Muhammad Ali's top 5 toughest opponents

You'd hope that this would bury the myth that this decision was in any way controversial.

 

I was considering using Monzon and X as my example as Monzon and Holmes are similar, but I thought that might just arouse controversy...

 

1. Frazier
2. Norton
3. Foreman
4. Liston
5. Young (I think that younger Ali would look much better against Holmes than against Jimmy)

 

If by toughest you mean the best opponents he ever fought and went on to beat? Then...

1 - Foreman - 25
2 - Liston - 31 or 32
3 - Frazier - 27
4 - Patterson - 29
5 - Norton - 29

Fought all of these guys during their prime and beat them all. Patterson being the only one who was probably removed from his best days but even so Patterson was a very solid contender who had fought his way back up the rankings in his quest to regain the HW title during their first bout. And he was still only 29 years old.

 

Frazier
Norton
Young
Lyle
Holmes

 

Lots of people pick prime Holmes over Ali. With respect to Sonny Liston, here's my reason.

Prime Holmes was quicker than Liston. His jab was more accurate and sharper than Sonny's but I'd give Liston the edge in overall left hand power. Ali vs Holmes prime for prime wouldn't be an easy fight for Ali. The way to beat a jabber/boxer is to keep your own jab in his face and counter his shots coming back. Ali would be moving backwards trying to jab Holmes while Larry's jab would be the more concerted punch with him coming forward. Larry was also very good at countering with the uppercut and setting up his right hand.

 

The question is could Holmes keep up with Ali's lighting speed? the way i see it is NO. Ali's overall jab is better because Ali could throw the jab from any position whether it was moving sideways, backwards, while shuffling, forward and circling around, also add the incredible hand speed Ali possessed. Holmes' jab was at its best only coming forward or stationary. Holmes' lateral movement was poor, what would happen if Ali is dancing all around Holmes all night? I see it as a tough fight for Ali but it would be nightmarish for Holmes. Prime vs Prime, most people see Ali winning, I say its on the dot. I don't think Holmes could last 15 rounds against prime Ali.

 

Ali's haters are as determined as any.

It was a really fun fight, though. I had Ali winning it 7-3, but Jones was damn game, came to fight, and they had themselves quite the scorcher. In boxing, we sometimes err in using tough fights to slander prospects: In this case, Ali showed his mettle, skill, and grit, ad******g to pummel a tough, game foe down the stretch. Thats a good win. Often underrated.

I don't think Jones is one of the top 5 toughest fighters to fight Muhammad, but I think he gave him one of his toughest fights. If not top 5, just outside it.

 

I don't know - Ali was so great and such a virtuoso I don't really see many fighters even being able to give him a tough fight - Sonny Liston couldn't really give him a tough fight (ok 1 round was bad but was that because of stuff in the eye and all that - Ali was so different to any other fighter - he was so unique in his flamboyant style, blinding speed, spellbinding elusiveness etc - I get the feeling maybe Frazier might have been able to rattle the prime Ali/Clay but no where near to the extent that he did in their actual fights - Foreman I feel wouldn't have fared much better than Liston - Norton maybe - I personally think Ali-NOrton II was one of Ali's 2 best performances all things considered and would call that a tough fight towards the end - but Ali literally ran rings around him for about the first 7 rounds - I actually think Larry Holmes would be the least effective of that bunch against the 1966/67 Ali textbook boxer types were the best types of fighters for Ali to showcase his flamboyance and scintillating ability against - they were too correct

ps - just to add - the only fighters in history I see as giving prime Ali really tough fights are the (IMO) elites - namely Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano

 

Don't forget George Chuvalo in the first fight.

Ali was pissing blood for a couple of days after the fight.

 

It's funny how the Young fight is often used as an example that Ali in the 60's really was vulnerable. In the next breath the same people will say that Ali never had to show any true grit and will in the 60's and that this aspect of him only came into being in the 70's. The same flawed logic is used when it comes to the first Cooper fight.

 

Chuvalo gave him a pretty tough fight, but has there ever been any source for the pissing blood thing other than Chuvalo himself? And if he were indeed pissing blood it had probably more to do with the many low blows Chuvalo landed rather than the legal ones.

Btw, Lyle DOES NOT belong on this list.

 

I agree with this list, but I'd drop Larry Holmes because it was not Muhammad Ali in that Vegas ring in 1980.... No, sir.... That was a ghost....
:-yep
1. Frazier
2. Norton
3. Foreman
4. Leon Stinks of Feb. '78 / Ernesto Shavers 1977 (Tie)
5. Sonny Liston of 1964
:deal
My best guess anyway....:hi:

SR.BILL:hat

 

Chuvalo blasted him to the kidney's...

He stayed on Ali's body pretty good, but a damn good portion of it wasn't legal.

You don't **** blood from shots to the breadbasket. In my experience, its from kidney blows, and you know the second you get hit right that there will be trouble.

There was an argument going around a couple years back that Chuvalo may have in fact deserved to beat Ali in those fights. I find that laughable, but does anybody find it credible?