was Fight of the Century - Frazier (1) the greatest performance of Muhammad Ali`s career.. yes he lost but he never fought like that before or after that fight..

was Fight of the Century - Frazier (1) the greatest performance of Muhammad Ali`s career.. yes he lost but he never fought like that before or after that fight..

I think the first Liston fight is his greatest performance, but the fight of the century defined him. It show he was not only skilled and arrogant but was tough and had heart.

I think the first Liston fight is his greatest performance, but the fight of the century defined him. It show he was not only skilled and arrogant but was tough and had heart.


To me it's pretty much a toss-up between Liston 1 and the Foreman fight. I chose the Foreman fight because he won that by outthinking Big George (and showing tremendous heart and ability to take a punch). I get more and more amazed every time I see that fight. The timing coming off the ropes, taking perfect advantage of the slack ropes.

The Liston 1 fight showed a prime Ali, fast as a middleweight and just out classing Liston.

was Fight of the Century - Frazier (1) the greatest performance of Muhammad Ali`s career.. yes he lost but he never fought like that before or after that fight..

i think Rumble In the Jungle Was :)

here is a brilliant piece on this subject which i was sent many years ago By Frank Lotierzo

March 8, 1971 Frazier vs. Ali I

Frazier vs. Ali I was the biggest and most anticipated sporting event in history. Never before have two undefeated heavyweights both in their prime had a legitimate claim to the title like Ali and Frazier did in 1971. Some insist that Ali was not at his best due to his 43 month layoff when he fought Frazier the first time, and there is much merit to that claim. Even though he stopped the top two contenders at the time in Quarry and Bonavena, before fighting Frazier. However, after seeing the fight, there is absolutely no question that Ali never threw and landed harder punches than he did on Joe Frazier in their first fight. In fact, during the first five rounds of Super-Fight one, Ali was never sharper or punched better. If you doubt that, I suggest you go back and look at the tape of rounds one through five.

Many fans and historians believe Ali's peak was his fight versus Cleveland Williams. Williams may have been Ali's peak regarding his speed and brilliance, but he had not filled out to where he was when he fought Frazier at age 29. The Ali of March 1971 was bigger, stronger, hit harder, and a more formidable fighter than the Ali of November 1966. During Ali's exile he matured and got stronger.

Going into the Frazier fight, many questioned Ali's chin, and toughness. Throughout his first fight with Frazier, Ali was hit continuously with Frazier's devastating left hook to the body and head. Never before or after had any fighter landed on Ali with the frequency and power of Frazier. Also during this fight, Ali launched and landed some of the swiftest and hardest combinations he ever hit any fighter with. Had Ali been fighting any other heavyweight except that Joe Frazier on that night, he would've most likely been a knockout winner.

The problem Ali had, was a prime 27 year old Joe Frazier in front of him. Going into his first fight with Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier was better prepared mentally and physically than any other fighter in history was for any opponent. Frazier knew he had the perfect style to fight Ali, and at that time in his career, he had it down pat. On the night of March 8th, 1971, Frazier was not to be denied. He was ready for anything Ali had to offer mentally or physically.

Going into Frazier-Ali I, Ali's plan was to beat Frazier up so badly early in the fight that he would either stop him, or have him so beaten up that he wouldn't have anything left for the last five rounds of the bout. By Frazier being so determined to beat Ali, he forced him to fight at a pace Ali wasn't accustomed to. Frazier also forced Ali to punch with authority just to try and keep him off. This resulted in Ali throwing bombs at Joe. Although Ali really rocked Joe in those first three or four rounds, he wasn't able to get him out. From rounds 6 through 15, Ali did all he could to try and impede Frazier's aggression, but Frazier was not to be denied. On this night, Ali never hit harder or demonstrated a better chin. I don't care what fight of Ali's career you think of, he was never better than he was against Joe Frazier in their first fight. He never hit harder or took it better, it's just that on March 8th 1971 Joe Frazier fought possibly the greatest fight of any heavyweight in boxing history.

I would go for Liston I and Foreman too because those were fights he has no chance of winning against two "invincible" opponents.

Not only did Frazier not fight a prime Ali,he didn't even fight the best version of the comeack Ali.

He fought an Ali that had fought just twice in four years.That's why I give Ken Norton more credit for beating Ali,as Ali had no excuses for losing to Norton and was at his comeback peak at that point.

was Fight of the Century - Frazier (1) the greatest performance of Muhammad Ali`s career.. yes he lost but he never fought like that before or after that fight..

