Was Muhammad Ali a bum?

[Dan...]

Muhammed Ali is the most overrated fighter of all time.

He fought washed-up opponents in the 1960s like 46 year old Archie Moore and Patterson and Liston.

He was defeated in his prime (age 29 and 31) by the first good, prime age opponents he ever faced, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton.

It is posts like this that make Tunney the biggest joke on this forum. The only ppl that actually pay any real attention to his posts are his fellow hateful racists.

The man literally knows pretty much nothing about the sport.

[landmine950]

What you say is all true...
But don't you wish we had a guy like him around NOW to bring boxing back??
Maybe Valuev with an attitude and an interpeter?
( oh ya...and some skills)

[crillz]

In 1960, Cassius Marcellus Clay would end his amateur career on a high note, winning light heavyweight gold at the 1960 Olympic games in Rome.

After running his pro record to 19-0, Clay faced 7-1 favorite Sonny Liston for the title. Most figured Clay stood very little chance of lasting past the first round; Liston was forced to retire on his stool after the 7th.

Ali, the name he adopted after converting to Islam the day after winning the title, would make 9 successful title defenses, upending the likes of Floyd Patterson and Henry Cooper, cleaning out the division.

After beating Zora Folley, Ali would begin a 3 year exile from the sport due to legal difficulties. He would return with stoppages of Ringo Bonavena and Jerry Quarrey, though his timing and foot speed seem to have suffered as a result of inactivity.

He would lose to Joe Frazier in "The Fight of the Century" in a bid to regain unanimous recognition as the heavyweight champion. Ali would run up a long winning streak, beating most of the top contenders for the title, including fellow Dundee disciple Jimmy Ellis.

He would drop an upset decision to Ken Norton, suffering a broken jaw in the process. Stung by the defeat and written off as a finished force, Ali would storm back with defeats of both Norton and Frazier.

Then came "The Rumble in the Jungle", with undefeated wrecking ball George Foreman. Foreman had just knocked out both Norton and Frazier in under 4 rounds cumulative. Ali used his famous rope-a-dope act to wear out the huge punching Foreman and then came on to knock out Foreman in the 8th.

Ten years after first winning the heavyweight crown, Ali knocked out the recognized best heavyweight in the world. He didn't just pick up some alphabet organized vacant belt or settle for a lesser titlist, he beat the only man you could beat to be seen as the heavyweight champion. Not many could do the same today.

Ali would go on to participate in the fight many consider to be the best heavyweight fight of all time, the third contest with Smokin' Joe Frazier. Ali would stop Frazier after the 14th in Quezon City, Philippines and gain recognition as being the man who bested his opponent in the sport's hottest rivalry of all-time.

Well past his best, Ali would lose to and avenge his defeat against Leon Spinks, becoming the first three-time heavyweight champion in the history of boxing.

Ali would compete in 5 fight of the years, winning three of them and dropping two of them.

Ali would retire after 2 ill-conceived comeback attempts against Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick with a record of 56-5 (37 KO). Most boxing pundits rank him as either the best or the second best heavyweight champion of all-time, alongside Joe Louis.

Now, my question is, given that some have denigrated Ali as "a bum" on these forums, was Muhammad Ali a bum or not?

For the record, I voted that he was not a bum.

nah homie Ali ain't no bum.. I know that you DON'T think he's a bum but for those that do?? well they don't deserve to even be acknowledged.. 1

[Wiley Hyena]

Ali was no bum. He was one of the best ATGs boxing has ever seen. This thread is almost too silly to respond to.

[KostyaTszyu44]

I was retaliating for the red karma and message you sent. You posted "Vitali is a bum", remember?

I voted option #3: Ali was not a bum, but is overrated by some. He's definitely not the best heavyweight of all time.

then who the hell is?????

[KostyaTszyu44]

Muhammed Ali is the most overrated fighter of all time.

He fought washed-up opponents in the 1960s like 46 year old Archie Moore and Patterson and Liston.

He was defeated in his prime (age 29 and 31) by the first good, prime age opponents he ever faced, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton.

oh shut the **** up

[FloydsEra]

he was a piece of garbage




but as a boxer he was not a bum

[TheGreatA]

Muhammed Ali is the most overrated fighter of all time.

He fought washed-up opponents in the 1960s like 46 year old Archie Moore and Patterson and Liston.

He was defeated in his prime (age 29 and 31) by the first good, prime age opponents he ever faced, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton.

Patterson and Liston were hardly washed up by the time Ali fought them.

Liston was washed up when he was KO'd by Leotis Martin 5 years later, Patterson was washed up when he fought Ali in a rematch 6 years later.

Those two were still competitive for years afterwards, Liston was avoided by the top heavyweights, Patterson was competitive with Quarry, Ellis, Bonavena and Chuvalo, arguably beating all of them.

[TheGreatA]

Somehow I knew you'd need to answer that...

What time is it in Finland?

9:27 in the morning.

[Underdog82]

Ali was no bum, but if he was not such a figure in the political movement back then and if he didn't have such a big mouth, he would have no where near the status he has now as a boxer.

Most of Ali's fights were pretty damn dull actually.