Prime Wlad Klitchsko vs best version of early 70s Ali?

I doubt it happens. Size and Skill as a combination will peak with Fury and he's still struggled with Cunningham and Usyk. Bakole lost to Hunter. Beyond that stamina, speed will be compromised, it's why shorter boxers are still competing and that's not going to change. Someone with enough foot speed and defense will render the size difference near useless. Then it will come down to skill

 

It didn’t peak with Fury, he wasn’t even as good as Lewis or Wlad, he’s fatter and 6ft6 at most lol. If we had someone the size of Valuev who could fight as well as Lennox would he ever lose?

 

Can someone with Valuevs size even fight as well as Lewis ? That is the real question

 

That’s the key isn’t it? There is a reason HWs in the old days shrunk themselves down, being capable of holding 240lbs and looking like Hercules doesn’t mean you can fight as well as being 210lbs.
Fluidity of movement does get lost a bit, endurance too, the sizes we are discussing here are unnaturally large PEDs really push the limit on the scales.
I think if you could find the exception which sometimes one appears - a guy the size of Valuev with Lennox’s movement then he’d just be too good, too strong, too big, too rangy. He’d never lose but what are the chances? lol.

 

Such a fighter would lose somewhere & I’ll tell you why - complacency. It’s all but impossible to be that hard to beat & not get too cocky.

 

OK this is just my .02, worth about that much.

First off, Ali is not knocking Wlad out. I picked him by decision.

I may have used a little hyperbole in the heat of discussion, but it will NOT be an easy day at the park for Ali. And if he's not in shape and motivated, he's in trouble.

And we are talking pre-Manila Ali. After that, he's in trouble in this matchup.

I think the fight starts out slowly, maybe even boringly, with each of them feeling each other out. I think Wlad will have never seen hand speed like Ali's, but he will have his moments and win some rounds.

I think as the fight goes along, Ali's adaptability and ring smarts and movement as compared to what I see as Wlad's rote, by the book, in the middle of the ring style will see Wlad start to get frustrated. Ali's ability to take a punch will also start to frustrate him.

I see Ali starting to take Wlad's jab away with right counters. I see those counters connecting and weakening Wlad; again he wasn't Earnie Shavers but it's a myth that Ali couldn't crack when he got off his toes and put his ass into it. And his speed and ability to throw combinations magnified that.

I see Ali dominating the last third of the fight and winning something along the lines of 9-4-2 or thereabouts.

Again, my .02, and we'll never know for sure.

 

Ali could have a tough time style wise but was considerably faster ... I'd favor Ali but I is a difficult match up ..

 

How would Ali deal with Wlad's left hook and jab?

 

I said he’d neutralize the jab with right counters, beating him to the punch with his superior hand speed. The hook he’d have to watch out for.

 

Would he able to do that consistently with the reach disadvantage? Ali was always pretty susceptible to left hooks even against lesser fighters so it would be something that could give him trouble

 

You are aware that Sonny Liston had a 2-inch longer reach than Wlad?

 

But his jab wasn't as good and he wasn't as tall

 

Oh good grief …Sonny Liston was a vastly superior fighter in all areas, including the jab, than Wlad Klitchsko. I’m not changing your mind, you’re not changing my mind, let’s agree to disagree and move on.

 

Well you just discredited your entire argument good job at least now ik for sure you have no idea what you're talking about.

 

He had a better chin, but you can make arguments on either side about both men's left hands, as well as both men's strength, but speed, footwork, clinching? Liston was good, but he wasn't far superior.