Marciano then probably Charles. If it is as they were when they fought Joe it takes a bit away from Marciano as his offense improved post Louis and I might opt for others. He got lower and got under punches better a tad later. Walcott would be dangerous in that he could time you out of nowhere. He couldn't win but he might put some hurt on Ali out of the blue, or not.
Marciano,Charles or Walcott. Muhammad,in my opinion,beats them all but all three would give him a tough fight.
I think Conn would be a dark horse here he's quick and technical enough to be able to box with Ali and Ali seems like someone who would take a bit to get used to fighting someone faster then him. Eventually though he'd probably catch him with a counter or something but I think Conn would make a competitive fight out of it.
Braddock, John Henry Lewis, Farr and Godoy are the 4 I'd send. Then Pastor. Ezzards chin is too weak and Marcianos too small especially the reach. Buddy Baer would be 5th but Ali went down like three times in over 40 fights. If Ali got through 5 fights with Foreman, Liston, Lyle and Shavers without going down a puncher from Louis's day probably isn't beating him. Unless its Louis himself. What you got to be looking for is great boxers with great chins and if they punch big thats a bonus. Frazier only got 1 KD in their 3 fights.
Marciano as an all time great swarmer would be Ali’s toughest opponent in general. Ali stated so himself.
Yeah, Marciano is the obvious pick for a reason. While in all likelihood the size difference would ultimately be decisive, he was one of the great hard-punching, granite-chinned pressure fighters. That style is most likely to cause Ali problems, but at the same time it is also difficult to see how Marciano actually wins a 15 round fight against a prime Ali. Walcott and Schmeling could be tricky for Ali, but again ultimately too much size and class. Ali is a nightmare in fantasy fights, as there are few "statistically probable" ways of beating him. He stood up to ATG punchers, would have a speed advantage over virtually everyone he fought, and also had great intangibles. Obviously he was only human, and still beatable as his career showed. It's just a narrow path to victory that often relies on a leap of faith stylewise. Persistent pressure fighting seemed to be the best way to get to him, but it still takes a great skill set and attributes to execute that.
Charles, Schmeling, Walcott, Marciano. I can toss Conn into the discussion if he sticks to the game plan of boxing Ali and not trying to go for the KO.
Styles make fights. Marcianos fighting low and small negates height and reach to a great extent. His swarming style is exactly the best way to fight a boxer like Ali. Unlike most all Ali opponents Marciano will surge into the later rounds. It goes the distance and either fighter could get the decision. Ali stated himself Marciano would have been his toughest opponent due primarily to his style. All great swarmers give Ali trouble. Dempsey, Marciano and Frazier.
