Muhammad Ali vs Holyfield...who wins?

[Black Jesus]

Cassius Clay MAY BE outboxes Holyfield, though I'd still pick Holy by decision....
The post 1970 Muhammad Ali would get mangled by Holyfield.

You know, ive never been a huge Clay fan, but I always just put him on a boxing pedestal because that's what weve always been told to do.

Well, since the quarantine, I've made it a point to watch as many clay fights as possible, because I do criticize him a lot.

Well, I can say he was far less impressive after 1970. Perhaps his greatest attribute was his ability to take a punch....., but this notion that he is some masterful boxer just steamrolling guys, I honestly didn't see it. Not even in the Liston fights from the 60s.

His masterful boxing was basically just a series of jabs followed by a right hand, with an occasional right left right flurry....
I will say, that he did have impressive reach and good speed, and I believe these two qualities give him his fearsome reputation, more so than anything else.

Against a mobile guy like Holyfield, who could still stand his ground and ****, I would see Clay as the underdog. I don't see Holy stopping him, but I do say him beating Clay up over 15 rounds.

[BadMedicin3]

Ali will demand testing so Evan got no chance

[bojangles1987]

I think prime Ali disposes of Holyfield shockingly easily. The Frazier comparison is off, he and Holyfield don't fight similarly at all.

[Hooded Terror]

Holyfield struggled vs 40 something Holmes but would beat Ali in his prime?Holyfield still in his prime struggled with a welfare version of Frazier who was trained by Joe and almost got knocked out.Doesnt make a lot of sense.Bert cooper was no Frazier.

Lets not over simplify what really went on. Behind the scenes. Holyfield changed up training three times going into that match. He was arguably a little over trained and absolutely reckless in the contest, fighting nowhere near to the level we saw in 1996-7.

Further to that, Coop blew hot and cold as a heavyweight. On the night he almost beat Holyfield he was hot.

Ali would indeed win a decision over Holyfield, I feel, if they fought. However Ali did at-time have to work hard with boxers who used a busy jab and who had good fundamentals and footwork.

[Earl-Hickey]

Idiots romanticising Ali as usual, this is a VERY hard fight to pick, far inferior fighters to Holyfield have even prime Ali problems.

But ITT we have people who have only ever seen 3 Ali fights and some YouTube highlights saying he wipes the floor with Holyfield.

Nah, I do lean to Ali in a 7-5 type fight but Evander on his night could get the W