If you could simulate a fight between Ali at his best before 67 and Ali at his best after 70 which one would win?
im going for ali
Here are the advantages over the other Ali from another time period:
60's Ali(Clay):
1. More hand and foot Speed
2. More accuracy
3. More flexibility
4. Better footwork
70's Ali:
1. Harder chin
2. More punching power
3. More experience
4. More smartness
5. Better defense skills
When I would have to pick one, I would go with the later, 70's, Ali. He was just smarter and more experienced than Clay and I think he would find a way, to beat his former ego. When he fought George Foreman, who was much younger, everyone thought that Ali would just have been too old to win. But Ali showed us, how smart he was in the ring and found a way to beat the much younger and fitter Foreman. That Ali would find a way, just like the rope-a-dope. And he would have enough power to knock his younger ego out, but younger Ali would have much more problems to knock 70's Ali out, because his chin was so hard then that he could even take the shots of Earnie Shavers!
There are several pros and cons of both
Cassius Clay speed speed and more speed. He was just a kid. I do not think he could have stood up to maulers and killers like Foreman and Frazier.
Muhammad Ali by the 1970s was a man. He lost a few steps in speed however was more experienced and ringwise. The opposition of the 1970s was superior to anyone form the 1960s. In fact that was the greatest decade of the heavyweight division and Ali was the best of the lot.
Before the war he was younger, faster and had better reflexes.
After the war he was smarter against powerpunchers [with rope-a-dope] but his defense was still [and always] questionable. Ali had his hands down too much and he never learned how to properly block a jab. His extreme body-movements worked when he had reflexes, not when he was slower and more flat-footed.
Post-war Ali had better technique against brawlers but Ali was no brawler, the rope-adope would make him an easy target. Besides that, he was slower at everything.
Pre-war Ali would have ran circles around post-war Ali. 12 rounds to 3 UD victory.
Watch the first Liston fight to see his peek.
Clay of course, youth cannot be denied, although Ali was spectacular as an older fighter, the younger version was grace and speed personified. I cannot see the toe to toe slugger who fought Frazier or the crafty veteran who KOed Foreman doing much better than Sonny Liston did against the younger, faster Clay.
This question is ridiculous. Ali was always Ali, even when he was Clay. He was as good before he went in prison as to when he came out. He lost a bit of his speed but his technique made up for that. He was judged as the greatest from the fights before and after prison so this question is impossible to answer.
Clay was obviously faster and had unmatched reflexes in all of boxing, but Ali was bigger, smarter and tougher. I think Ali would outsmart and outbox Clay en route to a win by decision.
"Took 3 years off?"
Come on, let's call a spade a spade. The man was stripped off his titles and boxing license and thrown in jail because when the USA tried to draft him for Vietnam his response was "ain't no Vietnamese person ever called me a n*gger"
rope a dope
Was he better before or after he took 3 years off from 67-70? Why?
If you could simulate a fight between Ali at his best before 67 and Ali at his best after 70 which one would win?
