What was the best possible outcome for an Ali 1980 comeback

Yeah but the buildup to the fight would’ve been outta this world

 

Ali was already ill with the neurological symptoms of Parkinson's when he fought Holmes, and to make things much worse, his medical team had mis-diagnosed and mis-medicated thyroid issues, and left him unable to raise his arms without difficulty.

 

Sure, Ali fought a fight customised exactly for Leon - who was still only fighting in his 9th pro fight. That Ali lost to Spinks in Leon’s 8th pro fight in the first place was a red flag in itself. I felt that reactions to whatever Ali did do well in the rematch were nostalgically overrated and in more in deference to the bigger picture of Ali winning the title for an unprecedented 3rd time. For even the rematch version of Ali to be given a chance against Holmes in 1980 was crazy imo.

 

He might have barely gotten wins over guys like Tex Cobb, Scott Ledoux, Marty Monroe, 40 year old Lyle. These are all “ maybes “ of course.

 

The best possible outcome would have been if he broke his leg on the first day of training and then had to give up any idea of coming back.