Ali vs Shavers: The Greatest’s Finest Hour Does anyone agree?!

No he didn't thats true ,but Norton put a lot more pressure on him ,he was more difficult for Ali to figure out. He was getting hit by shavers more because he'd slowed down ,his reflexes were getting crap ,he just had the great chin to fall back on so to speak.
But Kenny could always have Ali in trouble ,what ever his age or conditon.

 

Ali had faced Frazier x 3, Foreman, Liston, Patterson, Quarry, Mac Foster, Quarry x 2, Norton x 3 and Lyle prior to the Shavers fight, and that's just a quick take. Lets not pretend he didn't take some serious leather in that lot. Even in Liston 1 he took a couple of big big blows with barely a reaction.

Picture all the other lineal champions. What ones would you say come even remotely close to matching Ali's array of punchers? It's insane really and that's before Foreman. You have to look at a guy like Lewis all the way forward in the 90's.

 

Yes i've heard this one before. You don't have to get scars on the brain to prove your chin tho.

 

Ali was a green kid (tho fast developing) when Cooper had him in trouble. Sonny Banks too. Yet he took some heavy Liston blows just after and stopped Cooper without such drama 3 years after their inital bout which is 5 years pre-Frazier.

The question mark was rubbed out quite quickly. Talk of durability issues were greatly diminished after his winning of the title. Can you remember him getting into much trouble from Liston forward excluding wars like Frazier?

 

I actually think the 15th round was Ali's swan song; even if you don't think he won the fight (I do), he definitely won that round in style, hurting Shavers in the process.