1980 Ali vs Mike Weaver

Mike Weaver would win, and I doubt Ali could last the 15 round distance.
If it is 10 rounds, Weaver wins on points.

This was Weaver's best year, Ali's worst.
Ali had nothing left at this point.

 

I'm a huge Ali fan, but I agree he was done at that point. I think he was severely overrated after 1975, although he had a fought a great fight in 78' against Spinks.

 

Ali was really shot at this point .. I'd go w Weaver

 

Ali hadn't belonged in the ring for years.

 

Weaver would win and hopefully the ref would stop it . Ali was dead in the water by 1980 a sad match-up . I'm not an Ali fan but I'm glad this never happened

 

Weaver by UD, Ali, I dont think would go through all the motion of doing what he did for Holmes, but he was far gone by this point, but he would have enough to last.

 

Weaver on points

 

Ali was catching his second win at the time of the Berbick fight. With no thyroid meds, he pulls this one out and wins a comfortable decision.

 

If Ali comes in at a drained 217lbs Weaver beats him badly, if he comes in at a comfortable 236 like he did against Berbick he goes the distance but loses the decision. Either way he shouldnt be fighting, by 1980 he had clear neurological damage.

 

Have to go with that left hook of Weaver in this. And he really dug it in to the body as well as the head. And Muhammad's hands were so bad by this time he couldn't stop anyone anymore.

 

Weaver could really bang. If he came in on a mission I wouldn't be surprised if he stopped him. Then again, Ali was a shell of himself, so that's maybe not a big a deal as it should be.

 

What's the similarity between Weaver and Norton (other than musculature)?

 

If Ali came in like he did against Holmes - he'd lose to everyone. He'd OD'd on prescription drugs. He was taking them by the handful.

But a fragile John Tate won 12 of the 15 rounds against Weaver in 1980. Tate did it by jabbing and throwing an occasional right.

If Ali came in like he did against Lyle Alzado in an exhibition in 1979, that he didn't train for at all, he might be able to beat Weaver. If he trained for Weaver, and didn't OD on pills, I'm sure he'd go 15 in 1980 and likely win a decision.

Weaver didn't outpoint many people. He gave Holmes a tough fight, but he was well behind on the cards. He looked awful against Tate until the last round, and he needed a KO to win. Weaver was a point or two ahead in ther Coetzee fight, but it was up for grabs on the cards, entering the 13th.

Weaver was always a threat to score a KO. But he didn't throw a lot or score a lot of points.