Is Mike right that Ali never threw a body punch in his whole career?

Cleveland Williams
Im sure theres others but that was the first to come to mind

 

He did throw body shots, just not often.

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/ali’s-disdain-for-the-body.690042/

 

bro

 

I’ll allow that Mike was employing hyperbole to make a point - if not, then he’s wrong.

For the greater part of his career, it seemed Ali did show disdain for the body - some reasoning that Ali understood that it invited more potential damage to Ali’s self proclaimed pretty face - which Ali would not have wanted, of course.

All’s fair in love and war but it did appear that Ali made that bit of extra effort to target Williams belly where Cleveland had been recently shot.

Vs Terrell, Ernie’s high guard and well exposed body throughout 15 rounds was screaming for a scything body attack to do damage in it own right and to bring Ernie’s hands down but Ali didn’t go there in any serious way.

Had Ali done so I believe he would’ve stopped Terrell.

But of course, Ali always did things his own way and it essentially worked for him on the whole .

 

He did occasionally, but he was a head hunter for the most part. Bending that far at the waist could've led to him eating an uppercut or other strong power shots, and Ali was all about avoiding as much damage as possible leaning away and using his legs to escape.

 

If he did throw body shots, they weren't damaging. They were only to distract, and they were rare. What you see from the beginning of his career was Ali throwing and connecting on so many stinging head shots that they would dizzy the opponent. Once dizzy, the man would be set up for the KO or stoppage.