Muhammad Ali (1967) vs. current HWs ?

[Onetimeonly]

So somebody thinks there are 8 better heavies of this weak batch? I'd love to see the names.

Ruiz and Galento are fatter and Willard and Canera are taller, so there's four.

Pretty sure none of them are active.

[Tony1244]

Ruiz and Galento are fatter and Willard and Canera are taller, so there's four.

Pretty sure none of them are active.

Sure?

That's way too easy. #1.

[Onetimeonly]

Pretty sure none of them are active.

Sure?

That's way too easy. #1.

That's the question.

[snake33]

Ali was 6' 4" and weighed about the same as Wilder
with infinitely better skills and enough punching power
to take out 60% of his opponents including Foreman.
He could easily grab a belt now in his prime and hold
it with no problem.
You can't hit what you can't see.

[gilgamesh]

Ali was 6' 4" and weighed about the same as Wilder
with infinitely better skills and enough punching power
to take out 60% of his opponents including Foreman.
He could easily grab a belt now in his prime and hold
it with no problem.
You can't hit what you can't see.

I think he was 6'3, but yeah he was definitely rangy enough to hold his own with the guys of today, and very fast and mobile.

Excellent combinations, a damn good chin, very fast, very skilled.

I think he'd win quite comfortably against most of the guys of today. He'd have a few difficulties with some of the better ones probably, but some guys he'd beat easy as pie.

[DrDuke]

A lot of HW's now would have size advantage..

If you take away that advantage, and base it on skill, then that's a different story.

It works with everyone today, except Fury. He has both size and skills, including a great skill to make his size an advantage for him. The Fury type of a boxer can beat anybody.

[Onetimeonly]

I don't see fury giving him any trouble. Everyone loses eventually, but he'd comfortably embarrass tyson, wilder and aj.

[Controversial]

Ali was 6' 4" and weighed about the same as Wilder
with infinitely better skills and enough punching power
to take out 60% of his opponents including Foreman.
He could easily grab a belt now in his prime and hold
it with no problem.
You can't hit what you can't see.

Ali wasn't that tall, he was around 6' 2.5"
All I would say is Ali more often than not was the bigger man, in the majority of his fights he held the weight advantage and/or height and reach advantage. People talk about the monster Foreman but he was only 3lbs heavier than Ali and around the same height.

[Bandog]

Ernie Terrell was 6'6", and no slouch. Ali dominated from start to finish. People that say Fury reminds them of Ali makes me laugh. He is nothing like Ali in any way. He looks clumsy, slow, and uncoordinated in comparison. Ali in his prime would beat any current heavy, and embarrass most.

[Ambling Alp II]

Anyone who thinks he would not have been the #1 heavyweight has little comprehension of the sport.

[DrDuke]

Ernie Terrell was 6'6", and no slouch. Ali dominated from start to finish. People that say Fury reminds them of Ali makes me laugh. He is nothing like Ali in any way. He looks clumsy, slow, and uncoordinated in comparison. Ali in his prime would beat any current heavy, and embarrass most.

To equal Terrell with Fury is silly.

[Tony1244]

Anyone who voted anything other than the first 2 choices should not be on boxrec.

[DrDuke]

Anyone who thinks he would not have been the #1 heavyweight has little comprehension of the sport.

Look who's here. Go back to the history section with your big comprehension of the sport. If it spreads in other sections, it will be too much.

[gilgamesh]

Anyone who thinks he would not have been the #1 heavyweight has little comprehension of the sport.

Look who's here. Go back to the history section with your big comprehension of the sport. If it spreads in other sections, it will be too much.

I take you're one of the minority who thinks Ali wouldn't be the boss today?

[DrDuke]

Look who's here. Go back to the history section with your big comprehension of the sport. If it spreads in other sections, it will be too much.

I take you're one of the minority who thinks Ali wouldn't be the boss today?

I'd favor Ali confidently against anyone, except Fury. However, of course, it's better to see, how Fury's career will go further, but I see in him a type of a boxer, who can win everybody including Ali.

[gilgamesh]

I take you're one of the minority who thinks Ali wouldn't be the boss today?

I'd favor Ali confidently against anyone, except Fury. However, of course, it's better to see, how Fury's career will go further, but I see in him a type of a boxer, who can win everybody including Ali.

If he dominates AJ the way he dominated Wilder in the rematch you'd have a strong case for that.

I don't expect it to be that easy with AJ though.

[ValMar]

Where is EO ? He might enlighten the majority of us with his lists of the average weight of Ali's opponents (before 1967).

[DrDuke]

I'd favor Ali confidently against anyone, except Fury. However, of course, it's better to see, how Fury's career will go further, but I see in him a type of a boxer, who can win everybody including Ali.

If he dominates AJ the way he dominated Wilder in the rematch you'd have a strong case for that.

I don't expect it to be that easy with AJ though.

I believe, he'll dominate and stop Joshua.

[gilgamesh]

If he dominates AJ the way he dominated Wilder in the rematch you'd have a strong case for that.

I don't expect it to be that easy with AJ though.

I believe, he'll dominate and stop Joshua.

He might.

Even if he does though, Ali is an entirely different style matchup than Wilder or AJ.

[Onetimeonly]

He wouldn't land a thing on Ali.

[Counter-puncher]

Where is EO ? He might enlighten the majority of us with his lists of the average weight of Ali's opponents (before 1967).

[margaret thatcher]

A smaller preassure fighter with decent handspeed is a harder matchup for Moo than a slower but bigger and stronger behemoth. Ali would make any slow poke pay badly.

Unlike Sonny, Ali's son, Moo is clearcut #1 here. He just had awe worthy gifts and was hardly some little midget anyway, at 6'3 and regulary in the 220s. Not like he was 6 feet with a 73 inch reach and weighing 185

[DrDuke]

He wouldn't land a thing on Ali.

It's not a problem to pick a fighter over another one, but to go to such extremities like "wouldn't land a thing" is quite dumb in a discussion about athletes of such high level.

[gilgamesh]

He wouldn't land a thing on Ali.

It's not a problem to pick a fighter over another one, but to go to such extremities like "wouldn't land a thing" is quite dumb in a discussion about athletes of such high level.

It'd be a fight that went several rounds so Fury would obviously land some. He'd have no choice, but to try to use his size to try to push Ali to the ropes, and keep him there because if he tried to outbox Ali, and be slick he'd be embarrassed.

Not sure he'd have the stamina to continue pressuring him all night, but that'd be the way he'd have his most success. 1967 Ali would've been mobile enough to keep from getting trapped on the ropes a lot easier than the 70's Ali too.

[ValMar]

Where is EO ? He might enlighten the majority of us with his lists of the average weight of Ali's opponents (before 1967).

I am afraid that EO decided to punish us (or majority of us, at least) and ignore this topic.

BTW, if you try to imagine the perfect HW, young Ali needed only three elements to be the perfect :

1. Lethal punch power (he had been a decent/very decent puncher, 8/10)
2. More body shots
3. More uppercuts