It's not "sad" that he lost his prime years to politics, it's criminal what was done to him by his blood thirsty country. And his refusal to bend his knee and betray his conscience to the war mongers remains his greatest victory in or out of the ring. An incredible athlete but, more importantly, a great man.
What people don't realise is many of his career highlights, rumble in the jungle, thriller in manilla, they all came after his prime. He basically solidified his legacy with the weaker version of himself
I wouldn't call that Ali weaker than Ali in his prime around 65-67. But he was more experienced, though visibly slower with hand and foot he still had good speed and a lot more ring experience
The narrator is delusional, liston did not throw the fight and because we know the FBI is so credible right? My assessment and conclusion would be that the narrator is was a big Sonny Liston fan and a conspiracy theorist
We admired Ali both in the ring and outside it. Ali's legacy will never be paralleled. He was the true champion in everything. We are grateful forever to this wonderful man who lightened up everybody's life.
I fully agree with you that their will never be another fighter that can exceed Muhammad Ali record or talent, Muhammad Ali has raised the boxing record to such a high level that its almost impossible for any boxer that will match that or come close to it or exceed that record or the talent Muhammad Ali had!!!!! May Allah almighty grant him a beautiful place in heaven!!!!! Ameen sumameen ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤!!!!!
As Angelo Dundee said, "we never got to see the best of Ali. What we saw was plenty, but we missed most of his true prime year's." (25 - 28, the nexus between ability and experience for most athletes).
Think about this, Ali was ready to give it all up, the money, the title, the fame, for what he believed. HE WAS ONLY 25 YEARS OLD!!! He was always fighting for more than most of us realized. And came out victorious even when he stacked the odds against himself.
@@brucescott4261 the young george def was weaker than his old ver u can see he had no real def in his young days
another proof is berbick which I exposed George wouldn't be able to keep doing that to keep space berbick abused it keep getting countered George was slower than berbick Mike had trouble with rangy fighters who fought from range who had lateral movement who had good hand speed and who had good defense They even say in the trever match which I described that's not the way to fight him he came nonstop forward Wasn't that the exact same way george fought? He didn't fight off the jab or use any lateral movement while fighting from distance george would lose off of the breakdown and even said by the commentaries like I said Mike wasnt joe his weaknesses wasnt a uppercut that he just kept running through especially not a slow easy to read one from a person as slow as george it was like I said a person who fought from range and who used good lateral movement
Ali was more than a fast boxer with great IQ he was also one tough guy, he had so much heart and determination coupled with a great chin you could say he had it all GREATEST OF ALL TIME
@@TravisMcGee151mike tyson would be toast after the 5th round in a fight with Ali...he would have to find Ali 1st...n he always had trouble with big fighters with long strong jabs that can fight on they back foot...
Ali had a very limited vocabulary so he was a 1-dimensional bullshit dispenser with his favorite subject being himself. His boxing skills were badly flawed. He lacked any inside game and body attack. He lacked defensive skills to get away from left hooks and got hurt and dropped by left hooks from guys as small as 185 pounds. He fought far fewer fights than many, but was hurt far worse than almost any. He was left totally disabled -- both mentally and physically.
@@sriwija8755 Clay was widely outpunched in the finals so his gold medal award was corrupt. Ali wasn't 3 times world champion. Ali lost to a guy (Neon Leon Spinks) with 6 wins who wasn't the legitimate champion when Ali was given a gift verdict over him. Larry Holmes WAS the legitimate world champion at the time. Holmes blew Spinks away like he was an average middleweight. Then Holmes gave Ali a brutal boxing lesson -- but Ali was a dull and slow student whose basics were flawed -- as Holmes noted.
thank you…👍 Ali was my big idol, to this day. When we were little boys, we all wanted to be like Ali. Back then I collected all the stamps with Ali on them that I could get my hands on.😅 Today, in quiet hours, I still look at the stamp collection with Ali.😅
One of a kind. I never knew how tough he was until I watched him fighting Frazier. Most don't think of him that way. He's the cavalier the matador. He was also as tough as they come. Those body shots by Frazier make me wince to watch them. True champion. In that era, we had the one time ever privilege of seeing four champions in their peak fighting it out. Greatest era for the division and he stood at the top.
