Muhammad Ali vs Michael Dokes Video

[hhascup]

I remember seeing that on TV years ago. AND some people say Ali's defense wasn't that good.

[K-DOGG]

lol!!! I got to admit that bit in the corner impressed the hell outt me, too.

Damn, I love Ali!



Sorry....a bit of nostalgia just came over me....felt like a kid again.

[SABBATH]

I remember seeing that on TV years ago. AND some people say Ali's defense wasn't that good.

Henry, I read your thread where you told Monte Cox about Nat Fleischer rating Ali as the #2 defensive heavyweight of all-time and I'm glad you did.

I've exchanged e-mails in the past with Monte and while I respect him as a historian I've still questioned a few of his writings.

Monte did an all-time heavyweight ranking of essential categories and gave Ali a 7/10 in defence which was the same rating he afforded among other Jim Jeffries, Rocky Marciano, and Joe Frazier, and less than Jim Corbett's 9/10 and Max Scheling's 8/10.

I think you would be hard pressed to find too many objective historians that would rate Jeffries as hard to hit clean as was Ali in his prime, which is why I'm at the point now of questioning alot of 'historians' opinions and choosing instead to rely on my own observations.

It's not about 'conventional' defence, it's about the art of not getting hit hard and/or often, and Ali wasn't hit much at all in his prime.

There is a sequence in the FOTC in one of the later rounds where Ali was backed into a corner by Frazier and Ali dropped his hands to his side and invited Frazier to try and hit him. With Frazier less than a foot away he tries several clean head shots and Ali makes him miss by turning his head or rolling and blocking with his shoulder. The sequence can be seen very noticeably in the documentary The Fighters.

Ali had an uncanny radar system that allowed him to accurately gauge space, time and distance. I've yet to see another heavyweight with that comparable attribute.

[SABBATH]

I just realized this video must be from 1977 as it wasn't until that year that Dokes had his 5th fight, and the announcer made reference to the cancelled US Boxing Championship.

This might be the start of Ali's training for the Evangelista fight.

[Dynamite76]

At least it proves that Dokes was not the 6'3" that he is always listed as.

[The Surgeon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP7CmTg_alI

Never seen this before although I knew of it's existence...

That was great Sabboth cheers for posting it!

[Kid Achilles]

That little dance Ali does in the corner after slipping just about everything the quick handed Dokes threw at him was priceless.

[butterfly1964]

That little dance Ali does in the corner after slipping just about everything the quick handed Dokes threw at him was priceless.

I think Larry Holmes did the same thing in the Ali fight. I don't remember what round, though.

[Verstyle]

I think Larry Holmes did the same thing in the Ali fight. I don't remember what round, though.

it was an 81'(i think) ali. not the same kind of punches like dokes. well i hope not

[butterfly1964]

it was an 81'(i think) ali. not the same kind of punches like dokes. well i hope not

Holes fought Ali in '80, though. And I'm talking about the dance Ali did. Holmes did the same dance in the Ali fight.