https://streamable.com/lke4 This is Louis fighting Walcott in their rematch. Notice how he prevents Walcott from leading him on a wild goose chase. He stands his ground, making Walcott come in, and then he springs into action.
This is the historic way to fight a counterpuncher and the way Louis fought this bout with Walcott. Force the counterpuncher to lead by laying back and feinting and then counterpunch the counterpuncher.
Ali's reach was as long or longer than Louis's so he'd never have to come in. Ali didn't fight like Walcott, all that posing and shimmying and stalling. Completely different styles. Ali had a good punch output generally. Walcott far less but he was inclined to look to land powerful counters. Good boxers never have to "go chasing", unless they are at a severe height and reach disadvantage. Good boxers just box. The guy running around cannot win the boxing match unless he's close enough to land punches, and that makes him vulnerable to getting hit.
I think that Louis would have some success with this tactic to be honest. Ali tended to lose the plot a bit when somebody made him work on the front foot, and I suspect that he would have bit on this trap.
Louis can start by winning the negotiations and terms. Pick a very small ring. To beat Ali you need to take the fight to him and press him as Frazier did, or out jab / counter punch him as Norton did. Louis would have a real hard time in the center of the ring, and IMO lacked the feet to catch up to Ali and the reach to out jab him. Louis best chance is to keep throwing the left hook, a punch that Ali was tagged with quite a few times in his career, and let his hands go anytime Ali is in the corners or the ropes, opening up himself for counters, but giving him a chance to land his own artillery.
Reach is not a requirement to be able to be effective with a jab. Timing technique and speed are very important. Although Ali would outjab Louis overall the Louis jab would be a highly effective punch during this hypothetical bout. Louis would be parrying and slipping the Ali jab and then stepping in and countering with his own. The follow up punches are the blows Ali would need to be afraid of in the end.
I don't think it is possible to make someone work on the front foot, or make them come at you, unless they have less range than you. It's simple enough. Ali was fine boxing in ring centre. When he danced excessively he often ended up in a corner or on the ropes. Yes, Louis could do fine against Ali with whatever boxing he brings to the fight. These two were both fine boxers and similar in size and reach. My point is, Walcott was stalling, Louis wasn't having it. I've never considered Ali's dancing and running to be a stalling type of thing, or even a tactic to minimimize engagement, he was always looking to put out a high amount of punches. Men who chased Ali excessively and allowed him to box well off the backfoot were usually smaller men or inferior boxers who didn't fancy their chances keeping the fight at long range at all. The better boxers just edged forward slightly or stayed at ring centre. Ali usually beat them easy enough anyway.
I think people are forgetting, that Ali was fast, both speed of hand and foot. If Louis wanted to play the waiting game, Ali would have just darted in and out and left Louis punching shadows.
his tactic would be looking like an idiot walking in circle with his slow footwork, ali would destroy his face with jabs and straight right hands before stopping him
That's how I see much of the fight happening, but I think it would be a tougher version of the first Liston fight.
