Tommy Morrison in place of Henry Cooper V Ali?

Why big odds against Morrison? Clay wasn't that highly rated back then in 63. Remember he was something like a 6-1 underdog against old Liston the following year.

 

Don't forget the bout was in Henry's backyard. Whole different ballgame and you're getting Henry at his best. Fight may have stopped due to that cut in other venues. So the lefthook never lands. How many other young heavies have gone into the other guy's backyard pre-title in front of that many fans? Morrison himself sure didn't & was never close to being a road warrior.

Morrison isn't landing much on Cassius. And he'd be peppered and by the 4th round, already slowing down from the pace & chasing the guy around. Let alone absorbing punches. But he'll hang in there until the ref waves it off & gives 100% of what he has.

 

Hypothetically speaking if he landed flush it could've been lights out

 

there wasnt a weakling wbo title for morrisno to sponge off in the early 60s. Morrison would not be ranked top ten.

 

theres abetter chance of ali catching HIV from this disease ridden waste of time.

 

Morrison's vaunted left hook that he never defeated a single ranked heavyweight with would remain just that.

 

Silver is lost. Liston was considered unbeatable after knocking out Patterson twice in the first round. No one would have been a favorite or close to it at that time vs Liston.

Morrison would lose. Who did he ever beat as great as Ali? Many including myself bet against Ali in every major fight. Obviously we all lost those bets. Never bet against Ali as you are probably going to lose.

 

Cooper wouldn't land that punch most times, and didn't in the rematch.

 

The only reason Henry Cooper made it to the 4th rd was because Clay carried him. Had Clay not made a 5th rd knockout prediction then it is highly unlikely that Cooper would have floored him and incredibly likely that Cooper would have been stopped sooner.

If Clay goes around clowning like he did against Cooper then I predict a Morrison knockout but in reality Clay would have most likely taken the champ that is Morrison very seriously and boxed beautifully for a late rounds stoppage.

 

of course all of the early 60s fighters would easily beat the 6-2, 225 pound, powerful, quick Morrison. They saw guys like him all the time...except they didn't and there was nobody around as big and quick as Morrison. Maybe Ali beats him, but it's a fact that Ali had never seen anybody that big and quick before the time he fought Cooper.

Morrison was a skilled, dangerous fighter, he had some lapses and he got stopped a few times, and he got knocked down some, but NEVER by anybody as small as Henry Cooper or Sonny Banks. The smallest man that ever dropped Morrison weighed 225, young Ali would be in with something he'd never seen before and if he won it would be against the fastest, hardest hitting opponent he'd ever faced.

Morrison would go through Henry Cooper on his way to a fight.

 

Clay stops him whenever he pleases. Morrison went life and death with a washed up Carl The Truth , he's hardly going to be much problem for Cassius Clay.

If Clay gets careless carrying Morrison for the crowd, yes he might get caught as he did against Cooper . But he'd bounced back as he did against Cooper too.

Morrison well out of his league here, even against the green Cassius Clay of 1963.