Some under rated things about Ali.

Hi Mendoza,

ALSO, Ali had a great sense of distance - he always seemed to
be able to move JUST A BIT out of his opponent's range.

Ali also seemed to sense when his opponent was weakening/tiring.

A very smart cagey fighter, no doubt!!!


Grebfan9
www.firstroundboxing.com

 

I agree. I don't know why people like to underate Ali's skills, maybe they think they sound smart or something.

Ali was the greatest of all time!!! Not even kidding, though, I rate him right up there with Sugar Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong. His style was one of a kind, and his courage to face the very best remains unchallenged in the Heavyweight division.

 

Ali was an exception, severely lacking in some aspects thought vital for success while inventing new stratagem that only his physical and mental attributes could support. Hands low, no body attack, taking punishment to wear opponents out... Not in any book on fistiana. His judgement of space, his ability to completely intimidate his opponents, his clutching, head holding, rabbit punching and endear the great sympathy of the judges in order to win undeserved victories... priceless.

 

I think one fight where Ali shows off most of his tools is the second fight with Quarry. I love that fight. Whatever Quarry tries, Ali is one step ahead of him. While the fight against Williams is a supreme exhibition of his physical attributes when they were at their greatest, Ali-Quarry II is his master-class in boxing. Absolutely brilliant.

Among other things he shows that he has a really good left hook and uppercuts, and that he can fight in close. I often see were general statements about Ali only knowing how to throw straight punches and fight on the outside, but in this fight he shows that that's not true. In Manilla I think he showed himself to be a great brawler, mixing it up with one of the greatest brawlers the division has seen.

 

What's the difference between mental and spiritual? Is it when the mental can transcend the physical that we say it crosses over into the spiritual, and then we call it transcendental? Anyway, however you want to label it, we have all known the feeling, whether in the ring or on the street, on a football field or a basketball court, or ok yes, in a bed, but it's magical, and we recognize it at once, and we are grateful for the access, as we know we are not always able to call it up.

I don't think any fighter "transcended" the physical the way Ali did. Other fighters that I think I've seen in a state that appeared to border the magical would be Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, and an older George Foreman in there with Michael Moorer, when he tried to employ his interpretation of the rope-a-dope strategy that was used so artfully against him in one of Ali's most "reality" defying transcendental states.

 

Ali knew how to use every bit of his 6 ft 3 in
His style dared people to attempt a shoot and attack Vs. Him
but would always be met with either a stiff very fast jab or a straight right hand leaning backwards.

By using his reach + lean Ali would make himself taller and MAX out his reach advantage. Very underated Punching power, Ali could defo PUNCH when he decided to throw ask Liston & Foreman.

 

And good post by you aswell McGrain. I think thats the best post ive seen which was just to praise another's!

I like how you said about ring-generalship.

 

Agreed on all counts. Nobody read an opponent better than Ali.

 

A few more big things about Ali; His physical strength in there. He's kind of like a Lennox Lewis in that he's never given credit for it and yet nobody outmuscled him.That was a big surprise to me in that Foreman fight and I thought George would be able to shove an old Ali around a little. Or push him off and slug. But even a young foreman couldn't do it against an older Ali.

The ability to tie up opponents. Ali was great at it. He could tie up anyone whenever he wanted to. And he did it like Monzon did where it always seemed to take a toll on the other guy. Lots of guys get stung or get fatigued or just can't seem to stop momentum & Ali would just tie a guy up & it took the workrate of a Frazier to deal with it. And just how many of those guys are out there?

The other big thing about Ali was his excellence as a finisher. Once he got a guy ready to go--they went. He wasn't a big puncher in there & yet the guy stops Liston/Foreman/Bonavena/Frazier and others and who just didn't get ko'd easily. Most emphasis is put on punching power as opposed to finishing ability & Ali is not a big puncher but is an alltime great finisher.

 

Or Oscar Bonavena, Buster Mathis or Ron Lyle. :good

Or ask any of the numerous fighters stopped by Ali, for a different type of punching power.

I would say that Ali's punching power is perhaps the most underrated thing about his assets. Other aspects of his tools may have been not, or less, noticed. Many like to go on about how Muhammad lacked punching power. A pity, since a casual look at his record will attest to the truth.

 

Yeah, I can't really come to think of any one time when he had his opponent badly hurt and didn't finish him off. Well, Terrell, but that was because he wanted him to stay and punch him some more.

He was also very careful not to punch himself out. If he was on the offensive but felt the other guy wasn't rady to go yet, he would ease down and wait for another opportunity.

 

Ali's strength is also highly underrated.