Bowe didn't beat many boxer-types and struggled with Tubbs so there's a question mark above him. Ali shone in some of his bouts but also had his lackluster performances against fighters clearly worse than Bowe. I used to pick Ali clearly but now, I don't know. He'd have his hands full with Bowe's strength and smoothness
I think Ali is too fast. Bowe would have some moments I think. But not enough to do the damage he would need to do to win this fight. I think prime Ali stops him late.
Bowe was a very good fighter however is a bit puffed up in my view. Ali might outbox Bowe and win on points or by way of past-due ko. Bowe had almost no protection, however a stable chin. Bowe was very versatile but Lacked ring IQ IMO. I also do not assume, that Bowe could have defeated an early Tyson, not speaking approximately a high Cassius Clay.
I think Bowe had a pretty good ring IQ, actually. He got hit a lot but a lot of it was due to his insistence on brawling. That said, he ain’t out thinking Ali.
Bowe doesn't need to be smarter than Ali because he has Eddie Futch in his corner; the battle of wits would be between Ali and Futch and that is a battle that, historically, favors Futch on the first encounter. Bowe was taller than Ali, I don't know how the reach plays out, and Bowe had a very good jab. I suspect that Futch would tell him, as he told Norton, to jab when Ali jabbed. I'm sure you all remember why- when Ali jabbed, he didn't keep his right hand home, so you catch his jab and hit him with yours. If I were Futch, I would have Bowe stepping with that jab to push Ali back when you hit him with it, get him to the ropes and work his body. Bowe had a good inside uppercut that I think would discourage Ali from grabbing him behind the head. Golota had a lot of success with a very simple trick; he would step with his left foot as he jabbed, then slid his foot back. Bowe's counter jab would come up short and Golota would counter him. I don't know if this would come into play...if you drill Bowe to jab right with Ali, he will catch him coming in. You would have to emphasize during every minute of training that you jab right with him, and that you never jab after him. Honestly I don't think that Ali would make that adjustment until the rematch because he really never made it against Norton, just like he never really figured out how to block a left hook. Everybody has their blindspots. Another key to this fight would be how effective Bowe is when he puts Ali on the ropes. Bowe has good infighting skills but, if he lets himself get pot shotted coming in, then tied up, then lets Ali escape by moving to his left it won't go well for him. I would tell him to come in left shoulder first, his chin behind his shoulder, and with a little slide to his right. That way, your chin is protected from the Ali right hand, the angle of your body makes it harder for him to grab you, and you can get your right uppercut into his body. The slide right will make him have to move to his right to escape, and Bowe had long arms and a wide left hook. The "prime" Ali, in my opinion, would not have been a worthy intellectual opponent for Futch, and I don't think that his "incredible" movement would have impressed Futch very much; he would have seen some much of it a superfluous and amatuerish. I think that if 1965 Ali fought a Riddick Bowe trained by Eddie Futch, his amazing chin, willpower and fortitude would have been tested and called into play well before we saw them.
