FOTC Frazier VS. 1967 Ali

He had to flip two rounds.

 

Probably Ali but I could see it going the other way too.

 

This.

When two great Fighters with the perfect styles for each other get it on, small differences become big ones. Ali came close to winning the first fight, beating the crap out of Joe and putting him in the hospital for a while. Against this same Frazier, a better Muhammad Ali wins a clear UD or very late TKO.

 

The irony. Eddie Futch literally stopped the Thrilla in Manila because he was worried Frazier might get killed, never be the same again or end up a vegetable.

 

100% on the mark! As much as I love Smokin Joe as a fighter I don't think even the FOTC version of Frazier could beat the Ali that fought Zora Folley in 1967. (I absolutely agree that the Ali of 67 was perhaps the greatest HW that has ever stepped in a ring!)

 

Peak Ali too quick and slick for Joe. Peppers him at long range, gets hit less but still strong enough to tussle with Joe when things do get up close and personal. Joe can't hunt down, trap and batter this version of Ali like the FOTC version.

Ali, close but wins by UD

 

Ali quite easily.
Watch the fight, when Ali is dancing, Joe gets no pressure and is just left with chasing him around the ring eating jabs.
I pretty much see this in all of the fights they have.
Joe vas over reliant on Ali's lack of footwork

 

Actually if you watch the Foley fight, Ali is getting hit a lot by left hooks leaning back. But again.....Foley couldn't do nothing when Ali was dancing

 

I think this fight would still be extremely competitive, even with Ali in his prime. Though Muhammad could dance all night back then, I still see him getting trapped on the ropes by Joe later in the fight. Frazier is a HomeTown fighter and I always back them, but I have to be as objective as possible with fantasy fights.

Just as an aside, although it has been said many times, just imagine if Ali had not had the three and a half years off. He was just beginning his absolute Peak, terrible shame because I believe he would have continued getting better. He probably would have reached the point where he was a bit heavier and punching harder but could still dance all or most of the night.

Interesting that MA is probably the most popular boxer of all time, yet we never got to see him at (potentially) his very best.

 

Ali, no question in my mind. His footwork and mongoose-like punch evasion were never the same after his exile, for whatever reason. (He continued to have exceptionally fast hands up till about 1975, but seemed to throw combinations at "full speed" less and less often, more frequently relying on his ability to read his opponent rather than beat him to the punch through sheer speed.)

I think prime Ali wins a more undeniably decisive UD than in any of their actual fights -though I would be shocked if it wasn't still competitive. He could never afford to take prime Frazier lightly.

 

Another element that often goes unmissed:

Ali of 1967 hasn't been exiled and supported by Frazier and therefore hasn't whipped Frazier into the frenzied determination of the version he faced in FOTC.

I would argue that without the mental element and Ali being fresher, he eeks out the decision, with a wider gap every subsequent fight.

Had Ali not been exiled, he and Frazier face off 1968/69 and Yank didn't think Frazier was ready - telling .

 

Ali had noted hand issues post exile - very rarely saw him able to sit down on his punches in the same way that he did Vs Foreman.