Send in your prime heavies to beat 1967 Ali

Do you have a link to where Sports illustrated said Ali was the most "Overrated" heavyweight of all time? I reckon it was written in the 60s if it was written at all. Thank you in advance. I do know Muhammad Ali was their "Sportsman of the Year" in 1974.

 

Tex Maule , Pat Putnam, and Mark Kram wrote the lion's share of the articles about Muhammad Ali during his career. To a one they thought he was a terrific fighter though Kram was ambivalent about him as a person. If my memory is correct George Plimpton wrote the SI article about the Foreman bout.

 

Where’s Da Preem?

Have you dropped him like a hot Italian Sausage?

Ali’s rant announcing the fight: -

“My very next scalp will be The Ambling Alp!

Dreadnought my ***, he ain’t in my class!”

 

Quite ok - Well, this is a forum for debate, so.... Sorry, using the ignore botton, well, I find it a bit childish, if you permit me to say so. Have a nice weekend, pal.

 

To be honest, I find Ali slightly overrated. He wouldn't last many years vs today's giants. It is untrue, that the present heavies are slow and lumbering. Ali today would be a strong cruiser. I think Ali was a loser - spent half of his life as an invalid, got abused by the filthy black muslims and slime parasites and promoters.

 

With the exception of Louis I agree. Joe would have many problems with a prime Ali. I may be a minority in this suggestion, but I think that a 1988 Tyson would win a clear decision vs. prime Ali. Tyson's speed, fast left hook and all would be a true nightmare for Ali.

 

Do you have a source on that?

 

George Chuvalo in an interview - he wasn't a lier, and it has newer been denied by anybody. See the fight... That expalins all.

 

He claims some BS, like that he should have won the second fight. Not a reliable source, certainly since I've never seen anywhere else that Ali went to hospital for two weeks after the fight. I actually haven't even seen Chuvalo claim that either, only that Ali went to the hospital. So highly dubious over all to put it mildly.

I've seen the fight plenty of times. What stands out from Chuvalo is the many low blows. I can believe that Ali pissed blood after them, but two weeks in hospital is a fantasy.

 

from the internet: “He went to hospital because he was pissing blood after our fight,” the Canadian would say years after his loss. “I took my wife dancing.” “He's the toughest guy I ever fought,” Ali said after the contest.

 

Yes, that's an old one. So only Chuvalo as a source and certainly nothing about two weeks. Fairly worthless.

But if Ali was pissing blood and had a check up it wouldn't surprise me as such after all the low blows Chuvalo landed. But there's only Chuvalo's word to suggest he ever went to hospital and two weeks is clearly just made up by you.

But if you want to convince me that Golota could have beaten Ali with a ref that turned a blind eye to the testicle ping pong you don't have to - I'm already sold. But Chuvalo's schtick of "I went dancing, he went to hospital" is worthless as a guide to anything else.

 

Maybe the punches and the pressure that Joe was putting on him had something to do with that, though?

 

And Ali still beat the caca out of him that night even though he lost.

 

But as I noted, you are not going to change my mind and I am not going to change your mind about Ali. I’m not unwilling to debate, generally the only time I put someone on ignore is when they are personally insulting, but when minds are not going to be changed, debate becomes circular and pointless and I don’t have the time or patience or inclination for circular and pointless activity.

 

In 1967, most knowledgeable boxing fans would have named Jack Johnson or Joe Louis as the most likely to defeat Ali. That was the thinking. By 1967 even the Ali haters had to concede he ranked among the greatest heavyweights. I'm surprised more of you aren't naming Johnson.