Ali's legacy if he retired after Manila

He should have retired after the Coopman bout.

I have personal reasons for this:
I like saying Ali fought in my Puerto Rico.

Lol!

In due seriousness, that way we'd had an image that Ali retired after easily beating up one of his challengers, and that fight and the others afterward, as people have said, added nothing to his legacy.

 

The answer to this question really depends on what happens next. Ali does not have Jimmy Young, Lyle and Shavers on his resume. And what that means really depends on what happens next.

 

The only thing Ali stands to lose by retiring in '75 is showing just how good his jaw was in his fight against Shavers.

 

Ali is rated as the greatest heavyweight champion and he would still be rated the greatest heavyweight champion. The final bout with Frazier gave historians everything they look for to rate Ali among the elite.