What heavyweights footspeed could be compared with ali footspeed , what heavyweight was closest to ali in footspeed ? .

Eric Esch..

None you moron, that is just one of the skills that made Ali sooooooooooooooooooooo special.

Yeah, I say none too!!! Nobody danced around like him in the heavies!!!

What about prime tyson ? .

Tyson's footspeed wasn't bad but it wasn't near ALis's. It was Tyson's upper-body speed that made him stand out.

Ali's footspeed wasn't that great.

What about prime larry holmes then ? .

What about larry holmes

Are we really having this discussion? Larry Holmes looked awkward when he tried to dance like Ali. Ali was in a class by himself.

Holmes was still fast on his feet .

What about prime tyson ? .

Yeah, I say none too

Tyrell Biggs was Ali's equal in footspeed, and he had great handspeed and a decent flicking jab to boot. What he didn't have was the heart or chin of Ali, but I think one could make a case that his physical gifts/talents were not that far off from Ali's.

How about Marciano?

Cassius Marcellus Clay.

A serious answer,i think the one heavyweight whom may have been quicker, yes quicker than Ali was Roy Jones Jr. He only had one fight at heavy but he was WBA champ so he must count!

Heavyweight that could match with Ali's footspeed, I'd have to go with Tyson's. As far as quickest at any weight, I'd have to go w/ Roy Jones Jr. , but have any of you guys, seen the pre-fight footage and highlights of " Prince" Naseem Hamed prior to fighting Kevin Kelley? He was shadow boxing in front of a camera in a darkened space w/ only a mirror in front of him, man that guy had some serious quickness it looked like he was ice skating, while doing his own version of the Ali shuffle.

A serious answer,i think the one heavyweight whom may have been quicker, yes quicker than Ali was Roy Jones Jr. He only had one fight at heavy but he was WBA champ so he must count!
I think it counds, and I have to agree. Good point!

Nobody's even close . . . Ali's foot speed is unparralled up to this present times.

A serious answer,i think the one heavyweight whom may have been quicker, yes quicker than Ali was Roy Jones Jr. He only had one fight at heavy but he was WBA champ so he must count!


Don't get lost Bro., Roy Jones got a very good reflexes and hands speed but foot speed? Quicker? Comparable maybe but will never quicker.

What about gene tunney ? .

Nobody's even close . . . Ali's foot speed is unparralled up to this present times.
I don't want to sound like some sort of Tyrell Biggs suckup here - in fact, watching him get brutalized by Tyson was one of the more memorable and enjoyable moments in boxing for me - but the fact is, if you haven't seen him in action, you should. Biggs' footspeed was just as good as Ali's, and he was bigger than Ali to boot.

The Cuban fighters in the Olympics, Rigodeux for example, they move really fast. Heavies maybe Stevenson or Savon.

What about prime tyson ? .

Biggs was taller then Ali but much more lanky and not nearly as strong. What made Ali unique was that he possessed incredible body strength but was still remarkably agile and fleet of foot. Biggs had fast feet but was as fragile as a chandelier . . . .

Biggs was taller then Ali but much more lanky and not nearly as strong. What made Ali unique was that he possessed incredible body strength but was still remarkably agile and fleet of foot. Biggs had fast feet but was as fragile as a chandelier . . . .
Biggs was 6'5" and 230, so he was pretty big (he was in fact 1 lb heavier than Lennox when they fought in '91). But you're right, he was certainly not a strong HW for his size. He didn't like in-fighting, he didn't like muscling around or being muscled, and frankly, even though he had great skills, he really lacked the animal/warrior instinct to be a fighter. Fantastic footwork though - probably should have a been a dancer. ;)

Wha about jack dempsey , a writer of ring magazine in a 1967 edition said that a young dempsey was faster on his feet than cassius clay ? .

I don't want to sound like some sort of Tyrell Biggs suckup here - in fact, watching him get brutalized by Tyson was one of the more memorable and enjoyable moments in boxing for me - but the fact is, if you haven't seen him in action, you should. Biggs' footspeed was just as good as Ali's, and he was bigger than Ali to boot.


