What is considered the absolute prime /peak Ali performance

Ali was likely at his best in FOTC vs Frazier

 

At his best in FOTC vs Frazier. Not Cleveland Williams or Zora Folley? Or vs Quarry 2 in comeback or Foreman or Thrilla. Yeh ok.

 

See. He was at his best after losing three and one half years of any athlete's peak years which are his late twenties when his experience is compatible with his athleticism.

 

I’m on about boxing. Not he as a person. He was no longer the fighter of the 60’s and yet to become the fighter of the mid 70’s. That’s what I meant.

 

I was being sarcastic/ironic. No athlete can be as good after being inactive for three and one half years of his or her prime.

 

Oh ok. Fair enough.

 

I suspect Ali eventually loses because he loved the limelight and only a loss would have made him quit. If he came up today purses are so big, boxers fight so infrequently, and there are gimmicks to make money like exhibitions he might have retired undefeated. Back to 67,68, and 69. If he kept fighting he would have gotten a tad bit bigger and a tad bit more experienced.

 

Against Williams or Terrell. Especially Williams. If we can use a time machine to grab Ali right before that fight, I favor him over absolutely anyone. He had the speed and stamina of a lightweight and the power of a heavyweight, paired with lightning-quick reactions. I've rewatched the Williams fight so many times and am still amazed how a man who was 6'3" and 215 could move like that, every single time.

 

They absolutely COULD beat him, unlikely as it may be.

 

He himself had Rocky as someone that could beat him. Thought his awkward style and of course power and resilience would be very difficult to solve.

And of course you can't rule out that someone as good as Louis could beat him, even though I also think Marciano was more challenging stylistically.

 

This is pretty much the definition of disingenuity. The 9 people Williams faced that you were referring to pre and post Ali all had losing records except Herring, and one of them dropped him.

Let's not act like Williams was fine and dandy after being shot, breaking his right hip joint and causing partial paralysis of some of his hip ,losing ten feet of his intestines, and causing his leg to atrophy as a result of nerve damage

 

He did a great job at making Ernie Terrell look ridiculous while being more or less on cruise control

 

I'll agree with the Williams bout, but I'd also like to give a shout out to his performance against London the same year, especially the combination that knocked London out. One of the most beautiful, quickest, and most fluid combinations I've ever seen. I don't think anyone beats that version of Ali.

 

I think perhaps over 66/67 as a whole but if you are looking for a single performance probably against Terrell who was a good, talented and physically fit fighter. Taking the Cleveland Williams fight as a bar of peak performance is not appropriate because he had been badly hurt not long before and was not the fighter he once was. If looking for single performance it is important to factor in the opponent too.

 

You caught me. I thought with posters who suggested that Jimmy Young saw the real Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard was still prime at 41 years old and fighting once in the last eight years when he was stopped by Macho Camacho I could sneak it in.