Muhammad Ali’s Appetite

Just to add to some of the information about other heavyweights eating large amounts, I do recall Joe Louis mentioning in his biography some food feats, including eating an absurd number of bananas right before training and getting scolded by Jack Blackburn for it (it made him sluggish).

 

Has to be more of a difference than this. Some people can eat the whole buffet and not gain a pound. Thomas hearns is a guy like that to keep it to boxers.

 

In my experience that’s mostly fantasy. I knew skinny guys who could eat a lot, they also moved a lot. Energy in energy out.

 

Yeah Ali had a voracious appetite he feasted upon Bear, Rabbit, Octopus, Gorilla, and even an Acorn

 

Its not that unreasonable, ali probably burned tons of calories.
Someone with his activity level could habe a Metabolic rate of well over 4000 calories when you factor in his excercise.

Hes a 220 lb professional Fighter afterall.
Probably starts camp even heavier than that

 

When I saw this thread, I didn't know if it concerned Ali's appetite for food or his zest for other edible morsels. He was also known to have a big craving for other, um, delicacies of the XX variety.

 

For some guys, food simply isn't a priority. It was a huge priority for guys like Ali, who despite being a "Minister" for the NOI somehow forgot that gluttony is a sin. Ali's peak weight was always 212, although he was a ripped and powerful 217 for Foreman. He came in at 201 for Cooper II, but Sir Henry said he had nothing resembling Patterson's power in the Hammer's next outing, where he also said Floyd's hand speed was faster than Ali's at Muhammad's lowest Championship era weight.

At all ages, the weight of Earnie Shavers never changed. And it seems that Michael Spinks might still follow something of the nutritional regimen Mackie Shilstone gave him. (The Jinx might be a good candidate for outliving Foreman as the longest lived linear HW Champion, although it seems unlikely that anybody can approach Schmeling's lifespan. So far, that record has been held by Jeffries, Willard, Dempsey, Sharkey and Schmeling. It's a short list. And at the end of their lives, Jeff and Jess were HUGE! The latter three never let themselves go.)

 

Tex is a Legend One of a kind

 

When in Texas I was in an all you can eat Chinese buffet I was starving, lol Little skinny guy sat on next table . I filled a plate 3 times so did he then he went back for 2 more. I watched in amazement. He eventually got up & walked out. Suddenly a real big guy, built like a linebacker, tapped me on the shoulder said Did you see that little guy eat? I thought he'd got a bag under the table putting food in but he didn't have anything when he left.. You ate well too but nothing like him lol A waiter came by heard us & said I hope he don't come back tomorrow or I go broke LOL how a little thin man could walk even after having eaten so much food beat me

 

I was in Las Vegas this summer and my buddy, who owed me a nice meal since I had picked up his check at an expensive restaurant a year or two before (we live different states but are in the same profession so we were there for a conference) said ‘let’s go to the Caesars buffet, my treat.’ I think it was about $75-80 each.

They had basically everything and all of it was good. I think you get like 90 minutes or 2 hours (not sure how strict they are on that, but you’re not going to stay all day for sure). Wanna say we got seated about 11 a.m. So I set my strategy: first trip through I got all the breakfast food I wanted; second trip was lunch; third was dinner and fourth was desert.

I’m not trying to brag on myself but I look at a buffet as a competitive challenge — can I eat more food than I’m paying for so I can consider it a win? Well, I truly feel like I was a winner that day. Did much better at the buffet table than at the gambling tables, hahah.

 

I will compare Muhammad Ali in 1967 and 1974. The fact that in 1974 Ali was heavier than in 1967, does not necessarily mean that in 1974 he ate more (ingested more calories), but that in 1967 he trained more. People who train aerobic activities for several hours a day (running, jumping rope, sparring, shadow-boxing...) can burn enormous amounts of calories.

 

Ali ate Foreman’s soul.

 

After the first fight with Frazier, he never again looked physically impressive. Of course, he performed impressively, which is what counts. Kenny Norton he wasn’t, though, but again that was in the second half of his career.

He looks plenty fit in the mid-to-late 1960’s.

 

This, I can relate to. I would eat that just to celebrate getting to Friday, end of the week. Imagine if you just beat George Foreman! The Ali who beat Liston probably partied to celebrate, but ten years later, the, “party,” is pigging out.