If ever he has that foot speed that you are talking about, it has hardly been noticed because he doesn't make use of it. I've seen that Biggs/Tyson fight and indeed Biggs was practically brutalized and mauled . . . IF indeed Biggs has the foot speed it could not have happen that way . . . because he could have easily move in and out, move side to side to avoid Tyson's onslaught and gave himself an angle to throw punches to score points if not to hurt Tyson and stop him dead in his track. He could have still lost but not that humilating way.

Since Tyson had the ability to keep him within his striking distance anytime during that fight then that means Tyson has a better footspeed than Biggs.

If ever he has that foot speed that you are talking about, it has hardly been noticed because he doesn't make use of it. I've seen that Biggs/Tyson fight and indeed Biggs was practically brutalized and mauled . . . IF indeed Biggs has the foot speed it could not have happen that way . . . because he could have easily move in and out, move side to side to avoid Tyson's onslaught and gave himself an angle to throw punches to score points if not to hurt Tyson and stop him dead in his track. He could have still lost but not that humilating way.

Since Tyson had the ability to keep him within his striking distance anytime during that fight then that means Tyson has a better footspeed than Biggs.
You need to watch that video again. For the first few rounds, Biggs is on his toes dancing, giving a semi-decent account of himself, flicking his jab, trying to get off a some quick combos - extremely quick feet and change of pace. But the '88 version of Tyson is quick himself - he stalks Biggs, cuts off the ring and launches himself into Biggs and pounds him.

After the first few rounds Biggs is completely worn down, and he has no energy for moving or punching with any authority. It's all over but the torture.

But for the first few (ok, maybe 2) rounds you can see why Biggs was (up until the Tyson fight) regarded as the next Ali. After the fight, he was ruined though.

the only HW even close to ali in FOOT speed would have to Be RJJ, but he shouldn't count. I can't think of anyone else. Bryd gets around pretty good, he's not flashy with it but still pretty quick

maybe off point a little but who else was as comfortable boxing moving forward and backward as ali? tyson doesn't fight moving backwards does he? any way i think fighting on the retreat is a big part of how much a fighter is known for his foot speed

What about gene tunney, wasent he fairly fast on his feet or jack dempsey ? .

Was mike tyson faster on his feet than dempsey ? .

What was prime grg pages footspeed like . I have heard that this guy could float around the ring like ali .

Michael Dokes
Greg Page

I would think the best one would be a prime Holyfield

Could prime greg page float around the ring like ali ? .

Tyson's footspeed wasn't bad but it wasn't near ALis's. It was Tyson's upper-body speed that made him stand out.
I feel u on that

Ali's footspeed wasn't that great.
What are you talking about...?

None, lol. Thats why Ali is Ali

I think tyson footspeed or footwork was next best to alis . An ex pro fighter told me that he saw a young tyson train and saw get up on his toes and dance around the ring like he was ali , he said tyson had great footskills and he was surprised tyson could move like that .

What was prime grg pages footspeed like . I have heard that this guy could float around the ring like ali .

The only thing Page had in common with Ali was the hometown. No comparison. Ali was one of a kind in the foot speed department. I can't think of anyone. I don't count Jones. Holmes was a great boxer, but his foot speed wasn't great. He had a great jab, was very intelligent in the ring and a HUGE heart and chin.

Dempsey was faster on his feet than Tyson. Tyson was pretty quick coming in but Dempsey was said to have great lateral movement and was even quick in retreat, the few times he did choose to retreat. Dempsey was an all around great athlete. Max Schmeling described him as looking like he had come from another planet. He was that quick.

The only thing Page had in common with Ali was the hometown. No comparison. Ali was one of a kind in the foot speed department. I can't think of anyone. I don't count Jones. Holmes was a great boxer, but his foot speed wasn't great. He had a great jab, was very intelligent in the ring and a HUGE heart and chin.

Page had nice footwork,not like Ali's but nice.Problem was he depended on it too much at times.

Floyd Patterson and Ingamar Johannson both had pretty fast feet, Patterson just lacked the height to lean away from punches while he was moving, and the style he used most of the time didn't allow him to showcase it.

