Who's more skilled: Ali or Usyk?

Do you think Ali would just come at Fury or Wilder with his chin in the air marching forward on his tiptoes trying to make himself tall as he can ?

 

If they fought, I think Ali would have definitely, I feel in my mind, beat him because Ali was the computer printout of everything that was a problem for Joe Louis. The movement which Joe had problems with, even in a little small light heavyweight Billy Conn and Jersey Joe Walcott, those guys Joe always had problems with. I was fortunate enough to get to know one of his best friends who came from Detroit like I did, and he said Joe’s management always had to keep him away from boxers, people who could move, because Joe had problems with movers. But you know, he did what he had to do. He beat everybody of his era and held the title for so long and was a perfect gentleman when it comes down to what was required and necessary at that time.

Source: Heavyweight History With Emanuel Steward: Part 2 Of 3 • East Side Boxing • News Archives (https://www.boxing247.com/weblog/archives/127951)

 

He fought tall because he was great at it. He fought like an smaller guy against Bugner and Terrell and did fine. The toolkit covers both areas. Bigger opponents will typically have some sort of struggle reading someone with Alis speed, constant jab, feints and slick movement even if they are good at fighting tall, just like Ali struggled with Young.

 

Let me preface my remarks by saying Lennox Lewis the king of the giants. Emanuel Steward said a Lewis-Ali fight would be a pickem.

 

Put Usyk in the 70s era and let’s say he rises to the top of the heap or is at least competitive.

However he fares in that hypothetical scenario, based on the ridiculous fixation with size beats all, he would fall victim to the same flawed thinking being applied here.

That is to say, if Usyk’s career had played out in the 70s, no matter how he performed, the likes of AJ and Fury would have been reasoned to have beaten him. But, of course, that didn’t happen in reality, despite prevailing opinions.

In respect of being in or closer to prime, several of Usyk’s fights at CW against similarly sized opponents were, in my many ways, more difficult than the lumbering, slow and stamina challenged SHWs he has been able to run rings around.

For all his skill, Usyk has not been unhittable, even at CW - still bearing the marks of damage on several occasions.

A great fighter isn’t just about skill - and Usyk has relied a lot more on his durability than has been reasonably recognised. That is of course an ATG attribute in itself but an attribute that is still separate from sheer skill.

Ali beat men of size - even if that opposition didn’t necessarily include quite the size of guys like AJ and Fury doesn’t mean, by pure omission, that Ali wouldn’t have danced rings around those relatively slothful behemoths also.

Usyk is a special fighter but, like it or not, he has highlighted and taken advantage of generic deficiencies among the bigger men that certain other ATGs could/would have peeled back to equal or greater effect.

He also presents as the intermediary sized fighter - so while it’s fair to say that he does better against larger opposition than say, Joe Frazier, that doesn’t speak for how Usyk himself fares against Joe H2H - stylistically, it is very reasonable to conclude that Frazier gives Usyk all the trouble he could want for.

It is also not entirely out of the question that Olek may be aided and abetted by certain “supplements”.

People want to wax lyrical about modern nutrition, sports science etc, but PEDs are still very much a go to for many fighters - because they can and have enhanced both preparations and performances in no small way.

 

Because Ali hits harder then SHWs magically.......

 

Top post, that.

 

Cheers bro.

 

Are you a Modalist perhaps?

 

Precision beats Power and Timing beats Speed

Ali had all 4

 

It’s the inverse, Louis represents Ali’s kryptonite… What movers troubled Louis? When Louis was old he found Walcott in fight 2? What’s the big deal? Walcott was lighter and an extremely agile, slippery fighter but he didn’t fight like Ali, he fought at all ranges and had a helluva defence… against Conn who was a lot more skilled then Ali and better at moving… ya know because he was 30-40lbs lighter lol he found him - do you mean that other mover people bring up? Ah I forget his name Pastor? but he basically ran the whole fight, losing all exchanges and in the 2nd one he was dropped like 4-6 times or something - “movers” make everybody look bad, Norton / Futch basically copied a plan Louis laid out lol Ali never adapted or overcame Norton in a significant way, nor Frazier - Doug Jones, Cooper and Lyle all represent shades of things Louis could do a lot better that really effected Ali to varying degrees… sounds rude but I don’t care what his uncle, cousin, best friend or son say I can watch the fights myself.

 

Who has a better style for fighting taller opponents? Ali or Louis?

 

That's Emanuel Steward's opinion. He also opined Lewis- Ali would be a pickem. IMHO Lewis is the king of the giants.

 

They handle taller opponents in different fashion. Louis has the better style for it but he's chinnier and nowhere near as agile or awkward

 

That’s right Louis is which was my original point.