The men who could beat Ali

Both Walcott and Harold Johnson were too small to beat Ali. Same is true for Marciano, Dempsey, Charles and Tunney. prime Tyson could have put him on his ass, but naybe not beat him. I would go with Lewis above anyone else...and i wouldn't count LL's chin against him either. Ali wouldn't be able to spark him like NcCall and Rahman did and Lewis would have been very prepared and "on" for Ali, which he wasn't the first time around for his two ko conquerers. Lewis had a plan "B"..a conservative, cautious style which, combined with the threat of his power, would have been a daunting challenge for Ali, IMO.

 

Actually, his latter day conquerer, Holmes would have had a very good chance as well.

 

Kent Green,

He already did.

I thnik Billy Conn would have been right there with him.

 

I'm also leaving out the obvious, namely Joe Louis. if he caught Ali, he could take him. Louis was very good about catching his opponents eventually.

 

I try to envision an Ali-Lewis fight, and what I see burns my eyes, I think it would have been an ugly fight.

 

Angelo Dundee actually said Ali watched alot of Walcotts fights when he was an up and comer,and you can see it the hands by the sides the dancing around the ring, the ''cake walk'' as Don Dunphy said the way when Walcott was pushed to the ropes he would lean his head out to the left and then move the rest of his body as Ali copied that and aswell Ali's own version of the ''Walcott shuffle'', I definatley think Walcott would have a huge shot at beating Ali.

 

Ali had the most trouble with smaller fighters. They had the better chance to match him speed wise. Ali ate up the bigger hwts he fought. He would obliterate walking statues like Wlad and Viali. They are just too slow and would be hit at will by Alis super quick, accurate combinations.

 

Walcott did not have the best wiskers. Ali would beat him going away via stoppage within 9 rounds.

 

I agree. i forsee it being somewhat like the Folley fight.
However, I think a guy like Eddie Machen would have presented Ali with an interesting evening and would have gone all 15 rounds.

 

It would have be ugly all right.

 

Small quick and durable are the keys.....of course to beat prime Ali the fighter would also need to be a great fighter. Fighters like Dempsey, Tunney, Louis would have the best shots.

 

Ali hated to be crowded...Marciano would be on him all night long...over 15 rounds...pressure...pressure...pressure. Prime Louis...as Burt said of the Baer fight...or the 2nd Schmeling fight in 1938 would catch Ali...when did Ali suddenly become unhittable?

 

I think you would have to start by finding a good fast handed left hooker with enough power to get his attention. A bobing and weaving style would also help. If we're trying to draw from a pool of "lesser" fighters, and staying away from some of the more obvious names, then it might have to occur on a night when Ali's game was off.. I would not pick Corrie Sanders to beat Ali in a million years, but he had some of the elements that could have troubled him for a while. Even though Corrie did not have the bobbing and weaving components that I mentioned, he still had very fast hands and a lethal left hook, to go along with some size. He might have caught Ali and decked him early, before being worn down later.

 

Prime Ali was a difficult target to hit. marciano would also give Ali a tough fight. Ali was so durable it's tough envisioning him being stopped.

 

Lumbering Sanders would be destroyed by Prime Ali.