Would Ali be too small for today's heavyweight division?

Yeah, they stopped teaching fighters anything in November 1982 if I'm not mistaken.

I'm not impressed by Wlad or Fury's technique either (I am by Joshua's though), but being that big gives you major advantages. That's why Wlad had an easy time with much more skilled but also much smaller men like Byrd and Haye. Guys that still would have been pretty big in Ali's time.

Can't stand to watch the Klit brothers, but also can't deny their effectiveness.

 

I would like to think that Ali would be champ in every era, and he might well have been. But there's no denying he'd have a very hard career if he debuted in 2005 and went onward. He would spend his entire boxing life facing a larger man in every single fight, and in some cases MUCH larger. I know that bigger is not always better. But taking on physically larger ( and sometimes stronger ) men every single time out, would no doubt lead to a shortened career.

 

Ali proved he could beat anyone. Had he not fought Liston, Frazier, or Foreman how many of you would favor him over them?

 

Silly. Ali feasted off bigger fighters. It was those that could better match his speed that gave him a fight. Ali, as he was, would have a field day especially considering he only needed to fight 12 rounds not 15. Secondly Ali today would be taking roids like everyone else so his 6'3 frame would have been a highly muscular 225-230 easy. Take Wlad and bring him back to 1964, no roids, and you would have a very tall lanky hwt possibly only 215 lbs. A white Earnie Terrell.

 

so ali was like a super mw or a 180 pounder right?

 

Tall fighters like Wlad who are talented, smart, & know how to use their size, would give any great fighter trouble. Same thing with Mayweather. He knows how to minimize risk as well as anyone. He'd be tough for quite a few greats.

 

Not so, I've seen Terrell fight on film vs others. He's faster in the other matches. No doubt about it.

Bugner was too defensive minded to win.

Norton and Cooper looked good vs Ali, and he was their best opponent. Jimmy young looked good vs Ali, and he was his best opponent. Doug Jones looked good, some say beat Ali and Alo was his best opponent. Frazier looked good vs Ali in his prime and he was his best opponent. Notice a trend?

 

Laughable! Wlad at age 20 was over 220 pounds. Ali at age 20, under 200 pounds.

Wlad had very good hand speed. Ernie Terrell you say? Haha.

Which skilled heavyweight over 230 pounds did Ali beat?

Adding weight to Ali takes away his speed and stamina. Not a good thing for him.

PS: Steriods were common when Ali was active. They were most often used to treat injuries, though, not build muscle.

 

so.... u are saying if young Ali dined with James Toney for a few months and blew himself up to 240lbs, then you'd be forced to write -

"LAUGHABLE! ALI AT AGE 20 IS OVER 240 lbs, Wlad at age 20 is 220 lbs!"

 

Terrell and Wlad have comparable handspeed, not fast but not slow by any means, they were both good enough to win titles (although Terrell managed a major title years ahead of Wlad K.)

So now you wouldwrite -

"Wlad you say? Hhaha."


.[/quote]

 

fighters were not stupid enough to bulk up when they knew they had to stay conditioned enough for 15 rounders of arduous activity back then.

So now you have to write -

"HAHA!! Fighters today are dumb enough to pile on weight and would get easily destyoryed by guys like ali once the fatsos had gassed. HAHA!"

 

No. Ali was the best opponent for just about all of the guys he fought, but not many looked good against him.

And wasn't this about good jabbers with long reach? Does Cooper and Frazier fit this description?

I see no method in this at all. You just name all the guys that troubled Ali. So a handful of fighters of very differing styles troubled someone who was a pro for close to 20 years, had 24 title fights and some 40 fights against ranked opposition (Does the Klit bros even have those numbers together? Perhaps if you throw in Jeffries). What a revelation.

And the fact is that these were all, except for Norton, relatively small busy fighters. His biggest opponents - Liston, Terrell, Lewis, Bugner and Foreman - gave him much less trouble. I think Lyle can could be mentioned among them as well, since an out of shape, past prime Ali sleep walked to a victory over him.

And you try to make some excuse for Terrell's shape against Ali, but repeatedly bring up Ali's meeting with Young... What's next? Holmes and Berbick as examples?

 

This should really close the thread.

 

Not at all. I haven't done specific measurements but he isn't any smaller than Hayes or Byrd right?

Two of the most successful HW fighters not named Klitschko.

Haye wasn't too small for Wlad, he was too slow of reflex, too slow of foot and lacking conviction in his counters. His game plan itself was fine, refuse to be clinched, draw Wlad onto the front foot, beat him to the jab. Haye couldn't pull it off, Ali would have done imo.

 

Ali didn't look good vs many opponents, including some tier two types.

Due to his low guard, Ali was open to the hook. Cooper, Frazier, and Banks floored him with this punch.

Jones, Norton, Lyle, and Young had jabs. Ali was hit plenty by good jabbers too.

Well, the smaller fighters you allude to had had skills. The point of this thread is how would Ali do vs much bigger fighters with skills. You know taller man who also had jabs far more reach and hit harder.:deal

Ali was 34 for Young. Slightly past it, but Young who really wasn't fast handed or powerful clearly troubled Ali. Ali had the same defensive issues he with good/fast jabbers before. That was my point and the films prove it.

Some tidbits from the Ali vs. Young fight!