Crhis Byrd

Billy Conn also had very fast feet, but was only a heavy in his second fight with Louis, and wouldn't even be a heavy at all now, in fact, of the three I mentioned, only Johannson would be a heavy. Holmes was quick as well, in fact, his and Ali's height made them look faster anyway because they covered more ground with each stride, but the way Ali was able to avoid Liston in the first few rounds of the first fight really sets him apart from Holmes, though.

Carl the truth williams and henry tillman .

What about gene tunney ? .

Gene Tunney had good footwork, but he wasn't nearly as fast as Ali. Tunney was all about intelligent positioning after throwing his punches, rather than quick footwork.

Jab, jab, jab, clinch...Jab, jab, jab, move...Jab, jab, right hand, move.

That was Gene Tunney's fighting style, and he wasn't much more exciting back then, than John Ruiz is today.

And to answer the original question, I'd have to say that James 'Quick' Tillis had the quickest feet I've seen from any heavyweight in the last 25 years or so...He still wasn't a match for the prime Ali in that dept. though.

Tyrell biggs was the closest to ali in footspeed , in his first round against tyson he moved with the grace and fluidity of a young ali .

Not like Bonecrusher smith

I cant think of any

Cassius Marcellus Clay.

agree..thats the closest we will ever get... :D

I would have to say Tyson.

Mitchell Green
Tony Tucker

ali is number 1 no one is faster or as fast if u look at it ali is fastest u can come close but not tied or better then Ali

There is a guy who is out right now. Roman Greenberg and he is 20-0. He is super fast and Angelo Dundee (that's Ali's trainer) said that Greenberg is faster than Ali was. He sucks and he will never be as good as Ali but he is incredibly fast.

the closest one to alis in my view is most likely a prime holyfield

If you watch tyson before his fight with henry tillman amateur fight and the pinklon thomas fight, you see tyson bouncing on his toes a bit and doing a bit of dancing , its very hard to gauge how quick he could move because he dose it in a confined space . Did anyone else notice this before those fights ? .

no one :mad:

Tyson did have the potential to be a very fast footed fighter. His Cus D'amato style doesnt allow that to be seen, he was always moving forward. The first fight he got backed up in was against James Douglas, and look what happened.

because roy jones... fought a heavyweight fight and beat ruiz for a title... i say roy... but ali was in a class of his own....

wasnt roy also liek 201 pounds? i dont really call makign min weight just for 1 single fight a heavyweight

Roman greenberg quicker than ali you have got to be kidding me and to the guy who says that james tillis is the quickest fighter on his feet since ali , I have seen tillis and tyson in an exhibition fight and tillis gets up on his toes and tries to do an ali on tyson and outrun him but tyson is too quick on his feet and cuts the ring down and boxes tillis ears off for the next 4 rounds .

How about Marciano?
heh..naw


imo
Ali #1 and then Holmes #2...Holyfield a close #3

Holyfield faster on his feet than tyson i dont think so . Holyfield said before the lewis tyson fight that tyson was better equipped to beat lewis than him because tyson was much quicker on his feet and prime tyson was also much quicker on his feet than larry holmes , but a young ali was much quicker on his feet than prime tyson .

now everybody knows its either the almighty butterbean or the 2005 riddick bowe.theres no match there just to quick the way they grace around the ring is beautiful.

What about henry tillman ? .

What about henry tillman ? .

What about tyrell biggs, greg page and buster douglas ? .

Thee has been some fast heavyweights. I can't think of any that quite matched up to Ali. Ali's real game was not necessarily foot speed, but foot work. He had great grace and effortless movement, hence the term "float like a butterfly" Ali almost looked like he did just float around the ring. He was the ultimate ring general.

In my opinion, Jack Johnson had great foot work and skill inside the ring in terms of ring generalship. Ranking him up there with Ali in terms of footwork.

Muhammad's style was often copied, but never duplicated. Because Ali was very relaxed in the ring, he rarely tired, particularly early in his career. He would dance all night, causing his opponents to grow very weary of chasing him in circles.

Many of the things Ali did were technically wrong, but his reflexes and "rubbery" body allowed him to get away with things like pulling straight back from punches and holding his hands at his waist.

