Ali fought 4 of the best heavyweights ever. Even going the next step or two down for both Wilder and Ali from elite status, Ali's record of opponents blows Wilder's out of the water (Patterson, Quarry, Lyle, Terrell, Ellis etc)
Lyle wasn`t fighting well v a sluggish Ali, Ortiz would have toyed with Lyle. Patterson was too small and had a bad back in his first bout v Ali, in the second he was past his best, Tyrell wasn`t very good, Quarry ws just a small face first brawler and Ellis is slightly overrated.
Even the fringe contender and cruiser featherfist Jimmy Young (19% KO ratio against cruisers) dropped slow as molasses 6'3 Foreman and had him on jelly legs in the 12th round. Foreman also admitted to ducking Shavers, who is no Deontay Wilder. Wilder by decapitation. It's a toss up between Wilder and Bowe for best ever American heavyweight.
Two thoughts. First off, if you had Wilder start off in the 70s, he wouldn't have had access to the sports science, supplements, etc that modern athletes rely upon. So off the bat he's probably skinnier, weaker, and lighter punching than the modern version. That aside, some of the pro-Wilder comments on this thread are fascinating. Especially the people who think fighters didn't understand defense in Ali's day. This is such a common thing for younger generations to say about older ones that it's almost a universal myth: "Fighters in OUR day and age (whatever age that is) know how to defend themselves. The fighters in our grandparents' generation just stood there and slugged each other." And it's always supposed to be just a bit earlier than whoever says it. Corbett said the same thing in the year 1900. The constantly shifting mythical age when people couldn't defend themselves and just traded punches is a moving target, just over the last chronological hill.
The head movement and inside game are just too much most probably but Wilder has his day against anyone ever too. No-one beats Wilder 100% of the time.
Frazier would have destroyed Wilder catching him with hook after he punches as Wilder stays on the centerline after punching, no way could Fury do to Ali and Frazier what he did to Wilder.
Frazier was a 5'10 fat cruiser with one functional eye: his success is a refutation of the 70's. Any modern heavyweight who can punch; Chris Arreola or Derek Chisora for example, would Foreman him.
Frazier would maul Wilder because Frazier would do something that Wilder has seldom encountered in his can crushing career, and that is go for the KO right from the first bell. It's a case of one of the greatest, infighting hookers against a guy who is useless going back and can't fight inside for ****. The instant that Frazier gets inside that lazy Wilder jab and pushes him to the ropes, Wilder is screwed.
Foreman him ? You realize what Foreman did to beat Frazier ? He wasn't just slugging and landing. He pivoted around Frazier, shut his agression down constantly by grappling and pushing him back to prevent him from getting on the inside and timed his head movement with uppercuts. Chris Arreola ? Chisora ? They fight nothing like Foreman LOL You post a lot of BS.
Wilder hasn't even proven himself the best American HW in this, era. He hasn't fought Ruiz, Jennings or Hunter and his best win against an American is likely Breazeale which says more about the state of the HW division in the US. The very best Mike Tyson, Holyfield, Bowe, Holmes, Frazier, Ali, Foreman, Louis, Frazier all beat Wilder in devastating fashion because they all fought the very best of their era on a consistent basis which does count for something. Then you have the likes of Liston, Morrison, Mercer, Tokyo Douglas, Moorer, Patterson, Marciano and many more who would give Wilder fits. Wilders best wins are Ortizn't who's old enough to be Wilders dad and Stiverne. Every single other opponent of Wilders wouldn't be fit to carry the jock strap of the fighters I've listed.
