What was Ali's worst beating?

I swear, people act like Ali took no punches against Foreman and act like after the fight he felt like he had gone for a stroll in the park.... That simply isn't true.

 

He took some brutal shots against Foreman, particularly to the body.

 

Manilla

Don't even think it's close.

Also the Holmes 'fight' was really an exhibition of Larry taking it easy.

 

Too right, it was a fair stoppage as well. Look how many punches went unanswered from Lyle. The ref would have to be a right ***** to let that continue.

 

I'd have to go with Holmes. I've never watched the full fight but Holmes went at him pretty hard early on. He didn't take it "too" easy! I also think Ali took a lot of shots without having the reflexes to at least flinch a bit. He didn't react to punches at all. He just stood and got hit squarely in the head.

For a guy whose career started being about how little he got hit, Ali took quite a few bearings. The 3rd Frazier fight. He got hammered in the 3rd Norton fight. Foreman pounded him. Shavers hit him with bombs. Spinks hit him a ton in the first fight. Ali just quit trying to avoid punches at some point in his career. Berbick mailed him. Guy had way too many hard fights.

 

Too much of a beating for me to watch. Watching any boxer just take punishment is not entertaining for me. I've seen enough I think.

 

Leon Spinks 1 was his worst beating

Larry Holmes was holding back on him and taking pop off his punches. Leon Spinks in the first fight caught him with some hellacious shots.

He obviously took a lot of punishment earlier on his career, winning questionable decisions that he clearly didnt deserve. But a chin is like a car engine, it only has so many miles before its gone.

 

Holmes. The medication Ali took in train caused to be dehydrated. Dehydration plus blows to the head equals brain trauma and is often a factor leading to permanent injury or death in the ring.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...ve-died/b67ab02d-8e88-4f3c-87ca-08c594e082e1/

The story about Ali, tough as nails, screaming from a body shot in the 9th round nauseates me. Holmes holding back is a myth.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2007/jan/07/boxing.features

Someone should have gone to jail for this one!

 

It's got to either be the 'Thrilla' or the 'Rumble'

 

He didn't hold back; when Holmes went back to his corner after the sixth round or so, he didn't know what to do - he knew Ali had nothing left. Giachetti told him the best thing he could do would be to finish Ali. If Holmes held back, it only would have encouraged the ref to let it continue even longer than it did.

And you'd need several cells for the jail sentences - I'd put the Nevada State Athletic Commission in one or two, for starters. Ali's physical at the Mayo Clinic prior to the bout wasn't very inspiring and gave signs that he was in no shape to fight, but was ignored ...

 

I agree; Lyle didn't any lasting damage on him.