If he starts his career in 1996 Just like Wladimir Klitschko would he at this point be undefeated ? I'm not talking fighting Holyfield,Bowe and Lennox in 1996 because in that year he would make his pro debut. So he wouldn't step up his competition until say something like 2000 just like Wlad. So what do you say ?
We don't know. Ask Bert Sugar and he will tell you that Ali would have battered everybody to death in a few rounds. Its hard to shake off the image of a man weighing 208lbs being picked up and draped through the ropes by Henry Cooper surviving the shots some guys are capable of throwing in the current era. We don't know how he would do because there is a lot more to the making of a fighter than the bare contenders around him. For all we know he would be plugging his fat ass into a post-Civil Rights comfort zone and not even bothering to train properly. We don't know how he would have responded to the "modern" lifestyle around him. For all we know he could kick a lot of ass, quickly, get soft, then get beaten and not find the wherewithal to come back. I doubt he would not get beaten.
Aside from imaginary scenarios, if you're talking about the 1967 version of Ali, that version beats every HW in the game today. The only fighter I see troubling him who was still relevant post-2000 is Lennox Lewis.
At his biggest he was 6'3 218. Can a guy that size compete with a lot of the larger guys around now? Sure he beat foreman but he didnt do it by out boxing him, he let him tire out and did the ropadope Would that work against the klitschkos, lewis? All the trouble ali had with frazier, i could see him having more trouble with tyson, or even tua to a lesser extent
You really have to favor him over every active heavy, based solely on the fact that we know he can beat good/great fighters. We don't know that about any active heavy. Would he be undefeated in his 15th year as a pro? I doubt it.
I am normally one that gives the nod to the bigger, evolved heavyweights of today versus their counterparts in past eras. Wlad and Vitali aren't just big, plodding oafs at 240-250 pounds. They are relatively deft and very athletic big men. They are not Primo Carnera. However, when I re-watch fights of the pre-exile Ali the one thing that can be denied are his wheels and how well he moved in and out of range without ever being out of position to punch. His hand speed, reflexes and jab are potent attributes that made him great, but his amazing foot speed was equally important. When it comes to squaring off against the bigger modern heavyweights, I am honestly left thinking that Ali could make them look silly with his movement and sharp punching. While the Klitschko's are far from the clumsy, mechanical type fighters that might have been associated with guys their size from the past, they still don't have the mobility, nimbleness or reflexes to stay on balance against Ali. The other issue is chin. While I am aware of the Cooper shot and the Frazier left hook that dropped/stunned Ali, he still has to be regarded as having one of the top 5 chins in the history of the heavyweight division. Waldimir is a big punching 245 pound fighter but I don't think he has the kind of numbing power that he could count on to stop Ali. The likelihood of him landing something that Foreman, Frazier, Shavers, Liston, or Norton couldn't, is very poor. I am also a firm believer that an Ali born in today's world could end up being a 220-225 pound heavyweight. At 6'3" with an 80 inch reach, he wouldn't be at the same type of size disadvantage that Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano or even Joe Louis would be. In the end, I think Ali could do very well in today's heavyweight boxing picture. I also think the existence of an Ali in today's boxing world would create a place for shorter, more compact fighters that would be better suited to deal with his skill.
If Ali had turned pro in 1996, I should imagine he would have been picking up a Super Bowl ring by 1998 at the latest.
He doesn't have the dimensions of an NFL player aside from the QB position, where his best attributes would be wasted. TE, maybe. I see the NBA as a more likely destination, though. But nevertheless, good point.. an Ali born in 1986 might have never become a fighter.
Ali was landing the cleaner shots when he was on the ropes too. Ali schooled Foreman's dumb ass, who fought like a crude caveman and left himself more open than a 5 dollar hooker.
Cassius Clay would B THE BEST Heavyweight from 1996 to Present, if he Fought in that Timeframe...That's Not to Say that he'd Never EVER Lose a Fight, but his Body of Work would STILL Shit on Anybody Else's.... Honestly, Name ONE Guy that EITHER Klitschko Beat, that Cassius Clay WOULDN'T have Also Beaten???... REED:dancingBaby:
I think if Holmes were put in this same scenario, he would be undefeated. And longer than Ali. But of course, im one of those guys that Holmes beats ali prime for prime.
:: Good one. I bet you get a few going with your impersonation of a reasonable man here, Irish. LOL. Ali is 100-0-0 from 96-present. The biggest obstacles would be the Klitschkos. Yawn.
