Ali And His Sparring Partners

[TheOneIsHere2008]

I have read and heard how Larry Holmes owned Muhammad Ali during sparring sessions ; sometimes from Larry's own mouth...What he neglects to say is that Ali was content to let his sparring partners hit him during his sessions, especially in the mid section... Ali turned it on when he had to but he wasn't an intentionally cruel man with a few well publicized exceptions... He wasn't the young Mike Tyson,George Foreman or Sonny Liston beating up hapless sparring partners...

[Robinson]

In sparring hundreds upon hundreds of rounds fighters do different
things, sometimes Ali would have taken it easy and rode the clock
and other times he would have tried to establish himself.

Here is the thing, it is alot easier to lay on the ropes and let the
other guy work while sparring. It is however harder to dominate
and be the active one in sparring.

I dont buy into the legend that Ali ALWAYS looked bad while
sparring and 'let his sparring' partners 'train his body for pain'.
I think alot of this is myth, legend and what some journo's saw
in some sessions.

[TheOneIsHere2008]

In sparring hundreds upon hundreds of rounds fighters do different
things, sometimes Ali would have taken it easy and rode the clock
and other times he would have tried to establish himself.

Here is the thing, it is alot easier to lay on the ropes and let the
other guy work while sparring. It is however harder to dominate
and be the active one in sparring.

I dont buy into the legend that Ali ALWAYS looked bad while
sparring and 'let his sparring' partners 'train his body for pain'.
I think alot of this is myth, legend and what some journo's saw
in some sessions.

I think it was Li

[Robinson]

Li ?

[TheOneIsHere2008]

Li ?

I think it was Liston who beat up his sparring partners so bad they quit and went to work for Ali...

[Collins2000]

Li ?

I think it was Liston who beat up his sparring partners so bad they quit and went to work for Ali...

Tony Sibson always felt Alan Minter had taken liberties with him in sparring when Minter was world champ and Tony had yet to break through into world class. Not just the actual sparring but the way Minter spoke to the 'hired help' too.

Sibbo got his revenge later though...

[Robinson]

Payback is a bitch.

I always love to watch footage of great fighetrs sparring,
its good to see what they are working on, and trying to
do etc.

Holmes and Ruddock sparring is pretty good to watch on
YouTube though sadly the film stock is poor.

[I Feel Fine]

In sparring hundreds upon hundreds of rounds fighters do different
things, sometimes Ali would have taken it easy and rode the clock
and other times he would have tried to establish himself.

Here is the thing, it is alot easier to lay on the ropes and let the
other guy work while sparring. It is however harder to dominate
and be the active one in sparring.

I dont buy into the legend that Ali ALWAYS looked bad while
sparring and 'let his sparring' partners 'train his body for pain'.
I think alot of this is myth, legend and what some journo's saw
in some sessions.

By all reports that is what he did. Tyson would try to kill his sparring partners, but for Ali sparring was... sparring.

[Robinson]

From what I have seen in footage for Tyson,
sparring was a fight.

Cooney looked to be the same way.

[Poncey]

From what I have seen in footage for Tyson,
sparring was a fight.

Cooney looked to be the same way.

According to Joe Egan, they had an extraordinary amount of sparring partners for Mike because they tended to only last a few rounds. Cus used Joe a lot because he was able to withstand Tyson's punishment for more rounds than the others.

I've read that Holmes owned Ali in sparring for the Rumble, that was his plan to allow his sparring partners (presumably there was more than one, but not sure) to work the body. I can't remember if this was the case from '71 in general. Not sure.

[Robinson]

I also recall reading that Jesse Fergusson was favoured by
the Tyson camp for this same reason.

[I Feel Fine]

Ali let sparring partners beat on him going back to the 60s. it did not start with Holmes. And Ali did have other sparring partners in Zaire, and allowed them to dominate him as well. Again; its sparring.

[Nile4000]

Matter of Fact, he let Tony Tubbs floor him.

[TheOneIsHere2008]

Matter of Fact, he let Tony Tubbs floor him.

Ali must have been ancient since he was sixteen years older...

[Nile4000]

Matter of Fact, he let Tony Tubbs floor him.

Ali must have been ancient since he was sixteen years older...

Around the time of Ali-Spinks, when Tony was an amateur star. Michael Dokes was also Ali's sparring partner at this time, and Page sparred with him a couple of years earlier.

[Brutu]

You read Larry Holmes autobiography and the stories about Roy Tiger Williams when he was one of Ali's sparring partners around 1974?
Roy Tiger Williams sure didnt sound like he was a fan!

[TheOneIsHere2008]

You read Larry Holmes autobiography and the stories about Roy Tiger Williams when he was one of Ali's sparring partners around 1974?
Roy Tiger Williams sure didnt sound like he was a fan!

What did Ali do to him?

I read Ali was generous to a fault... I even read that a couple of people in his entourage were stealing from him...Rather than whip their asses Ali excused them by saying "they must have really needed the money."