Was Ali a Klitschko level clincher?

He was bad. But clinching was common back then. What distinguluished Ali from Klitschko was that Ali also had speed, combinations, footwork, courage, chin, and the highest ring IQ of any HW in any era. Klitschko had none of these and would have been just another contender in Ali’s era.

Your post would have made more sense if you had pointed out that Ali leaned on his opponents. He did that more than anyone and was never called on it.

 

No, nowhere near. Wlad didn't just clinch his opponents, he actively engaged them with the intent to grab, wrestle and press his weight on them round after round. Ali held when he was hurt or tired but still gave fighters (limited) space to work.

I'm a huge fan of Wlad's early work, but post-Steward Wlad was one of the worst clinch abusers I've ever seen in the sport. The Povetkin fight is all you need to watch to see how egregiously Wlad broke the rules in this regard.

 

Ali was a bit worse in my opinion.

People say he only started clinching excessively in his later career, but that was in his early 30's just like when Wladimir got taught "US style" boxing from Manny Steward. He also held opponents by the neck when he punched.

 

Other way around, was Wlad an Ali like Clincher?

 

Ali did clinch a lot in his comeback half of his career when his legs and gone and he needed a breather. But unlike Wlad he was willing to trade and take risks, he wasn't the pure spoiler Wlad was.

 

Ali was just as bad if not worse than Wlad when it came to clinching. Anytime Ali faced somebody who wasn't 180 pounds likes Floyd Patterson he either ran or clinched.

 

Yes. Ali v Frazer 1.

Ali does more than clinch though.. He holds the arms, grabs his neck & pushes his head down. He then begins insulting the 5'11" inch, blind in one eye Frazier..

He does it round after round, time after time. Well over a 100 times... But you can't say this because it's Ali & the LDBC will threaten to start a new hash tag...

 

Yep, actually, if you take the Povetkin fight out of it, which was admittedly worse than anything Ali ever did, then Wlad’s clinches weren’t as bad as Ali’s. They were no more disruptive to a fight than Ali’s, and they were done somewhat less regularly.

 

Ali was worse because he just didn't clinch, he pulled behind the head and actually clasped his opponent drawing into him , Wlad used clinching when a fighter came in on his own and Wlad also got knockouts utilizing smart boxing stratedgy,Ali did it because he had trouble keeping guys off him...theres a difference.

One reason guys had trouble getting to Wlad was his power jab which was a lot better then Ali's because he punished guys trying to walk through them but that's another thread!


Ali mostly did it bc he didn't have an answer for aggressive guys and/or wanted to stall the action like a stop and go motion then score points from outside then repeat, Klitchko like but with less K.O's so the craziness that Wlad gets just shows how dumb fans are bc Ali was doing it more but he's the greatest.

 

Obviously Wlad

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/06/30/article-2010040-0CCE213000000578-927_634x422.jpg

http://www.boxnews.com.ua/photos/1185/Wladimir-Klitschko-Brewster95.jpg

Ali was never that bad^^

The greatest HWs of all time forced Ali to hold.

Wlad used clinching and illegal back breakers as an offensive tactic against ordinary level guys like Peter , Brock , Thompson , Brewster , Byrd , Haye , Jennings etc .

Ali would never have needed foul and cheat to beat a punch bag like Peters

 

When Ali clinched, he tended to grab his opponent behind the neck and pull the guy toward him. For the most part, the opponents' arms were still free to punch. Ali opponents often kept throwing shots when he grabbed them. If the fighter tried hard enough, he could dip out of that neck grab. Many, though, were content to wait for the ref to break them. Ali would also lay on the ropes while he covered up and let the opponent punch away.

https://theundefeated.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/gettyimages-517285520_master.jpg

I didn't find this type of holding as bad as someone like Wlad.

Wlad towered over most of his opponents, and if they tried to punch, or if a punch came remotely close to his face, Wlad would often leap in and grab their arms, or put their head under his arm and try to force them down to the floor.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/07/02/article-2010667-0CD7816400000578-324_634x422.jpg

You'll find fights where people really complain about Ali's holding - like in the Frazier rematch - yet Frazier still threw and landed hundreds of shots. And there were some very exciting, hard-fought rounds where Ali grabbed and Frazier still punched.

That's because Frazier's arms were free and Ali wasn't trying to lay on his back and push him down to the floor.

Wlad did that a lot. Until he fought someone like Fury, who was tall and strong enough not to let him do it. Then Wlad was lost.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nSLqjxYRk8U/Vl39ikV60EI/AAAAAAAABsk/6rjB55I2ROU/s1600/3.gif

Both grabbed way too much, though.

You don't see that as much these days. That's why the current heavyweight fights tend to be more fun. They don't clinch like those guys.