Ali retires after Foreman. How does this affect his legacy? Would it be a better retirement rather then retiring on Spinks 2?
Ali's considered by the majority to be #1 in resume and H2H so he didn't lose much fighting on. Perfect retirement would have been after the last Frazier fight for mine. He established himself in that rivalry and could have saved him 10 fights of wear and tear that didn't push his record forward.
Like a lot of big stars, he stayed too long. In hindsight... After the thrilla was the ideal time for Ali to go. For Roy, after Ruiz. For Pac, after Thurman. For Duran, after Barkley. Marciano and Calzaghe went out at the right time.
yes it would have been better than to see him destroy his reputation He hung around too long losing your title to a novice is really embarrassing and damaging to your reputation
Excellent question. I agree that his legacy would probably remain the same, certainly it seems it shouldn’t be eroded by his fights thereafter. It’s hard to imagine his resume not including the Thrilla but most afforded Ali due handicapping for his return from exile performance in the FOTC and he did defeat Joe in relatively comfortable fashion in the rematch. Correct me if I’m wrong but Joe was considered pretty much shot so if Manila didn’t eventuate Ali would’ve been given clear advantage anyway, on paper at least. If anything, given Joe’s assumed disrepair and 2nd fight loss to Ali, it seems Manila definitely added far more to Joe’s legacy than it did Ali’s. Even though Ali was clearly past it, I suppose the Norton rubber might’ve been seen to establish Ken’s perceived overall dominance as opposed to Ali leaving it at 1 apiece, which would’ve left Norton being simplified as a stylistic nightmare but a fighter who Ali could still edge with the right preparation and mindset. Without the rubbers v Joe and Ken, Ali could still have been reasonably seen to have settled outstanding scores. For us fans, even with obvious deteriorations acknowledged for both fighters, Manila is a nice closer but in terms of health and enhancement to his ATG ranking, I think Ali could’ve easily done without it and the other fights that followed.
He’d be a superman. Avenged everyone who beat him, ko’d the invincible Foreman, went out on top without suffering a lot of damage. If I could change history I’d retire Muhammad Ali right after the Foreman fight.
After the Thrilla in Manilla would've been perfect imo. He wouldn't have the controversial decisions late in his career and he wouldn't miss out on elite level victories (besides of maybe Norton III). That would've been a better way to end his career, even better than becoming the first and only 3 time lineal heavyweight champ imo.
From a selfish point of view I would have loved to see him retire after Frazier 3 so I had the experience of seeing the fight. From a best for Ali point of view, he should have retired after Foreman. His legacy was well-established by then.
