Ali Was A Great Fighter, But Way Overrated In Terms Of Boxing Ability'' Larry Holmes

[Southpaw Great]

Holmes said this on a thrilla in manilla doc, i watched.

Thoughts?

[bojangles1987]

As far as the fundamentals, Ali was certainly no textbook example. He didn't work the body, and basically relied solely on his athleticism. When he came back from the 3 year layoff, he relied a lot on his toughness and handspeed.

Doesn't matter, he was so good he didn't have to fight with a fundamentally solid style.

[Vadrigar.]

ALi's style was somewhat tailored towards his athleticism, similar to Roy Jones. Look at this picture and notice how he avoids punches:



I don't think I've seen anyone do this, it's extremely unique. Ali's boxing ability is unquestionable. He had amazing timing, reflexes, rhythm, footwork, punching technique, adaptability, etc.. These traits are boxing ability, so Holmes is wrong.

[Heru]

Ability encompasses both skill and talent, so Holmes is completely wrong.

I'll give Larry the benefit of the doubt that he meant strictly skill though.

In that case, he's still wrong. Ali had a great sense for the the #1 skill in boxing: timing. You add some of the best footwork ever for a heavyweight, a great jab, an excellent ability to roll with punches, and other abilities.

It might have been slightly unorthodox skill, but skill nonetheless.

[Sam Donald]

Holmes said this on a thrilla in manilla doc, i watched.

Thoughts?

you didnt watch this on 138 last night, did you? lol

[SplitSecond]

his style was somethin special in the heavy division, where the guys were slow or could'nt cut off the ring, not to mention most would block with their faces back then

p4p ali is getting sodomized by alot of the ATG's, and not even

[prinzemanspopa]

Ali simply didn't have the level of talent and great competition that old Lar had during his heyday to demonstrate the type of 'slick' African American type skills that Larry Holmes demonstrated so often against such elite competition.



No Greg Page,Michael Dokes,Gerrie Coetzee,Pinklon Thomas for Ali to duck either.

[cameronpaul]

iv said it for a while. its not that his not good, i mean his probably top 10 all time heavy weight. but its just that his considered the greatest by pretty much anyone who doesnt know too much about boxing. alis biggest strength was his toughness. theres loads of fighters who bring more to the table, roy jones/toney are slicker and have quicker hands, larry homes has arguably better footwork and jab. tua/tyson are fast and powerfull and would stand a chance of taking ali out in the first few rounds. george foreman destroyed alot of guys ali struggled to beat.

[Stone Roses!]

Just thought I'd give my 2 cents in this thread.

As QUELOQUE was alluding to earlier, boxing ability entails a number of different factors so bitter old Larry Holmes is wrong in this regard.

Larry is referring to Ali's technical ability and in this regard he is also incorrect. Ali is not rated highly by boxing historians as it concerns his technical skills. Infact many boxing observers have criticised Ali's inability to slip punches, punch to the body etc.

If Ali ever had a flaw in his game it was certainly his technical skill and this is just about the only con as apposed to the numerous pros in his arsenal.

His sheer willpower and toughness are severely underrated. He possessed unparalled physical prowess; Fastest heavyweight of all time, terrific footwork, lightning handspeed, piston like jab, judged distance like no other, tremendous ring IQ and defence, not to mention an iron chin.

Ali's Boxing Ability >>>>>>>> Larry Holmes.

Not to mention Ali's ability was tested against a much higher level of competetition than good ol' Larry Holmes.

LMAO at Prinze's post. Good one.

iv said it for a while. its not that his not good, i mean his probably top 10 all time heavy weight. but its just that his considered the greatest by pretty much anyone who doesnt know too much about boxing. alis biggest strength was his toughness. theres loads of fighters who bring more to the table, roy jones/toney are slicker and have quicker hands, larry homes has arguably better footwork and jab. tua/tyson are fast and powerfull and would stand a chance of taking ali out in the first few rounds. george foreman destroyed alot of guys ali struggled to beat.

A ******ed post if I ever read one. ^^^^

[BennyST]

his style was somethin special in the heavy division, where the guys were slow or could'nt cut off the ring, not to mention most would block with their faces back then

p4p ali is getting sodomized by alot of the ATG's, and not even

Huh? They were slow then? Really? News to me. I seem to remember Floyd Patterson, arguably the fastest HW after Ali etc was before Ali's time. Nor would I call Holmes, Norton, Quarry, Moore, Charles, ..... slow.

If I look in comparison to todays HW's, they seem ridiculously fast in fact.

Blocked punches with their faces? Geez, if guys back then blocked punches with their face, what do the champs of today do?

Ahh forget it....trolling. What's the point?