Ali was much more economical in his movement. It reminded me of the Spinks rematch where he stayed out of range but there wasn't the frenetic movement that characterized a lot of his fights. Obviously he was much faster and had more snap. They say Floyd was hampered by a bad back. He really didn't do much.
Floyd was compromised but Ali's dancing was often exaggerated ala first round of the first Liston fight but then he comes down off his toes and conventionally boxes off the jab and pivot. Ali has an excellent distance negotiation radar in first career and often kept fighters forever resetting, having to deal with jab to body and head before he starts landing the right hand behind it or as a lead. Also, when you've got a compromised back, a twisting corkscrew jab smacking you in the face is probably the last thing you needed.
