Ali speaking about fighting Marciano - ''Marciano would be the most trouble''

[Bhopreign]

3:00

Arm punch and he was backing up.

[TheGreatA]

Ali has had trouble with worse and smaller fighters than Marciano.

[TheGreatA]

Arm punch and he was backing up.

That's how Moore knocked out most of his opponents. His counter right hand may have been the best there ever was.

Besides it's not like Marciano was close to being knocked out, he got up instantly and continued to pressure Moore.

[Grand Champ]

Still.. It's hard to imagine Ali.. The man who beat big guys like Foreman, Frazier and Norton lose to Marciano.. Guess Size isn't everything

[Benny Leonard]

Ali would have a height and quite a reach advantage, 82" to 67". That's 15 inches! Black fighters usually have proportionately longer arms for their height than white fighters.

But despite his size, Marciano had a better chin and was a tougher, stronger man and a harder puncher.

Marciano didn't have a better chin nor was he stronger. Harder puncher, yeah.
You also have to remember that the "top" fighters Marciano faced were smaller fighters who had all been knocked out before, many times over...as well as being past prime.

By the time Ali had matured into his body, he was quite strong and had a great chin.

Marciano could barely push around a Shot Joe louis and many others. Ali on the other hand, could clinch up bigger fighters and tell them how much of a ***** they were.

[Benny Leonard]

Wow. A BETTER chin than Marciano, who mind you, gets hit allot more than Ali did and was only knocked down or hurt once in 49 fights?

That's a big statement. If I recall Ali was knocked down by Chuck Wepner, among others, who was the inspiration for the "Rocky" films. That should say it all.

There are no real life Rocky's. Ask James Braddock or Oleg Maskaev.

Ali was great, but you should not downplay an undefeated champion who was known for having a style that has proven to have beaten Ali's. (Much like Frazier, but could rip the right hand too)

Frazier beat Ali after his exile. Ali after his exile wasn't the same fighter which is why he gets a lot of credit for beating who he did. He also beat Frazier 2 out of 3 times. He made the mistake of fighting Frazier to soon.

Compare:




vs

[CaRnAgEViOLaToR]

i for one dont think ali wouldve easily beaten marciano...marciano was tough as nails with alot of heart and strenght but ali wouldve handled him with superior height, speed, boxing ability and was a very very tough guy himself who took everything joe frazier had to offer.

[ILLuminato]

Marciano would've whooped Frazier, Marciano could certainly have beaten Ali

[Chase8400]

Frazier beat Ali after his exile. Ali after his exile wasn't the same fighter which is why he gets a lot of credit for beating who he did. He also beat Frazier 2 out of 3 times. He made the mistake of fighting Frazier to soon.

Ali was 29 years old and had just came off of two very good tuneup fights. There was no excuse that can be made to dismiss that loss. Frazier will forever hold a win over Ali in his prime. Yes, Ali was out of boxing for 3 years, etc etc, but he accomplished allot after his return that indicated him not to have slipped while in hiatus.

However, I realize that this all comes down to opinion, but to say that @ 29 he was declined is foolish to me.

[Benny Leonard]

Ali was 29 years old and had just came off of two very good tuneup fights. There was no excuse that can be made to dismiss that loss. Frazier will forever hold a win over Ali in his prime. Yes, Ali was out of boxing for 3 years, etc etc, but he accomplished allot after his return that indicated him not to have slipped while in hiatus.

However, I realize that this all comes down to opinion, but to say that @ 29 he was declined is foolish to me.

Ali was not in his Prime.


This is where you get confused with age and linking everybody together. Inactivity will destroy your body no matter what age you are. Ali's gift was athleticism and you need to stay active or you will rust away. Put a Ferrari out in stormy weather for 3 years without care, and let's see what happens.

It's one thing if you keep going to the gym everyday while you are not competing, but even then, you have to take it slow on your return and there is no telling if you will be the same.
This is the ELITE level. If you can't see a decline than that is sad. Even D'Amato didn't think Ali could make a successful comeback after Ali's layoff. This isn't Golf, this is BOXING.


Ali had only been back for 5 months when he faced Frazier. Frazier was a beast at that point. Ali had rusted away for 3+ years. There is no discussion: Ali was not the same fighter as before. This has been talked about by Ali as well as great trainers, fighters, and writers about the difference.
We also have tape to provide our own conclusion.

If Ali had any chance to beat that version of Frazier it would have been to take it slow and continued on with tune-up fights for at least a full year.



I posted the two videos. If you can't see the difference than there is no helping you.

One of the main reasons Ali gets hyped up so much is because he was counted out so much. He wasn't supposed to what he did after he came back from exile. But he was so gifted, both Mentally and Physically as a boxer, that he still was able to pull off some great wins. But Prime Ali doesn't fight like that nor does he have the same amount of trouble in his prime compared to his comeback.

What is sad is that he should have been in his prime at that point when he met Frazier, but the 3+ year layoff, took it away forever.


I'm not even a big Ali fan and Frazier is one of my favorite fighters, represents my city actually, but even I can see it and will leave out bias.