Not exactly his 5 best wins, rather 5 best opponents he has beaten. 1. Foreman 2. Liston 3. Frazier 4. Norton (yes, I think Ali deservedly won their second fight). 5. Patterson
5 best wins: 1. Foreman 2. Liston 1 3. Frazier 2 4. Frazier 3 5. Liston 2 5 best opponents he has beaten: 1. Foreman 2. Frazier 3. Liston 4. Patterson 5. Norton
I agree with everyone else it's pretty simple really top 5 wins are.... Foreman Frazier x2 Liston x2 And of course for top 5 opponents. 1 Foreman 2 Liston 3 Frazier 4 Norton 5 Patterson I rated Norton above Patterson just because Norton actually beat Ali, and had a much more troublesome style and was more of a threat. Even though Patterson is a greater Heavyweight than Norton.
Chronologically - Liston I Williams Norton II Frazier II Foreman I could easily switch a couple of them around. The Liston and Foreman ones are based on signifigance. The Williams fight displayed all of Muhammad's prime arsenal. The Norton and Frazier ones are about the nearest the 70s Ali came to resembling his 60s prime. The Foreman fight would also have displayed this if Muhammad had n't have used different tactics (fighting off ropes etc.)
Liston l Foreman Frazier ll Frazier lll Spinks ll I didn’t put Liston ll. Too much tomfoolery and conspiracy surrounding it. Was it fixed. Was it genuine. I’ll pass on it. But did I really just say Spinks?? Strange choice on the surface. However there is reasoning behind my apparent madness. This fight was a big one in that after losing his title to this novice, the pressure was on for the older, obviously way, way past his best, but legendary Ali to avenge this embarrassing aberration. A second defeat would be unthinkable for someone who called himself the greatest. But perhaps more significantly, if Ali won he’d become a 3 time world HW champion. The only man in history to achieve it if he pulled it off. On the other hand, if Spinks won he’d become the only man to defeat the great man twice. Something even the mighty Joe Frazier couldn’t do. Immortality beckoned… Of course the old fella summoned one final excellent performance and won…and his place in history was sealed. Was the result ever really in doubt….?
