BoxRec

A prime Jack Johnson against a prime Muhammad Ali.


What advantages would Jack have over Muhammad?


What advantages would Ali have over Johnson?


What do you see happening in this fight?


Who would win? Why?




Please explain.

Johnson was a master boxer with probably the greatest defensive skills of any Heavyweight Champion.. He had a very brutal inside game. He could break any man's clinch with raw strength.. He was a devastating body puncher and knocked out men nobody else ever stopped.. His conditioning and was unreal.

Ali fought from range -- doing his best work against punchers and fighters with low level skills.. Frazier, who liked to work in close, beat Ali.. Ken Norton, who didn't fight punchers well---but fought boxers well---drove Ali around the ring and pounded him.. Hiding behind his gloves on the ropes didn't help Ali because Norton had the ability to rip in a body shot here and there... upercut between Ali's gloves... hook to Ali's ear... and keep touching Ali on the ropes without depleting his energy. Johnson had this same knack -- and enough size, strength, conditioning, and skill to keep this kind of assault going through 20 rounds... Johnson would run at a harder pace than other boxers and train more diligently on his skills -- because a black man gunning for a World Title shot---or holding onto a World Title---circa 1906-1915---needed to demonstrate truly breathtaking skills.

Sonny Liston never got past the 1st round for 3 years before he fought Clay, going less than 6 minutes total. George Foreman didn't go past 2 rounds in the 3 years before he fought Ali. They weren't ready for 15. Now, the way Ron Lyle fought Ali---patiently outpointing Ali into the 11th round---was the intelligent strategy. Only Lyle lacked the masterful boxing skills and outstanding conditioning to complete the job. Johnson had those assets in spades.

So Johnson's approach to Ali would have been very low key---like it was for Jeffries and Burns.. He would tell the media how much he admired Ali and looked forward with happiness to engaging a man who represented the zenith the sport had to offer -- for the biggest prize in the world of sports. At media events he would look for things to compliment Ali and members of his team on... he put people at ease... and presented a gentlemanly professional image. When it came to psychological warfare Johnson was a step ahead of other athletes. He knew what to say and when -- and exactly how to say it. Behind the scenes he trained to perfection for the toughest and most lauded opponents, and completely dominated the action once the bell rang. A study in efficiency and concentration, Johnson could box and hold conversations with ringsiders at the same time. He knew that the easier he made the fight seem, the more disconcerting and discouraging it was to his opponent.

Johnson, who fought huge Heavyweight contender Pat Lester for 15 rounds at the ridiculous age of 48, easily dominating every round and cutting Lester to ribbons, would take advantage of every technical failing Ali had -- just like Larry Holmes did. They would have to stop it once Ali was badly hurt.