name spelt wrong.:huhatsch

 

The time off probably gave his chin time to heal. I'm putting it out there, 70's Ali was better, there is more to boxing than being fast.

 

Agree with your swag assumption delfadeel. Without the lay off he probably goes unbeaten through 74-80 and dominates future ATGS in Holmes and Berbick and asserts himself as the undisputed GOAT

 

He would have kept going until the early/middle seventies beating Frazier and Foreman along the way. It's possible that a complacent champion underestimates Ken Norton around 1973 and loses a close decision as in the real world. De ja vu again as Muhammad evens the score in the rematch

Because Ali would have beaten Frazier twice,he would have had no need for a 'Manilla' It's quite feasible that he would have retired after the second Norton fight as there would have been no more worlds left to conquer.

During the late seventies he may have been tempted to come back and fight Larry Holmes. An ageing Muhammad loses to the younger man but as Ali would n't have taken so much punishment as he did in reality,he would have put up a far better fight than in real time

 

Boredom and superstardom would be his enemy (not the govt), and by 68/69 who or what is left? Don't think a third Liston or second Patterson fight happens , so only Joe presents a challenge in the ring. Maybe his ambition has stretched to other avenues ( businessman, ambassador etc...) and he maybe has a sabbatical for a couple of years, coming back just in time for Frazier and the exact same career path. I guess what I am saying is that whatever the circumstances, he is still going to have come back again and again and forged the same amazing career whether with one more or one less frazier fight here or Norton fight there. He was driven and determined to be thought of as the best and I don't think history pans out too differently with or without layoffs.