Fraizer Career record (all fights): 32-4 (not too impressive) Career record real heavyweight fights 200×2 lbs: 13-4 Career record real superheavyweight fights 215×2 lbs: 1-2 Frazier fought 20x against bums: KO'ratio 90% Frazier fought 17x against non-bums (that's very good): KO'ratio 52% and of these 17 ALL were natural cruisers except 2 ( Buster Mathis (win) and Foreman (2x loss) Frazier outweighed his opponents in 21 fights: KO'Ratio 95% (he KO'ed all of them but 1) Frazier was outweighed in 15 fights: KO'ratio 46% (featherfist) Median weight of Frazier's KO'victim: 197 lbs (cruiser) Frazier boxed 9 times against natural heavies (that's good) He scored 4 KOs (featherfist) of which 3 were against bums ·Don Smith (11-7) ·Ron Stander (37-21) ·Mel Turnbow (8-13) and 1 KO (round 11) was against a non-bum ·Buster Mathis (30-4, 61% KO'ratio), a very fat boxer. No wonder Frazier could KO him in the 11th round: It was the first time that Buster went more than 10 rounds and already the previous 10-rounder of Buster was merely a split decision against bum ·Bob Stallings (31-32, 201 lbs). Frazier never fought some of the better boxers of his time like Mac Foster, Earnie Shavers, Ken Norton, etc Joe Frazier KO'ed 14 opponents within 3 rounds (that's pretty good, considering he had only 37 fights). But it turns out that ALL of them were bums (median career record of these bums 11-23) except for 2 opponents: ·Bob Foster 188 lbs (= cruiser) and ·Dave Zyglewycz 190 lbs (= cruiser) whom tiny Frazier (hold your hat) out-weighed, out-reached and out-talled. Dave Zyglewycz has been called "the worst guy to ever get a title shot" and once you check his wins (ONLY bums, median record 10-16) you will have to agree.
@@joetrie Sometimes styles make fights. Every time he fought Ali it was competitive and he beat him once. All I'm saying is he was tough, and he attacked Ali's body in a way that would've wilted most fighters I think. Sick shots man go back and watch the first one plus he was motivated. He really didn't like Ali.
It's sad, he was still improving. He had pretty much cleaned out the division anyway but we would have seen the Frazier fight sooner and I think Ali would have won it instead of losing like he did.
@@GloveWarriors ...That first Ali-Frazier fight was extremely close. Smokin' Joe did not win unanimously! I saw the fight first hand. Frazier was hospitalized for approximately six weeks afterwards.
His legs were strong and gave him a solid foundation to deliver combinations. Nolan Ryan taught deliver r a pitch up from your feet through your legs..just the way Ali punched
Greatest heavyweight boxer ever, beat more great heavyweights than any other champion by a mile. But what I also liked about Ali was the pre fight trash talk, the post fight analysis, the training footage, interacting with his fans, and his tv appearances/interviews, just so entertaining. What rarely gets mentioned about Ali , is how mentally tough he was, he fought all over the world against boxers in their own back yards, he was never intimidated by champions who were supposed to be unbeatable, Liston and Foreman. And he even fought his own government and won.
His title was stripped because he fought his own government, not just his title but his boxing licence and passport to try and stop him from earning a living.He fought them through the courts, leading to the supreme court where he won his case.@@someoneelse.2252
@@someoneelse.2252 Then he proved to the world that the war mongering government at the time were wrong so they gave him back his license and won the title 2 times more to become the greatest champion in history in many eras.
@Ahmed-mr4xo ... "Ali fought all over the world against boxers in their own back yards" Canada, England and Germany doesn't qualify as all over the world. And Ali fought 5th rate bums like Brian London, who didn't have the ghost of a prayer. Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine, fought world title fights in Russia, Latvia, USA, Canada, Germany, Poland, and England versus the top fighters in the world from those countries. His country is the most war-torn in the world, so it may be years before he fights there again, if ever. Ali was in tragic decline at Usyk's age. The Ukrainian is a veteran of 371 amateur and professional fights.
In the lower weightclasses you have seen guys with very high skill levels like Ali. Just not in the heavyweight division like that. Ali moved like a middleweight or even a welterweight in his prime.
With Ali moving like that for 15 rounds, popping the jab with quick combinations, no one (holyfield, Tyson, Lewis, Holmes, Fury, Wilder, etc) would have beaten him. PERIOD
IMHO, Ali should have retired after the Frazier fight in Manila in late 1975. He had nothing else to prove - he really *WAS* The Greatest. The Manila fight damaged him (he said that those 14 rounds were the nearest to dying he'd been) & as a result he lost his speed. Thereafter he started taking heavy punches which he'd have skipped away from in his earlier years. To see him in his later years was sad & depressing. You can call it what you want but Ali suffered mightily from the effects of those heavy hits 1976 ~ 1980 & his health and wellbeing were seriously damaged.
He is the greatest athlete of all time. The average person would take one solid hit and call for a paramedic. In the toughest sport of all he was the best. When he took out the monster Foreman the world of sport stood in awe. I will never forget when the commentator said: ‘He’s done it, the great man has done it!”
That was David Frost on the call for the UK broadcast. I think "colonel" Bob Sheridan's call on the KO was the most hair raising and exciting call ever.
