Ali IS tha man...

[butterfly1964]

I am probably Ali's biggest (realistic) fan.

how dare you say that in my presence ahahahaha.

[Brassangel]

Popping back up after three seconds was a mind game. Ali had a great chin, so he had some room to play with. What would demoralize a fighter, more than anything, after they felt as though they just brought the house down by smashing you? Watching you get right back up.

Ali would pop back up immediately when he got knocked down to make his opponents feel like they couldn't possibly throw anything else at him. They had given him everything and he still looks fresh. That's humiliating. Ali did get hurt in these situations, however, and you could see it when he'd immediately hang on to the ropes while standing up. He also said he often had to stop seeing double after something like that, and you can watch his eyes stare at nothing in an attempt to refocus. Plus, he gets a 9 second breather. Even so, this was a brilliant tactic to ruin the morale of his opponents.

[butterfly1964]

Popping back up after three seconds was a mind game. Ali had a great chin, so he had some room to play with. What would demoralize a fighter, more than anything, after they felt as though they just brought the house down by smashing you? Watching you get right back up.

Ali would pop back up immediately when he got knocked down to make his opponents feel like they couldn't possibly throw anything else at him. They had given him everything and he still looks fresh. That's humiliating. Ali did get hurt in these situations, however, and you could see it when he'd immediately hang on to the ropes while standing up. He also said he often had to stop seeing double after something like that, and you can watch his eyes stare at nothing in an attempt to refocus. Plus, he gets a 9 second breather. Even so, this was a brilliant tactic to ruin the morale of his opponents.

but the fact that he got up at three to begin with says something about his chin.

[hellfire508]

I agree it is partly a mind game. Ali was the master of mind games. Most fighters stay down to recuperate, but Ali jumps up and is ready to rumble. Regardless of whether it is a mind game though - it takes heart to do it.

Ali, Holyfield, Marciano and Frazier have the biggest hearts at heavyweight IMO. (in no order).

[QueensburyRules]

I think Ali was a great fighter, but the only fighter that was any good that he beat was Foreman. And he just outsmarted him, but beat him fair and square, Frazier was small, slow and had one punch, Norton beat Ali in every one of his three fights, get the trilogy and watch it, Sonny Liston was a convict that never had one boxing lesson in his life, a media hype!

- -Well, Sonny learned to box in that prison program and had a trainer as a pro, so there's that.