Watching ALI/Bonevena and couldn't help to think

Ali was unusually sluggish that fight, I don't know if he was sick or didn't train right or what but he didn't look great. Bonavena is a tough fighter though, strong, tough, and durable he nearly took out Frazier. Probably the most durable fighter Ali ever took out, except maybe Foreman.

I agree Marciano wins against that Ali, and may even stop him late..

 

this Ali would be beaten by most of the other great heavies. He looked very bad throughout the entire fight except the final 20 seconds when he finished Bonavena off. I say Rocky beats Ali on that night, a stoppage is possible, but I see Ali staying in the whole fight.

The Ali of the Clevland Williams and Zora Folley fights beats Rocky in my mind, not easy but a very clear UD.

 

Maybe the fact that Ali had only gone just under 3 rds rds vs Jerry Quarry since being out of the ring for 3 & 1/2 yrs before stepping in there vs Bonevena.

Its a not so little thing called severe ring-rust & yes, I believe Marciano would beat THAT version of Ali by clear UD but not a fully prepared Ali.

:thumbsup

 

Agreed.

 

Yes he was still rusty but Ali looked better against Quarry than Bonavena. Despite Bonavena being after Quarry.

 

It was partly down to styles I think. But Ali also got a wake-up call against Quarry. He was tiring badly when the fight was stopped, something which made him much more cautios when facing Bonavena. He just didn't know how his legs and his stamina would hold up.

That's why I think it was a bad decision to take on Frazier so early. He needed a couple of more tune-ups to get a clear feeling for just how much he had left after the exile.

 

Well Ali had had three rounds of actual combat in three and a half years when he fought Oscar ,about the same as Dempsey against Tunney1.Ali said he would stop Bonavena in the 9th ,but admitted afterwards"I allmost predicted against myself ,both of us got shook",it was an unconvincing performance apart from the finish,if Rocky had been in the other corner ,it might have been lights out for the Greatest ,but given the ring rust he had accumulated it was a passable showing against a man who gave Frazier life and death.

 

ali was never hurt by bonavena and ali had a tendency to look uninterested in fights. ali would not fight marciano like this,
especially since marciano was far better than bonavena. ali would
have been much more interested and would have won.

 

Didn't Jimmy Ellis outclass Oscar? Never seen it. If so, it shows how rusty Ali was unless Ellis had the right style for Oscar? Did you hear Cosells comentary on how he couldn't believe it was the same Ali in the ring as the one in the 60s? Ali was undefeated going in to that fight and looked awful. Oscar had quite a few losses before facing Ali. Rocky should beat that version.

 

Come on who thinks the Ali who fought Bonavena was as good as the Ali that retired in 1967?

 

Bonavena was exceptionally strong and tough, a heavyweight Gene Fullmer ... for Ali to take that fight as his second in his comeback after such a long exile a few months after Quarry was actually very risky match making by his management ... Yank Durham thought they were crazy and that they were going to blow the Superfight ....

First off to judge Ali by that fight is like gaging Marciano by one of his lackluster New England bouts, of which there were several, where he looked like **** and baerly squeezed by second raters ... in otherwords, not accurate ..
Secondly, Ali knocked out the iron chinned Bonavena with a terrific left hook. Oscar did not lose due to fatigue ... not the weather but the Ali leather ...

 

while I am not denying marciano looked like "****" in some of his new england bouts, I would love for you to tell me which fights he "Barely squeezed" by??? most of his new england bouts(save lowry I) were one sided beatdowns.