Would Ali Be Considered a "Runner" today?

Hard to call someone a runner when he is knocking people out

 

WTF, some of you are in complete denial about ALi.

The answer to the question is YES, he would be considered a RUNNER.

ALi had a lot of great qualities--one of them being the ability to KO opponents while retreating-- which is the reason he is considered by most to be "The Greatest". But he RAN AND CHLINCHED like a mutha fakka. Not sure why some of you are so intent on denying that. Commentators would even allude to his running during some of his fights.

We recently had another Ali thread where countless dolts referred to ALi as "humble" and now this.

And this is in no way an attempt to denigrate Ali but to bring back to earth those who seem willing to canonize him.

 

you're not qualified to bring anybody down to earth about Ali.

Snap out of it.

If Ali were around today his KO ratio would be too lofty to call him a runner.

 

Well I'm old enough to have watched Ali and nobody ever considered him a runner.

As he said, "I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee."


It's the second part of the description that negates him being a runner. Also if you think about it he took way way too much punishment from the likes of Foreman and Frazier to be called a runner.

 

Ali was such a charismatic boxer and had such an aura about him that most people would be fixated on what he would do next and he hardly ever failed to deliver. He had the knack to pull something special and turn even a boring fight into an exciting event.

And he also had a lot of heart but the punishment you are referring to usually happened when Ali ran out of real estate and was stopped by the ropes.

 

ALI was the goat but in this era I see him struggling with B level guys like pulev. It's nice to watch him dance around with 5'11 210 pound guys but we live in a different era today.

 

I don't agree. He had options but chose to remain along the ropes both in the Frazier and the Foreman fights. In fact in the Foreman fight, even Dundee thought he was nuts, employing the "Rope a Dope" against Foreman until he punched himself out. He certainly had other options.

 

May. But Ali wasn't a small fighter, he was 6'3"

 

Plus I'm looking at the ring ratings and Haye is no.3 and Adamek is no.5 and they're not huge. Helenius is no.7 and Tyson Fury no.8 so...

 

Yes, he had options and the ability to get out of those situations. But that's not the argument. My point is that ALi found himself on the ropes a lot of times simply because he was in retreat mode and couldn't go any further because of the ropes. Once he was on the ropes he would mostly clinch or try to punch his way out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBW6A1S22gk

..........................................................^^^^^^^...........................
Here's an example of what I'm talking about(the pattern is set from round one).

 

so if you hate ali's style that means you don't know boxing?

ali stunk up the joint over and over again.his fights suck to watch,BORING!

if ali were trying to fight today he wouldn't be fit to spar with zack page.they might let him carry a bucket and wipe him down.

 

My point is he wasn't all that uncomfortable in that position, and could have gotten out of that position if he wished to. But against Frazier he felt he could stay there and punch in between the punches Frazier was throwing. As he would frequently hold his head down, and clinch, he certainly could have avoided being against the ropes if he really wanted to. He had an unusual style against the ropes in that he felt that between blocking the punches and absorbing the punishment of those punches Frazier would, like Foreman, tire himself out. Thus allow himself to take advantage of a fighter too tired to defend himself.

Anyway, it's been years since I watched this fight, so I'm going to watch it again. :good

 

What a dink you are? Now this is how it is. There are inside fighters and there are outside fighters. And there is in and out movement, lateral movement. And angles where you step in and punch, then slip 90 Degrees left or right so you are not there for a counter. Answer to your question was that Ali was an outside fighter, but did all of the above.
Runner ---- no such thing except when a fighter gets hurt and goes on his byclcle avoid any exchange with his opponent.

 

I am a huge fan or power punching warriors. But running is constantly moving away from your opponent without trying to counter, jab, or out land your opponent. What Ali and others you mention do is called boxing.