Hi all This is one my favourite - and I should add relevant - topics of discussion that evokes strong opposing opinions. How would the Muhammad Ali who faced "Big Cat" Cleveland Williams in the Houston Astrodome perform against the "super-heavyweights" of today including Fury, Wilder, Joshua and arguably the finest of that category, Lennox Lewis. I personally am of the opinion that his movement, reflexes, combinations, stamina, feinting and supreme confidence would have taken him to victory over them all. What do you guys think?
Hmmmm....I think we have had a shortage of Greats of the past vs modern super heavy/tall behemoths recently and that this will spark a new direction of respectful serious dialogue and a healthy exchange of ideas! But on a serious note welcome to the forum and I hope that your thread does generate some positive feedback for you. I think Ali fares well in any era, including recent ones, and I am the farthest thing from an Ali fan.
Ernie Terrell was better than most of the current division, not to mention George Foreman. Ali dominates this division so badly that they have to create even more BS abc belts to sell a champion vs champion fight Oh, and welcome to the forum
Ali would wipe the floor w all of them. That version of Ali I don’t think any of these shw beat. He was probably more susceptible to individuals great at cutting off the ring maybe a young Tyson gives him a hard time but even w him I still think he comes out on top.
I favour Ali against them all. The way he out lasted Foreman and out jabbed Terrell. He doesn't have a weakness that bigger men could exploit.
Since it’s bloody mandatory to put Ali and Louis on the top of any heavyweight rankings until the end of time and human existence, it’s easy to say that Ali beats everyone but taking off the rose tinted glasses, it ain’t hard at all to say that Ali could lose quite a few fights against the heavyweights that have become champions since the 60s. could the current day trio of Joshua, Fury and Wilder do it? I wouldn’t put my house on it but it wouldn’t be that big a shock to me if they did. Yeah even one trick pony,Wilder has a chance.
Having seen almost all of Ali's fights there are two key points. Ali liked guys to come to him and had trouble with good jabbers at all stages of his career. Vs Superheavies, he would have to come to them and get past their jabs. He would also be giving up height, weight and reach, and advantage he usually enjoyed. Joshua and Fury still have many chapters left to write in their books, but I could see both guys giving Ali trouble, possibly beating him.
Fury UD12 Ali Ali TKO6 Wilder Ali UD12 Joshua Lewis KO9 Ali Interested to hear your own predictions..
Thank-you for your contributions, they are much appreciated. It's great we can have this respectful and knowledge-based diacussion on these issues without resorting to abuse and profanity! Also, regarding Ali vs Fury... I have watched Fury's rise to the top with great enthusiasm and I do think he is the most skilled heavyweight today. However, I have a number of observations regarding an Ali/Fury comparison. 1. A boxer is only "as quick as his opponent is slow". Fury is quick for a man of his size, but in comparison to his opposition - who are invariably quite slow, - Fury appears quicker. Floyd Patterson and Ernie Terrell both were considered to be "quick" fighters until they encountered Ali and then were made to look slow. 2. I could apply the same logic to Fury's boxing ability. Yes, he outboxed Klitschko and Wilder, but neither demonstrated exceptional boxing skills or movement to really test Fury. Consider how Ali outboxed Liston, Patterson, Williams and Foley - all of whom were considered to be sound technical boxers. 3. Finally, in relation to movement. Both Ali and Fury demonstrated superior movement to their opponents. However, for me, Ali's movement was as offensive in nature as it was defensive. Meaning, he used it to create openings with which to launch an attack. This is one of the great differences between pre and post exile Ali. Pre-exile, Ali's movement allowed him to attack and defend (consider the two Liston fights and the Williams one); post-exile, Ali's movement was much less effective as a weapon and had more of an "aesthetic" effect rather than the much celebrated "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" approach. Fury - in my opinion - is much like Ali post-exile, his movement - in certain instances - appears pleasant but I question how much of it actually enables him to create openings for an attack or how necesaary it is. In summary therefore, I doubt Fury would either out-box or out-move Ali. Rather, I think Ali would fight at a distance and wait patiently - even for 15 rounds - to find his opening and then...sting!
Ali beats them all. Not even a hesitation in answering this. For the record I cant stand Ali so no favoritism here.
