His body didn`t look as trained as it was or his second bout v Norton, Ali`s best weight was probably lower than 221, he looked slimmer and quicker in some of his bouts during the 60`s, his timing was really off in his third bout v Norton.
After Shavers. He would have effectively cleared out everyone in both the 60s and 70s and would have spared us the inconvenience of making Leon Spinks (an 8 fight novice) the Heavyweight Champion.
I am frankly not sure that it was worth him getting his brains beaten to jelly, to see him beat Shavers, and get a controversial decision over Young! Why not let him retire after Manila, and let the young lions duke it out?
From a health perspective Ali would have been better off retiring after the Foreman fight. It was insanity to continue after Manila. Cheers All.
Strange how things like Ali’s timing or condition or snap in his punches, motivation, etc. always seem to be not quite right when fighting Norton? You think after 3 hard fought, closely matched fights that people might have caught on to the fact that maybe it had something to do with Norton himself who seem to have the style to trouble Ali each time they fought.
Fair point. His greatness was already secure at that point but surely adding Young and Shavers couldn't have hurt.
After the Thrilla in Manilla, but definitlely after his win over Shavers when Ferdie Pacheco left Ali's training camp
I contend that he had a few good fights left in him. He beat Berbick in my opinion and could have made a mark on the division into the mid-80's. Imagine a Tyson-Ali match-up having been a reality! Boxing is a game where that which you celebrate exhausts itself. No one here gets out alive.
Not sure what more Ali could have done to make it more obvious. He picked a guy that he could probably beat in a return. He came in fat and didn't give any effort for 14 rounds. All he did was lay on the ropes and take punishment. People speculate about Baer/Braddock but Ali a clear motivation to be the 1st to win the title 3 times. He knew couldnt win it back vs Norton that would have been noteworthy.
Except when you 'throw' the fight against a 7-0-1 fighter that didn't deserve a shot only to have a rematch a few months later that he had to take for the big bucks...IMO. Unless you downgrade Patterson's effort against Ellis in 68, that effort was much more impressive than Ali's oft (impressive) on (selective) opponents after Manilla and his loss to Norton at Yankee Stadium. P.S. I think Ali was THE greatest HW of all time....
