Was anyone better for a single fight than Louis or Ali ever managed to be?

I like this concept. You know as human beings we are prone to good days and bad days and we have moments of emotional intensity. I’d say in terms of sheer heart it goes to Joe and I don’t want to sound cliche but Frazier really didn’t care that night during the FOTC.

I’d say it’s one of the best and most heartfelt fights at HW ever. I don’t know if he’d beat Louis or Ali at there bests then but it was a better performance then either offered in terms of what must’ve been going on deep inside.

I remember there is an exchange in one of the rounds and Frazier gets tired of Ali laying on the ropes he wants to fight so badly he literally drops his guard and pulls Ali off the ropes as if it to say “No son we are fighting like this” and it always resonated with me.

it was his night he was peaked, and intense and it must’ve felt like it lasted a few seconds for Joe I bet he wished that fight had a hundred rounds only a few nights in our lives fill us with such a passionate burning joy like that on an almost spiritual fulfilling level. His special night just happened to be at the right time against the right man.

“Sorry, you’re in the wrong place tonight God”- Joe Frazier

 

Ever? Doubtful. On average? Sure.

 

Buster Douglas.
It's been so long ago that we have sort of forgotten, prior to the fight Tyson was being compared with the greats, and in some quarters surpassing them ! he was seen as a combo of Marciano/Frazier and Dempsey a truly frightening HW who was destined to reign for years to come, whos next for the slaughter, step up, step up.
Poor Buster, how long would he last, that was all the talk was about, and who would be next to fall , but Douglas fought the kind of fight that fighters are born to fight only once in their lives, firstly he appeared unafraid of the monster , obvs it was bluster and kidology , he was really cacking his trunks, if I remember correctly didn't his mother pass a couple of weeks before the sacrificial slaughter , and he pledged to win in her memory, we should have lifted our eyes up of the page, when man utters such profound statements, we should be take heed, we didn't, I mean respect for his loss, and all that, but this is boxing, and Tyson was a killer, you at the back how long ? 5 rounds you say, and you in the big hat....
Well Douglas showed us, he showed Tyson, and he showed the the world, oh and he showed his mum. stay safe guys.

 

Big Bus put it all together that night. He was the perfect heavyweight for one night. The ability was always there but he had desire and finally stamina.

 

Tokyo Douglas is a great nomination.

Still, Louis and Ali not only maintained extraordinarily high standards over a good period of time but they also had their own PB performances that were sufficiently above and beyond their own average as to surpass any other fighter’s absolute best effort.

 

That's the truth. Even when you find some outlier amazing performances (Douglas vs Tyson, Frazier vs Ali, Schmeling vs Louis), Louis and Ali had quite a few comparably spectacular fights and they proved their value across more varied pool of opponents.

 

Yes, I'm reminded that I ordinarily would have watched the fight on HBO but that night I had to be somewhere else. And ordinarily in such situations I would have put a VHS tape in and record it to watch later. That night I didn't even put in a tape. I was floored the following morning when I saw the headline on the front page. His mother did indeed pass away shortly before the fight. I would have expected that would have a negative impact on Buster. I remember how I felt in the days and weeks after losing my mother and I certainly did not feel inspired to greater heights. But Buster showed us all something that night and I'm happy that it all worked out as it did for him.

 

What fights were Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali at their best? Was it Schmeling II and Cleveland Williams?

I think the night the 6'9' 273-pound Tyson Fury beat Deontay Wilder to win the WBC Heavyweight Title in their rematch ... THAT Tyson Fury would beat any heavyweight in history on that night.

Fury was on another plane. Bouncing around. Throwing bombs. Licking blood. My friends thought Wilder was about to actually die in the ring. Fury had that kill or be killed mindset. He was as intense that night as anyone I've ever seen.

I was sure Fury was going to pop dirty afterward. I never saw anything like that from him before. He was huge and powerful, his mindset was incredible, and he just came in guns blazing and with all that very tight (not loose) weight behind him ... he was like a steamroller.

I don't see the much smaller Louis and Ali holding off that Tyson Fury ... AT ALL.

Ali would've had to run for his life. Joe wouldn't have run and would've been crushed.

Other nights, Fury was much more beatable. But not on that night. He was arguably the best ever that evening. I don't see anyone being able to stop that freight train that day.

 

Good one, mate.

 

Good Question. I've often wondered what a top 10 list might look like if you were to rate them not by longevity, but by what they were on their absolute best night.

To answer the OP, no, I don't think anybody surpassed Ali's best. Douglas' performance certainly deserves mention though. I would throw Riddick Bowe from the first Holyfield fight out there as well. Bowe didn't have the longevity to rank very high on any ATG list, but on Nov. 13, 1992, he beat an excellent fighter in Holyfield by rather wide margins on the scorecards. Keep in mind that many people have Evander top 10-15 all time, and that was a probably near-prime Holyfield, and Bowe was CLEARLY the better man that night. Still, I'd have to say that Nov. 14, 1966 (Cleveland Williams fight) Ali was better than Nov. 13, 1992 Bowe, though considering the quality of opposition, I suppose an argument can be made for Bowe. Same for Douglas.

 

Definitely Schmelling II and Cleveland Williams. Overall primes were 1938-40 Louis and Ali 1965-67 Ali in my view.

 

There were fighters who were at least equally ready or prepared,...you got all day? This is a very ambiguous answer to a VERY subjective question, let me assure you.

 

Completely agree. You can name exceptional performances such as Schmeling in his first crack against Louis when he was firing on all cylinders countering the hell out of Louis with a picture perfect gameplan. Ingo picking Patterson apart is another good example. But none of them looked that exceptional for several fights and that's what makes Ali and Louis so special.

 

The Joe Louis, around the time he fought Max Schmeling (the second time)? The Muhmmad Ali, around the time he fought Zora Folley? I suppose it is possible, but I cannot think of anyone.