What if Ali didn't get banned from boxing? Or, alternatively, what if Ali didn't get drafted at all? How would things have been different?
We would have seen him destroy the guys he beat post exile alot sooner. He never would have lost to Frazier. He would have beat Foreman in 73' without the rope-a-dope and taken less damage. Wouldn't slow down as much he did. Wouldn't have lost to Norton. Would have retired around 75' undefeated and not gotten Parkinson's.
He wouldn't have lost to Frazier.So no trilogy ..Frazier's stock would be down quite a bit from where it is because of his one great win,which he would no longer have. So he falls out of the All Time top tens he is currently in.
We would have seen the best of him. Also agree he would have beat Frazier. Can't see him retiring in 75 tho.
He would still have lost at sometime because I can't see him walking away from the sport at the top like Marciano. He would have taken someone like Norton likely and become unstuck.
Yeah no way he would have retired, health wise would be the same story. Too much glory to let go of, the price you pay for being bigger than life, it can't last.
Robbed is possibly not a strong enough word where that filthy disease " politics " is concerned Mac. I only hope the families of those Senators, and Congressmen who persecuted the man are suitably embarrassed by the undoubtedly huge event that will occur on Friday.
Clay made his own choices. He was a draft dodger and betrayed his country by refusing to fight for it.
We had no business being in Vietnam. Ali was right in his choice to stand up to the government. Islam is a peaceful religion. His religion was not being attacked so there was no reason to fight and kill innocent people....and don't think innocent people weren't killed.
Realistically, he would probably stay at his peak for maybe 3 or 4 more fights against similar opposition to what he'd been facing. Then, probably, he starts to decline and slack off a bit in training, and might well be defeated by Joe Frazier anyway when 1969 or '70 rolls around. Yank Durham wasn't about to throw his fighter in with Ali in 1967 or any time soon. He'd wait for Joe to be more seasoned, and that may well coincide with an over-confident, less motivated Muhammad Ali. There's even a possibility Ali would have become so bored and retire undefeated like Marciano did, and dedicate himself to his religion the NOI. The exile really gave him a huge motivation boost, and increased the box office potential with matches against his new crop of rivals. I made vaguely similar comments about Tyson's prison years prolonging his career somewhat in another thread recently ..... and provoked the wrath of demented Tysonites for stating a realistic scenario. But of course Ali's biggest fans are nowhere near as deranged so there's little chance of that here. :good