Which heavy in your opinion could have beaten the ali of 64 to 67?

"Could" defeat him ... lots of guys would have a chance.

"Would" defeat him ... another question entirely. Difficult to make a case to favour many if any heavyweights over him.

The usual names I guess would come up.

Holmes, Lewis, the Klitschkos, maybe Louis. Tyson is a possibility. Otherwise you have to go looking for guys that would pose stylistic and or size problems. Fury is untested at the level that Ali was, but his mobility + absurd reach would possibly be problematic.

 

Wladmir could stink up the joint with his frustrating jab and grab style. His height and power would be a huge factor too. Ali is still faster and wladmir still has a weak chin, so anything is possible. Wladmir could potentially pull off an upset decision win, he could drop Ali at some point and tire him out leaning and hugging and mugging him to tip the scorecards in his favor.

Or Ali frustrates him with his lateral movement and blindingly fast combinations. I doubt we see a ko, but ali rarely let a guy off the hook if he had him hurt. I wouldnt bet money on this.

Jack johnsons cerebral, stamina conserving style could cause major problems for ali. Ali himself said it would be a frustrating fight. I dont think he would "definitely" win tho.

Other than Joe Louis or prime tyson i cant really think of too many people with a good chance of winning against this Ali. Norton and frazier would always give him problems but he beat them decisively at least 1 a piece when he was past his prime. A faster, younger Ali with better stamina would likewise give them even geater problems.

Of course larry holmes is the safest bet.

 

My top picks are:

1. Jack Johnson
2. Joe Louis
3. Rocky Marciano

But I don't favor any boxer over Ali on his best night.

 

I wouldn't favor any one over the Ali from that time frame...Ali was the GOAT IMO.
My pick to give him the most trouble is the mature Lennox Lewis under Emanual Steward. Because of length,height, power and physicality.
Troubling styles?
Jack Johnson
Gene Tunney
Ezzard Charles
Larry Holmes
Jimmy Young
Wlad/Vitali K
Jersey Joe Walcott
Fighter that force Ali to lead give him the most trouble.

 

Tyson , Douglas , Tucker , V. Klitschko , W. Klitschko , Corrie Sanders , Larry Holmes , Lewis , George Foreman , Joe Frazier , Henry Akinwande , Riddick Bowe , Anthony Joshua


Good chances for Witherspoon , David Bey , Michael Grant , David Haye , George Chuvalo , David Tua (if he is in the right mood) , Henry Cooper , Doug Jones (not a heavy, but based on their real fight) maybe even Tommy Morrison or "Razor" Ruddock , Holyfield

 

The Dempsey of the late 'Teens after he beat Willard, could go for an early k.o., and try to blitz Ali early using power and speed of foot. Dempsey's power was at least equal to, or greater than Sonny Banks, Henry Cooper, and Joe Frazier. But Dempsey probably couldn't win on points in a 15 round fight against Ali.

 

Dempsey and Louis would be my top two picks. I think Holmes Johnson and Walcott and FOTC Frazier could make things interesting. My dark horse candidate would be Witherspoon.

 

Someone with speed and a good left hook. Dempsey comes to mind.

 

The answer is prime Joe Frazier.

And Ali readily admitted as such in his first press conference immediately after the FOTC. He said Frazier "whips me quicker" when answering a reporter's question about how his pre-exile version would have done against Joe that night.

Of course the Ali fan boy club either wants to ignore that press conference or rationalize it away, lol.

 

I would say Holmes,Tyson and possibly Holyfield.

 

If there is an answer and im not sure there is, then i see no reason why it wouldnt be the Joe Frazier of the FOTC.
Sure, Ali was faster in the mid sixties but Frazier would always cause Ali problems.
FOTC Frazier had a will to win that has few equals.
It would be a close fight whenever they met.

 

The bigger far less talented fighters since Ali would have no chance to beat the best Ali. Ali would cut them to ribbons. They would have no ability to avoid the punches that would be coming their way. To beat Prime Ali the great swarmers would have the best opportunity as well as the great boxers who could better match Ali's speed. Dempsey, Marciano, Tunney, Louis, Johnson. I grew up in the Ali and Holmes eras and watched both fighters in their every bout from the early 70's onward. Holmes was never thought of as a potential winner in a bout with prime Ali. It's only revisionist history that comes up with Holmes beating the best Ali. Would never happen in a million years. There was nothing that Holmes did better than prime Ali. Frazier is an interesting matchup but Ali certainly proved his superior winning two out of three and scoring the only stoppage win. Fraziers win over Ali in 71 was impressive but that was an Ali 6 months removed from a 3-4 year layoff rushing to a huge payday and in much less than prime condition.