Ali had some masterful performances after the first Frazier. He won 13 out of 15 rounds against Mac Foster, making a good fighter look like a ranked amateur. The heart and determination he showed against Frazier in the 3rd fight was ridiculous. His strategy against Foreman showed how mentally tough he was. He easily handled Quarry in their rematch and brutalized Bob Foster.

was Fight of the Century - Frazier (1) the greatest performance of Muhammad Ali`s career.. yes he lost but he never fought like that before or after that fight..

Pre-1970, Ali also had masterful performances against Liston, Terrell, Williams Folley, the second fight with Cooper and London.

I'd say that for sheer boxing skill Ali's performance against Williams takes some beating. He was also great against Zora Folley and Earnie Terrell, much better than against Frazier 1.

I'd argue that Ali's combination work was much better in the Thriller in Manilla, in fact he gave his soul in that fight, more than in Frazier 1. I'd also argue that his speed and mobility were far superior in the second Frazier fight or the second Norton fight.

Also, and sorry if this upsets you Sonnyboy....the Ali that faced Quarry in 1972 (their second meeting) was far superior to the 1971 Ali too. So fast, so accurate!! Made Quarry look terribly amateurish that night.

I think he showed different qualities for which he is famed in different bookmark fights of his really

Liston 1. Fantastic footwork, speed and reflexes
Williams. Punching accuracy and power
Frazier 1. That great chin. How he got up from that knockdown was incredible.
Foreman. Ringcraft and generalship
Frazier 3. Heart

I don't think he ever showed all his qualities in any fight, not suprising really as if his speed footwork and punching was working then he didn't need to show his heart and chin.
For me as cruel a performance as it was I think his peak was probably the Terrell fight.

Liston 1 or Cleaveland Williams for pure skill and talent, the Foreman fight for tactical brilliance

Liston 1 or Cleaveland Williams for pure skill and talent, the Foreman fight for tactical brilliance

The Williams fight was a great exhibition of skill but I always thought Cleveland was just a shell of himself in this fight. Ali probably beats any version of Williams, but this one just looked out of place and shell shocked.

was Fight of the Century - Frazier (1) the greatest performance of Muhammad Ali`s career.. yes he lost but he never fought like that before or after that fight..


You're kidding right? YES it was a great performance by Ali that night BUT to say it was his greatest and to say he never fought like that before and after??? That is ridiculous.

Have you even seen Ali's career? Ali showed heart, will and determination in this fight but the reason he lost was his ring rust and diminished speed and skills he showed in the 60s. Ali tired after 6 rounds and Frazier began to land on him while he layed on the ropes. How would that point out that he never performed like that before or after? It certainly showed a side of Ali he had not showed before in terms of taking punishment, giving back and going the distance while showing his heart of a warrior.

His greatest performance has to be between three fights, Liston I, Williams or Foreman. You can throw Thrilla in Manila in there too.

I'm going to pick out two fights which though he was far from his best really showed his incredible heart. 1 Norton when he got his jaw broken early on yet fought on to the very end INCREDIBLE
2. A fight that is hardly ever mentioned but was perhaps one of his last great performances - Shavers. He got rocked real bad right at the start but pulled it out through pretty much sheer guts and determination.(I'm only mentiniong this cause it always get overlooked)

Don't go giving out to me about not picking fights when he was in his prime etc etc. I'm just going for two that were great performances for reasons not of blinding skill and speed (like williams or whatever) but simply sheer will guts and determination. Just shows that not only can you argue that he may have had some of the greatest skills ever he had one of the greatest hearts too.

According to Tyson, the Cleveland Williams fight was him at his best. I saw a few clips from it and I tend to agree. I'd say the Liston fights, too.The Fight of the Century was Frazier's best performance.

According to Tyson, the Cleveland Williams fight was him at his best. I saw a few clips from it and I tend to agree. I'd say the Liston fights, too.The Fight of the Century was Frazier's best performance.


Agreed.

Even though Williams was far from his best, Ali demonstrated his best ever display of speed, accuracy, timing, elusiveness and speed of footwork that evening. The 1971 Ali could not have produced 3 rounds like that against the very same version of Williams.

The Ali which faced Frazier first time was not nearly as mobile, his reactions were not quite as good either......plus his handspeed was a touch reduced.

I'll always say that Ali's display of heart was greater in the Thrilla in Manilla, his finish was stronger too. I'd also wager that his combination work improved post 1971 as the 70s went on, peaking in 1974/75.