How do you rate Ali's win over Terrell?

Good call buddy, sounds even better when you include his middle name " Marcellus " don't it .
Continuing the theme, who would have thought the rooting, tooting, toughest cowboy of them all, began his life as Marion Morrison
stay safe amigo.

 

Ali was also very needled at one point during the rubber vs Norton. Ken had a bit to say during the course of the match and after one particular round it got Ali angry enough to shove his glove in Ken’s face after the bell.

Terrell was a strange one. I don’t overrate him but he had a pretty good jab and the physical tools overall to do a lot better in potential imo, he overdid the octopus routine but it conveyed reasonable strength - anyway, as it was, his approach was far too negative but very awkward nonetheless.

 

Even if he beat Williams, Machen and Jones at there beats or whatever they weren’t anything special anyway.

 

You don't follow the narrative that Ali carried him 15 to further punish him Pug? Many do.

I am with you, i think it was a taxing fight and Terrell survived the distance on his merits. Your "complaint" may well have led to a dividend.

 

Well, they DID call him “ Ernest”

 

That is true!!! On top of that his name is derived from "Ernst", which means serious.

 

No, not at all.

Not that the vision wasn’t enough to make that clear, Ali was pointedly asked same after the fight - he said no and made note of Terrell’s durability as I recall from the film.

Tbh, Ali looked a bit tired and bored pounding on Terrell the way he did. It was like, what do I do to/with him now? - I’m winning the fight going away but he ain’t going anywhere either.

Given his own height and size, even for the era, 212 lbs seemed a bit light for Terrell. Could’ve probably packed on a reasonable amount of extra muscle weight on to that frame - excellent 82” reach also.

In so far as exacting an endless beating without the ultimate punctuation of a KO result in sight, Larry Holmes might’ve empathised with Ali when he fought, beat up and decisioned Randy Cobb over the old school route of 15 rounds.

 

It was a psychological ploy meant to anger Muhammad Ali, a distraction so to speak, Ali would be so intent on inflicting damage for the implied insult by Ernie Terrell that he would lose focus on his fight strategy. As it turned out that ploy did not work the way Terrell thought it would, in round 8 Ali began to ask Terrell, What's My Name? as he was punching Ernie at will to the rhythm of his question. It appeared a week later on ABC's Wide World Of Sports with Howard Cosell, that Ali appeared annoyed with Cosell defending Terrell's actions of his accusation that Ali had thumbed him in the eye and rubbed his face along the ropes causing damage to his eye which later required surgery.

 

mr. magoo, Take a look at the boxing ratings of early 1967, Terrell was the WBA title holder, up and coming fighters like Frazier were very inexperienced, Bonavena too, despite his decision loss to Zora Folley two years earlier. Jerry Quarry also two years before lost on points to a faded version of Eddie Machen. The only serious challengers were Thad Spencer and past Ali victims. Like I have always posted, a champion can only defend against what challengers that are available at that point in time, not someone from the far past or from the far future. That is why it is annoying when we are discussing a certain fighter from the past and some youngster has to interject with some current fighter who lives off of Modern (Steroids) Nutrition and looks as swollen as the legendary Sta Puff Man on Ghostbusters, the original 1984 version.

 

I wasn’t criticizing either man for that fight, Rich. I acknowledged that Terell was a title holder and probably the most qualified challenger and that it was a “ good “ win.