Why did late career Ali lose punching power

IMO it is a myth that the last thing to go is the punch power

Look at Foreman I know he koed Moorer but others were going the distance with him who he would have Ko when he was younger
Tyson is another was not knocking them over like he would have done when he was younger

I think people do lose punch power

 

I think it more has to do with a loss of timing. Punching an opponent is a wholly different thing to punching a heavy bag.

Ali did seem to lose leverage in his punches, though. Like his coordination wasn't quit the same. Old Foreman also arm punched quite a bit. That can also have to do with timing, though. If you don't feel secure in seeing the opening you tend to get more sloppy form wise too. You can't get the same relacation and your coordination and balance suffers in turn. Look at old Hopkins for example. He got quite sloppy with age.

 

I just think it was a question of being less explosive with age.
Also in his second career the opposition Ali faced were probably bigger and tougher fighters than in his pre exile days.

 

Ali's hands were shot. Plus his knockouts were all about accuracy and timing, two things Parkinson would remove. It's more surprising he won any fights.

 

Ali often landed his most powerful blows on his biggest opponents like Liston, Williams, Lewis, Foreman and Lyle. Big and upright - that's how he liked them. He had a harder time landing his hardest shots on guys like Jones, Patterson, Mildenberger etc. When he took them out it was more down to attrition, while he legitimaty hurt guys like Williams, Lewis, Foreman (even though he was spent) and Lyle with power shots.

 

Ali had more power in the 70's but you are now using a neurogocally damaged Ali of Spinks to compare to his younger days which makes the study invalid . The opposition of the 70's were tougher to k.o .

 

Some fighters are heavy handed and keep their power in their late 30's.


Others depend more on speed and velocity to generate their power. Ali falls into this category.


Ali had a pretty good right cross, but as he became older he lost his speed and wasn't always in the best of shape.

 

He had bad hands.

 

Similar to Fitzsimmons , who didn't have the advantage of having his injected with novocaine prior to fights.

 

Fitzsimmons was still knocking them out though. Shows what a great/confidence puncher he was.
Cocaine injections perhaps ?

 

That saying "his punch is the last thing to go" has more to do with a boxer versus a normal person than boxer versus boxer.

The power was always there it's just an older fighter is not knocking out the same standard of fighter the older he gets. Ali kept fighting guys with a world class Anticipation level.

 

I just don't think he had the sort of lightening speed or accuracy in the latter stages to make those punches count as much

 

Well yes, Ali had dropped a level and the level of men he was still fighting were the top guys. Norton, Shavers, Holmes, Spinks and Berbick.

If he was fighting a lower standard of guys he would have been knocking them out.

 

One of his last 6 fights and that one a nobody.