what year was ali in his prime?

You're going to get a million different answers from people.. Frazier fans will say 1971.. Haters will say 1976 in the Norton rubber match..... I say 1967

 

The best we ever saw him was circa 1966-67. His seventies best was the window of 1972-74,imo.

 

the stupid punk troll bummy daivs will say that he was in his prime in 1970-71

 

Anyone else sick and tired of the word 'prime'? Just about every argument hinges on this silly little word.

Forum logic dictates that if a fighter loses before his PEAK, he was 'pre-prime', and if he loses after his PEAK, he was 'post-prime'. Any form pre- and post-prime therefore gets discounted and written off for some reason when discussing fighters.

'Oh, he was pre-prime' - even if the guy maybe was a world champion!

'Oh, he was post-prime' - even after only one loss! (or sometimes, because of that loss.)

Ali was 'prime' a little bit before he won the title to the time he was stripped of it. He was still 'prime' to my mind when he embarked upon his second career, just not PEAK anymore. He was still 'prime' (just not PEAK) when he won the title from Foreman.

If he was not 'prime' then, how the hell could he still shoot off those fast, rapier jabs and right hands, and withstand the barrage he did for 7 rounds? Maybe not PEAK but prime? I think so.

For me, a fighter's prime ends when he has lost more than just a step. For me, it's when a fighter's physically clearly lost a lot of what he had.

 

You're in a bit of a soap box mood today my South African friend :good

 

Is it that obvious? Sorry. Just has a crap day. Don't mind me...

 

No worries buddy. People are having those all over the world. :good

 

I think the term prime on here means when they were unbeaten and winning without trouble.

If they had a tough fight and hurt before their "prime" it gets labeled as a pre-prime fight, once a fighter suffers a loss he is automatically post prime.

 

I'm not going to get into a huge debate over when Muhammad Ali was at his best.. But for me, when a man takes three and a half years off from the sport and then looks rather sluggish against Oscar Bonavena, it doesn't leave me with the impression that he is " prime" or if you prefer " peak"

Have a good weekend everybody.

 

I watched a documentary on Ray Leonard where it mentions that in his layoff he kept super fit and active unlike Ali who basically did nothing in that period but get fat.

 

mid 1960s

 

was there not a difference between the 1967 version & the 1970 version? log off with this nonsense people!!

 

I don't know about super fit and active...he was drinking heavily and drugging.