If Henry Cooper could put Clay down, then the bigger, faster, harder-punching, more mobile Hide would keep him there
:giggle: Surprising that The bigger, Stronger, more powerful and better Sonny Liston couldn't do that in the very next fight. Anyway..Hide was useless. Clay wins with ease.
If Hide had a chin like Ali he'd have been a potential ATG. But he didn't even have a chin like me so he wasn't even B level.
You think "chin" was the only thing he was lacking? His defense was mediocre as well, he was small, his power was sharp but not that heavy and his movement ("dancing") was seriously overrated.
Give Ali a chin like Herbie Hide & the mental weakness/fear that would come with it and he wouldn't be any better. Hide was good enough to outbox Vitali & Bowe until a couple of shots landed and he fell apart like a Mongolian motorbike.
Disagree. A prime Ali was bigger, smarter and far more elusive than Herbie hide...with a better jab and more mobility.
I honestly think the key difference is chin. Hide was just as fast (yup) and Ali wasn't exactly technically proficient either. Hide was less offensive effective against good guys because he was constantly keeching himself about getting hit while Ali fought relaxed enough to take advantage of every opportunity his speed opened for him Ali would still have been better, but with Ali's chin Hide woulda been up there with Lewis, Bowe, Holy, Tyson, Klit etc. IMO. This isn't really a convo that can be resolved, obviously :: I just take that opinion from watching the first round of the Vitali fight and the first couple of the Bowe fight. Hide had speed to burn and was stylistically a similar proposition to Ali as a result. Not as good, but not as far away as we might imagine either.....(chin/relaxation & confidence aside).
Clay's lack of punching power allows Hide to walk through his shots and in effect would get mauled on his way to a decision loss
