How Badly Hurt Was Ali, Against Cooper?

Ali was extremely hurt. His first time dealing with a truly hard KD and being badly hurt - an alien experience.

More time left, no one knows for sure, but if anyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, it’s Ali, based on his demonstrated ability throughout his career to take a huge shot(s) and still survive.

 

1. The video is clear as day that he jumps in the ring and pulls him back to the corner. He just started to turn the wrong way when it happened.

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2. I will take Dundee's confession on the matter.

3. You have just said that smelling salts were illegal, so we haven't got an argument.

 

Ali was badly hurt … look how he went down ..look at how he went to his corner in a robotic trance, look,at how confused he was in the corner between rounds… this was real.

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. 3:45

again, I’m not saying Cooper finish’s him even if he had more time left but he was more hurt here than against Banks, Frazier or Shavers.

 

In my hamble opinion this whole "Ali saved by the long delay between rounds" has become akin to "Buster saved by the slow count", just another myth.

Anyway; regarding the original question:
1) Ali was seriously hurt. No doubt about it.
2) Could Ali have survived if the round lasts 1 - 2 more minutes?
Not sure. Maybe yes, maybe not. But as another poster mentioned, Ali deserves some credit.
After all, lets remember he got up in NO TIME after being hit by Cooper, when lesser men would be saying goodnight tonite. Cooper himself said in his biography that he was sure the fight was over and couldnt believe his eyes when he saw Ali rising back.

Thus, I think there is a real chance that with 1 or 2 more minutes Cooper manages to finish Ali; however I also think the most probable scenario is that Ali somehow manages to grab and clinch his way to the end of the round and weathers the storm.

 

You're own evidence makes a complete and utter liar out of you. 12.47 for anyone wanting to save time scrolling.

Ali is heading directly to his own corner before Dundee enters the ring (like we have seen trainers do thousands of times across the history of biffo). Dundee's right foot doesn't even take a step from where he plants his foot in the ring coming thru the ropes as he sits Ali down on his stool. Even that's overstating it as he put his hand on Ali's arm and spins him around as Ali simultaneously sits down.

You'd be a hypnotists dream old mate!!!

 

Lol! He CLEARLY starts to face the wrong direction. You are just seeing what you want to see.

 

Oh the irony mate.

 

So what? It’s not a ladies’ garden party, just like the pushing that Joe Frazier fans are wrongly convinced kept him from knocking Foreman out, you do what you can get away with. Cooper hit Ali with one desperation shot, Ali got up, once he got himself together he slashed Cooper to ribbons which he was destined to do because he was the GOAT and Cooper, who I actually thought a lot of, was a solid, honest journeyman at best.

 

Yes Ali walks back to the corner under his own power after the bell rang. I just watched it three times to make sure. Where he gets that Dundee illegally jumped in the ring and pulled Ali back to the corner is just Ali-hating fantasy.

 

Thanks for the confirmation that my eyes work and i haven't gone insane hahaha. It was either me or him!!!!

 

Right back at you.

 

Again...this is just rationalization. There were three rule infractions, and no one really denied it at the time, including Angelo Dundee. If you or others want to keep rationalizing, go right ahead. I don't care. But what happened is what happened.

 

Definitely badly hurt.

That’s why I also noted it to be an unfamiliar experience. Ali later became that much more acclimatised to taking punishment and learning how to fight through the brain fog.

He was very relaxed before the KD, not even braced for absorbing a power shot.

I always found it interesting when Foreman said that he didn’t really know what to do when Ali put him down. It makes sense.

Foreman was hurt but shocked also - first time down and against the odds.

Foreman said he used that experience to ensure that it didn’t happen again (= be counted out) and he materially demonstrated that commitment when hauling himself up against Ron Lyle.

 

At this point there are 3 out of 3 people thinking you are hallucinating or other. It's only going to get worse.

 

I’m not rationalizing … I DON’T CARE. Big difference. The right man, the superior fighter, the guy who was supposed to win the fight won it. All that matters.