Ali 1964 and Ali in 1974? Which was the best version?

Can you picture the press conferences and weigh in for this one ? They would be almost as entertaining as the fight,itself.

 

64 version was quicker in handspeed and footspeed so he would win.
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Clay "For an old man,you're quite pretty,though not as pretty as me........I'm gonna give you a pension off"

Ali "I'm gonna whup you kid......whup you like I'm your DADDY ! I know every move you're gonna make sucker"

 

64 version would beat the 75 version.

 

Agreed. It would be a pretty close fight,though. The 32 year old Muhammad Ali would be,far and away,the toughest opponent that the 1964 Cassius Clay had ever faced. More so than the '64 incarnation of Sonny Liston. The '74 Ali would have approximately 85% of Clay's speed,and just as good a chin. Clay takes a UD. Maybe 9 - 6 in rounds.

 

Ali 1964 was better because he had faster hands, swifter footwork & more stamina... that version would not have needed the rope-a-dope vs big George IMO.

 

No, both fights are not highly questionable except for in the heads of those that like to make up **** for the sake of being different & argument... the 2nd fight had question marks around it but only a moron believes (or pretends to believe) fight 1 was anything other than legit.

 

I'm in full agreement with you,Bill. The same conspiracy theorists that say the moon landing never happened probably question the legitimacy of Ali's victory in that fight

 

When was he asked?

 

In his biography,Muhammad Ali - His Life And Times,that he did with Thomas Hauser,he mentioned that his 1966/67 self would beat his best '70s incarnation.

 

Good question...I"ll be in the minority here and pick the '74 version of Ali however. Sure the '64 version was faster but not that much faster. Ali of '74 still had plenty of speed and had filled out physically. His body had matured...He wasn't the gifted but somewhat gangly puppy he was against Liston. Plus he sat down on his punches a bit more which put more hurt in them. Add the experience factor into the equation and I could see the Ali of '74 "schooling" the Ali of '64 to a decision win. The Liston victory was impressive but Liston was ready to be taken by the right opponent. Frazier and Foreman were more dangerous opponents for Ali than the '64 Liston. Now Ali of '67 to '70 would've been another story. That version of Ali would've had the speed, physical maturity and power to beat any subsequent version of Ali.....Or any other heavyweight who ever lived for that matter.

 

MUHAMMAD ALI VS. CASSIUS CLAY

Every time I look in the mirror,
I see that kid from Louisville, Kentucky, staring back at me.
His name was Cassius Clay.

The kid says he is greater than Muhammad Ali. He claims to have made me who I am today. So I tell him that he is crazy. I look him in the eyes and declare that it was Muhammad Ali who made him great.

I insist that it was Muhammad Ali, not Cassius Clay, who stood up to the mighty government for his beliefs. I tell him that it was Muhammad Ali who weathered the storms and endured the pain. I tell him it was Muhammad Ali who mastered the art of faith; Muhammad Ali, not Cassius Clay, who spread the truth.

Then I tell the kid that he was good--possibly even great--but that it was Muhammad Ali who invented the rope-a-dope and lit the Olympic torch.

I tell him that it was Muhammad Ali who shocked the world and made a place in history.

When I am through, the kid has a few words for me.

He looks into my eyes and confidently replies: "Almost everything you say is true. Muhammad Ali may have mastered the game, but it was Cassius Clay who dreamed the dream. Cassius Clay who inspired Ali to follow his heart. While Muhammad played the rope-a-dope game, it was Cassius who danced around the ring, shuffling and floating as if in a dream."

So, when you accept the awards and receive the praise, he tells me, remember one thing: It may be Muhammad Ali who is the greatest, but it was Cassius Clay who paved the way...

THE DECISION:

As Cassius and Ali danced around the ring,
reliving the dream, in the final round it came to a draw.
One could not be greater than what the other proclaimed.
From the very beginning they shared the same heart,
This has been true from the very start.
--Hana Yasmeen Ali

from "The Soul of a Butterfly".

 

You make some good points,Gentleman Jim :good I chose the Clay version,but it would be very much a 51/49 scenario.

 

I've got that book,myself. A very good read.

 

Ali writes like a minister, like a man of God. His defense of God's existence is so simple yet so compelling.

No heavyweight champion, no world-renowned athlete, no celebrity--past or present--would take the trouble to write about the things that matter in life like Ali does here.

Was he perfect? No, nor are his detractors.

With all the dross stripped away, he was the Dalai Lama, of amazing physicality, flashing around the ring in boxing trunks.