ali was a great fighter but as fast as he was

[rabn21]

His all around punch resistance was one of the best I've ever seen.

this surprised me as well when I read a book about him and watched some of his fights. i knew he could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee etc etc but what i didnt realise was just how tough he was and how well he took punches when he needed too. couldn't believe what i was seeing when he went into rope-a-dope mode!

obviously this cost him health wise later on though.

[Silencers]

this surprised me as well when I read a book about him and watched some of his fights. i knew he could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee etc etc but what i didnt realise was just how tough he was and how well he took punches when he needed too. couldn't believe what i was seeing when he went into rope-a-dope mode!

obviously this cost him health wise later on though.

Yeah, he was a very tough guy in the ring, he could take a lot of punishment and come back with his own shots.

[Dynamite Kid]

he took alot of punishment i dont get it he was quick as hell but wasnt a hard target to hit..but all in all in my opinion still if not the greatest atleast top 3 heavyweight atg

Muhammad Ali is like Hamed in the sense that he relied only on his footwork as his defence to avoid punches if he kept his hands up he would probably not have had his jaw broke by Norton,flawed by Frazier,Cooper and had so much trouble with Frazier period

if you watch how Ali use to deal with Frazier he would try and flurry with uppercuts as Frazier was coming in but he would have no guard what so ever whilst doing this and then Frazier would just come over the top with his left hook and crack him on the jaw

[Silencers]

Muhammad Ali is like Hamed in the sense that he relied only on his footwork as his defence to avoid punches if he kept his hands up he would probably not have had his jaw broke by Norton,flawed by Frazier,Cooper and had so much trouble with Frazier period

if you watch how Ali use to deal with Frazier he would try and flurry with uppercuts as Frazier was coming in but he would have no guard what so ever whilst doing this and then Frazier would just come over the top with his left hook and crack him on the jaw

More like Roy Jones IMO, creating angles with his feet, in and out, he obviously employed more movement but Roy Jones reminded me a little bit of Ali with his footwork when he was younger. He kept his hands higher by the time of the first Norton fight, I think Norton actually caught him through his guard while Ali was talking, breaking his jaw in the process.

It was actually not in their original gameplan to throw uppercuts against Frazier, Dundee didn't want him throwing uppercuts or left hooks against Frazier but Ali went out there and did it anyway, he paid the price for it, especially in the first fight.

[Dynamite Kid]

More like Roy Jones IMO, creating angles with his feet, in and out, he obviously employed more movement but Roy Jones reminded me a little bit of Ali with his footwork when he was younger. He kept his hands higher by the time of the first Norton fight, I think Norton actually caught him through his guard while Ali was talking, breaking his jaw in the process.

It was actually not in their original gameplan to throw uppercuts against Frazier, Dundee didn't want him throwing uppercuts or left hooks against Frazier but Ali went out there and did it anyway, he paid the price for it, especially in the first fight.

i take your point but i think Jones was more like SRL in his foot movement ,Leonard,Jones,Ali not much difference though really so yeah

yeah i think Ali adapted to Frazier's style a little bit after the first fight he would tie Frazier up a lot more on the inside etc

[Silencers]

i take your point but i think Jones was more like SRL in his foot movement ,Leonard,Jones,Ali not much difference though really so yeah

yeah i think Ali adapted to Frazier's style a little bit after the first fight he would tie Frazier up a lot more on the inside etc

He really didn't learn how to clinch effectively until after the first Frazier fight.

[Macho Madness]

yeh he was tough,almost 2 tuff and he payin for it now

alot of other blokes that took the punishment he did would of died in tha ring

[LEFTYGUNZZ]

physical attributes

handspeed - one of the fastest ever at heavy
footwork - best ever at heavy
speed - best ever at heavy
defense - was good
chin - one of the best ever
toughness - one of the toughest ever
heart - one of the biggest heart ever
punching power - was okay
punch accuracy - very good
killer instinct - not that good

one can argue that ali was the best ever in 5-6 categories.

I agree with most of this statement above. I highlighted two of those statements you made sir. I think Ali's defense was great. Pre exile he used his foot speed and movement to make you miss him. he would sometimes pick off punches with his gloves and counter. Most if not all of his sucess was due to him being first. Now this is something you hear in the corner all the time they often yell it "GET YOUR PUNCHES OFF BE FIRST" well Ali did just that. it is like dancing boxing someone leads and the other person follows or counters. Ali lead his dance partner very gracefully around the ring and punched the living crap out of him while doing it.

The second high lighted statement was KILLER INSTINCT. I think Ali had a temendous killer instinct. If he got a fighter in trouble he would close the show. Often with a barrage of punches in a helacious flurry Ali style. He would have you chase after him for 6-8 rounds and let you throw whaling wide punches and tire your self out to the point of exhaustion. Then when you were at your weakest moment move in for the kill and let his still fresh hands bounce off you face until your body just gave out. I agree Ali didn't knock guys out cold but he broke them down physically and mentally to the point where they had nothing left in the tank and crumbled.

His punching power was very underrated gentlemen. Just because he didn't load up on his punches didn't mean that when he did he could't hurt you. Often when a fighter gets hurt it is by a punch he does't see coming. Speed combined with power is a very dangerous thing. I agree Foreman probably hit harder then Mike Tyson but Tyosn wa s much faster and his opponents often never saw the punch coming. Ali wasn't as powerful as Iron Mike but he was 6'3 220 with a ridiculous 82 reach and hands so fast you would sometimes swear there were two men hitting you in the ring. Later in his career when his foot speed diminshed he sat down more flat footed on his punches and landed some hard shotrs.