There has been some fast fighters, but none as accomplished as the butterfly.

Well what fighters are you saying then were nearly as quick as ali on their feet ? .

tyson coulda if he stayed south paw holmes close

What do you mean by that realheavyhands ? .

Is anyone there ? .

can you and triggerhappy please get your own footfetish lounge, im tired off this.

tyson coulda if he stayed south paw holmes close
Tyson is a prick. I hope he returns and gets beaten up!

A young, in-shape Corrie Sanders could move (1995)
He had hand speed and power as well. His fight against a still useful Bert Cooper showed how fast all around he was. Wasted talent, though.

A young, in-shape Corrie Sanders could move (1995)
He had hand speed and power as well. His fight against a still useful Bert Cooper showed how fast all around he was. Wasted talent, though.

really i didnt know

a good moving, 6,4 southpow, with a lightning fast rock hard left hand, what a terribel waste.

who knows what this man could have been

The answer is none.

What do you mean by that realheavyhands ? .
tyson was a naturl southpaw and early he used to switch by accident his foot work would of been just as good as ali and his left would of been the hardest punch in boxing history and been staight ..i would of changed tysons whole style...look what sanders can do with just a left hand...i would of built a deisel left anded james toney but in shape so he could move kinda like roy...only problem who would fight a mutha ****a like dat

When did you see tyson fight as a southpaw and how would tyson switching to southpaw improved his footwork and footspeed ?

Are you there realheavyhands ? .

Realheavyhands if tyson would of been quicker on his feet boxing southpaw then why didnt boxing genius cus damato get him to use that style ? .

Are you there realheavyhands ? .

Please respond realheavyhands .

The dude who started this thread is called Slugger on Tysontalk and he always asks this question. He used to do it on ESB too, people used to give him responses but he just kept on repeating the question or dancing around it.

tysons speed was all uper body.

Suggardaddy you say tysons speed was all upperbody what was tysons footspeed like ? .

I don't want to sound like some sort of Tyrell Biggs suckup here - in fact, watching him get brutalized by Tyson was one of the more memorable and enjoyable moments in boxing for me - but the fact is, if you haven't seen him in action, you should. Biggs' footspeed was just as good as Ali's, and he was bigger than Ali to boot.



no
ali's footspeed was unparalleled. tyson was fast, but wasnt close to ali, and rjj was fast too, both comparable, but muhammad was in a league of his own

ali patterned himself after his idol: sugar ray robinson. robinson was a terrific tap dancer and attributed his footspeed to hours of tap.

as for ali, no one had faster feet. maybe cassius clay (alter ego) because he was younger. look at clay's footspeed in the 1960 olympics fighting at light heavyweight and tell me you've even seen anyone with feet that fast at that weight let alone at heavyweight!!!!!!!

oldwarrior

larry holmes.

lol again @ the tyson foot fetish

I think Ali was less Fast then he was fluid and graceful.. I think quite few Heavies could match his speed.. But not the combo of speed and grace

Tuney was actually lighter on his feet than Ali. And a smarter fighter as well.

When comparing all time greats I think Ali always gets the edge because of how Charasmatic he was. If you look at the fact that he probably fought too far past his prime and ended up 56-5, you could make the argument that he was not the greatest heavyweight "prize fighter" of all time. But I think when factoring in greatness you have to weigh more than just wins/losses/style/abilities, you have to factor in the lives the men lead as well.

Tuney got the dog house because he didn't knock guys out all the time.

What heavyweights footspeed could be compared with ali footspeed , what heavyweight was closest to ali in footspeed ? .


Gene Tunney.

I'm surprised and dissapointed that nobody has mentioned living legends Donald Hoskins or Chuck Norris. Hoskins outran Carl Lewis at the 1984 olympics but his victory didn't count since he just waited until the race started, jumped out of the stands, and took off running down the track. He did the same thing to Michael Johnson in 1996. I mentioned Chuck Norris not because he has faster feet than Ali, but because any heavyweight that gets in the ring with him instantly develops footspeed that easily surpasses anything Ali has ever done in the ring. I can't believe this never occurred to anyone else.