Would you consider alis style of fightingas Running.

[////]

Lots of showboating and time wasting against mediocre opponents but I wouldn't call him a runner. To his credit he did give back what he got.

[TBear]

Lots of showboating and time wasting against mediocre opponents but I wouldn't call him a runner. To his credit he did give back what he got.

Oh my......

[Elroy1]

Early Ali was a runner plain and simple.

Later Ali was a hugger.

Anybody who would argue otherwise falls squarely into the realm of that most undesirable category of fan/poster...

The Old Time Nut Bag!

[Elroy1]

Ali's opponents, especially his 60's one were demonstratably some of the most weakest opposition of any champion boxer all time, as evidenced by their perofrmances on video and as evidenced by the proper analysis of their stats and that of their own opponents.

Surely that can't be denied!

As for Ali winning against them with his appalling tactics.. I would sum it up like this...

It's easy to soar like an Eagle when your flying with turkeys!

[soul_survivor]

Having debate on face book and I categorized him as a footwork stlye of running,wasnt he?Did he not run around the ring and counter punch practically every fight.

The term running is overused these days but probably because since Ali retired, so many guys tried emulating with the boxing and moving style of boxing but none have been as effective and nowadays guys like Andre Dirrell just look weak doing it. Ali was constantly on the move, in his prime anyway but he wasn't a "runner", he was consistently throwing an effective jab and feinting, looking for countering opportunities, mixing it up when he could and then popping out of range again.

Guys these days run, throw 2 punches and think that's effective boxing. Watch Alis fights from the 60s, he can throw a 4-5 combination with jabs, right hands, hooks and upper cuts in the blink of an eye. Who can do that now? Guys nowadays dunno how to win effective rounds being combination counter punchers.

So no, he wasn't a runner.

[Sindawg364]

No he's not a runner. It's called the "sweet science ". His movement was used to set his opponents up, while controlling distance and making them restart their offense. Punchers wants to be flat footed when they initiate their offense. His movement and distance controlled was science. Throw the jab while moving, have his oppoents walk into combinations.

The G.O.A.T. was a great boxer, and understood the science.

[Elroy1]

Muhammad can rightly be credited with being fleet footed and controlling distance.

Problem is most all boxers after Ali were exactly that and Muhammad at that time had the most distance to control, these days he'd be totally outranged and outclassed.

When you compare him to his natural weight class, the Cruisers, the cruisers are so fit and so fast these days they blow Ali out of the water in every respect.

The ONLY reson we compare Ali to any modern HW is because of the confusion generated by the NAME HW.

That is a fact!

The man could barely even box for Christ sake! He was a scrapper mainly before it became a real professional sport, like all sports did around that magical time of the 80's.

[billeau2]

Muhammad can rightly be credited with being fleet footed and controlling distance.

Problem is most all boxers after Ali were exactly that and Muhammad at that time had the most distance to control, these days he'd be totally outranged and outclassed.

When you compare him to his natural weight class, the Cruisers, the cruisers are so fit and so fast these days they blow Ali out of the water in every respect.

The ONLY reson we compare Ali to any modern HW is because of the confusion generated by the NAME HW.

That is a fact!

The man could barely even box for Christ sake! He was a scrapper mainly before it became a real professional sport, like all sports did around that magical time of the 80's.

junior....you never dissapoint. You are hillarious! Tell us how Chris ariolla would beat Frazier again..... Tell us how Johnny Ruiz would make Jack Johnson look like a small feeble starved ethiopian child in the ring....tell us more junior!!! Your a laugh and a half guaranteed

[Dr Rumack]

He was an outside-fighter, which is one style of fighting.

I can't stand these newbie idiots who think it's the only way to box. They're as bad as the people who think it's cowardly.

Not everyone can be an outside-fighter, because it takes natural athletic gifts like abnormal handspeed and stamina to be able to fight that way.

One of the reasons pocket fighters are generally regarded as greater is that it takes more skill to stand in the pocket with a man and outbox him than it does to beat him with your athleticism.

Which isn't to say that outside-fighters are necessarily less skillful, but it's a mistake to assume that people who fight on the backfoot automatically are more skillful than front-foot fighters.

For example, Amir Khan is a highly effective outside fighter who beats people with speed and athleticism, but actually isn't very technically impressive at the world level at all.

There are all types of great fighters, and a fighter can be an ATG as an outside-fighter like Ali or a pocket fighter like Duran.

But an important point that needs to be made these days, is that those of you who dismiss pocket fighters as unskilled brawlers are as bad, if not worse, than the idiots who call all outside-fighters runners.

[emre belozoglu]

He was an outside-fighter, which is one style of fighting.

I can't stand these newbie idiots who think it's the only way to box. They're as bad as the people who think it's cowardly.

Not everyone can be an outside-fighter, because it takes natural athletic gifts like abnormal handspeed and stamina to be able to fight that way.

One of the reasons pocket fighters are generally regarded as greater is that it takes more skill to stand in the pocket with a man and outbox him than it does to beat him with your athleticism.

Which isn't to say that outside-fighters are necessarily less skillful, but it's a mistake to assume that people who fight on the backfoot automatically are more skillful than front-foot fighters.

For example, Amir Khan is a highly effective outside fighter who beats people with speed and athleticism, but actually isn't very technically impressive at the world level at all.

There are all types of great fighters, and a fighter can be an ATG as an outside-fighter like Ali or a pocket fighter like Duran.

But an important point that needs to be made these days, is that those of you who dismiss pocket fighters as unskilled brawlers are as bad, if not worse, than the idiots who call all outside-fighters runners.

Great post, the commmon opinion is if someone is running they are skillfull and cowardly and any power puncher is just an unskilled brawler but everyone has time for them because there tough.
People love to lump in Mayweather with the likes of Dirrell and Lara when he stands his ground in many fights.