What if the Ali who beat Cleveland Williams fought the Frazier of FOTC?

I think it would be like the second fight where Ali was in better condition and got near to the speed he had v Williams.

 

He would have done at least as well as in the second fight-without all the clinching that should not have been allowed.
He also would have had better endurance than the FOTC.

 

Who knows but I do think that Frazier would have KOed the same Williams that Ali fought in a round or two.

 

He stops Frazier in 11 in a gruelling war but even that version of Ali would get badly hurt and lose some rounds (maybe 5).

Ali's diminishing speed and timing were blatantly obvious in FOTC and as we saw in the recent Thurman vs Lopez fight, trying to jump right back into competition without shaking off the rust can make even elite fighters look bad (not that frazier was on lopez's level but that's beside the point).

Despite Ali's ring rust and slower speed, frazier still ate tons of jabs, flurries, right hands and had swelling and bruises. A prime Ali would land with even more frequency and venom and Frazier would be fighting blind by the 10th and getting by on pure heart and adrenaline. I know that may make Frazier fans angry but he went 1-2 against a past his prime ring worn Ali who started his career before Frazier and lost his best weapons (his legs and reflexes).

 

Alu’s victory over Willuams is vastly overrated. Williams was shot, literally and figuratively.

 

Yea Ali danced non stop against Chuvalo's pressure. He would dust off Frazier in one sided fashion.

 

Ali not as physically strong here as he was in 71. I still got Frazier by UD

 

All these Williams fans making excuses again. His fans are everywhere. (Cleve was shot) (Cleve) had a bullet lodged in his leg. Stop whining. He had another leg.

 

Still Frazier.

 

Good post. I am undecided between a late stoppage or a decision.

 

The Ali who fought Liston and Williams is imo the best fighter ever.
Nobody beats him.

 

I'd nail it down to around Williams to Folley. He filled out a bit (consistently coming in around 212) post Liston by the time he fought these guys and had that bit extra experience. Best heavyweight i have ever seen.

 

I don’t think it’s overrated,people realise Williams was past his best and had a bullet lodged in him, it was more just the speed, skill and athleticism Ali displayed that blew people away.
For a heavyweight it was something to behold.