Would Ali have won the FOTC had he taken more tune up fights before?

I don't think Ali could ever beat Frazier without having first-hand experience with his pressure and adjusting his inside-game accordingly.

 

When one talks of “Zaire” Ali I think it’s in terms of Ali’s “then” conditioning, match fitness and full realisation of potentially ideal strategies - whatever they might be.

In short, of course “Zaire” Ali wouldn’t fight Frazier as he did Foreman. It has no real world value to muse that he would fight thusly.

When Ali hit full stride in his second coming, his rematches vs Norton and Frazier and his fight vs Foreman upheld the best ever versions of post exile Ali - not just for his conditioning and match fitness but also for his customised strategies.

Ali’s ability to adapt himself to the opponent/environment at hand was brought to the fore across those 3 consecutive fights.

Zaire Ali could’ve been a lot of things in all potential but he was what he was exactly in order to beat Foreman.

 

The “Inside game” in question.

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I love how infatuated with me you are.

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Here's a counterfactual. Ali is fighting on the regular. Joe decides to pursue his musical career and takes three years and five minths off, but the idea of a huge payday against Ali brings him back. He takes two tuneup fights against Quarry and Bonavena. How does he fare?

 

Our highly knowledgeable and most polite member, @Mike Cannon , (and I do mean that Mike) may well be forced to sue your ass Rocky.

Would you brazenly steal “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” from Michael Buffer and not expect consequences?

Sure, Buffer’s a smoothie, nice hair, beautiful annunciations and all that, but beneath the embalmed veneer, he is very much a **** around and find out guy.

 

This is def. a hypothetical because I can’t see Joe surviving for 3.5 years on just his musical “talent” alone.

Be that as it may, I will accept the hypothetical as laid out.

I would say he might not fare too well.

Gets by Quarry and there’s an increased chance that he might get derailed by Bonavena in an upset of some measure.

Otherwise he gets through only to be clearly beaten by Ali.

 

Anyone who says Frazier beat Ali when they were both at their best should honestly consider that counterfsctual.

 

Only two, and as many as two, preparatory fights. They helped Ali get into a rhythm without losing his freshness.
At MSG, Ali was excellent, fast, sharp... he recovered quickly. A few years later, he wouldn't have recovered from that left hook so quickly.
Considering how quickly Joe Frazier's style aged and the successes he achieved against Ali in the following years, despite that, he was always a tough opponent for him, I would always bet on the Frazier from that first fight. In my opinion, no Ali would have beaten that Frazier. Not the one from the second, the third, or the one from the 1960s.

 

Yeah unfortunately, but ridiculous as it looked Ali's clinching nullified Frazier's offense a lot and he did seem to make his uppercut a bit more dynamic against the good ol' Smoke.

 

Yeah. A good one.

 

Im right and you are wrong.
Talk to you soon, if youre lucky.
Lets get ready to rumble!
Stay safe buddy, chat soon.

 

Let's stipulate they are always going to be tough outs for one another... We can also stipulate that neither was so superior to the other he could beat him in a handicap match which is exactly what Ali found himself in on March 8, 1971.

 

Spot on.

 

Your ceiling is noted.