Ali was vulnerable to that left hook. Banks caught him with that quick left hook and floored him. Cooper also floored him with it. Partially explains why Frazier was such a fearsome challenge with him. Frazier had that huge left hook just gave Ali fits.
But you just stop there, ie that Ali was vulnerable to a left hook. But, what were the fights taken in their entity? They showed Ali's dominance and class which were way above the others.
Some are trying to be boxing pundits without really knowing anything about boxing. Have you heard any boxing critic, sports-caster or boxer claiming that Ali was vulnerable to left hooks. This guy is inventing his own analysis of boxing without any reasoning.
Ali in his prime was untouchable in the 60s the three year ban he had ruined his legacy when he resumed he wasn’t the same elusive fighter and started taking to many head shots which later turned into parkingsons legend Rip
The US government took away his prime years. It's disgraceful what they did to Ali. They also made Joe Louis destitute after he had given many purses of his towards the war effort and Joe had to come back way past his prime and get destroyed by the beast Marciano.
@@cabura-X Many Ali fans are so enamored with him that they carry things too far. I understand, I was the same way as a kid. At 68 naturally I think differently. I have nothing against Ali but like all of us, he was a flawed human being. His fans won't hear of it, they borderline worship him, which is a sin. The issue I have regarding the military suspension relates to life at the time. If you weren't alive then maybe it doesn't 'feel' the same to you. My brother was in Viet Nam, I almost had to go. We all knew guys who didn't return or returned badly injured. Many still suffer today from physical/psychological damage. At the time we didn't know that the war was based on evil greed. We believed that an individual was an unpatriotic coward if they wouldn't go. Poor people had no option, they all went including poor blacks. 'Famous' people went, many well-known star athletes had their careers interrupted by war, but they went. I'm not sure how I feel today about his claim of religious exemption. All Christians could have claimed the same thing, the 5th commandment says, 'Thou shall not kill'. Based upon that it seems Christians could have objected, but I don't know anyone who did. The bottom line was, if you were poor, middle class or upper middle class, you went. If you were patriotic, you went. Ali is the only one that I know of that claimed religious exemption, although I know there were others. Many left the country, went to Canada to 'hide'. When soldiers are routinely dying in war and someone refuses to go, it's understandable that most would consider them to be cowardly. I heard a lot of people say that Ali didn't mind fighting and hurting people for money in the ring, so his excuse seemed shallow to them. I don't know his heart, but that's how it was at the time.
His skill in those prime years was just... Phenomenal. I am in awe each time I watch. People like to speculate how eg Ali Vs Tyson would have gone, to me there is no question, Ali took apart some very Tyson-esque fighters (noticeably Liston) during this time.
@milwaukeegregg He had the help of a US congress that banned the guy for 3 years. Hardly in his prime any longer. Say, who's your favorite to win the Stanley cup 🏒 ? I know you know this. Isn't Tiger Woods a phenomenal golfer⛳️
@@milwaukeegreggAli prime mid 60's--66 vs cooper joe Frazier wouldn't have Landed half those hooks on Ali that he did in 71 .. joe would get boxed up like Tetris
Ali's speed combined with his reach (78") made him extraordinarily dangerous, and with his power and precision to match, it's no wonder he made ever other fighter during his prime look slow, clumsy and outmatched.
That right at 14:34 “It was a right to Liston’s jaw and it was a beauty. It shook Liston to his shoe tops” according to former champion James Braddock who was at ringside. “That shot shivered Liston. He blinked his eyes three times, like he was trying to clear his head”, per trainer Chickie Ferrara who was watching closely near Liston’s corner. The knockout punch was 38 seconds later and it was a temple shot that lifted Liston’s left foot off the canvas. A real knockout, not a fix.
Those 3.5 years lost because of his righteous refusal to kill any Vietcong were his prime years. Frazier would have wilted in front of a prime Ali ! So will Foreman and Tyson. In fact, so will any other heavyweight on earth, including Joe Louis and Dempsey. Ali was, indeed, the greatest !
George Chuvalo and Doug Jones were both good contenders. I have heard that Cleveland Williams gave him a good fight, I say he got a whoopin. I can remember as a 5,6,and 7year old.my dad waking me up at 2.30am and listening to some of those fights on a scratchy little transistor and struggle to stay awake. I was usually out to it by the 3rd round. Living down in New Zealand was misfortuned by the time lines.
Yes he is the greatest in my book. His reflexes suffered in the time between the Folley fight and the Quarry fight. He lost just enough in that time to hurt him. He was a great boxer and a great human being.
That 2nd Liston fight will always be shrouded in doubt. Liston gets up and then proceeds to duck all of Ali's follow-up punches before referee Jersey Joe Walcott stopped it. It looks like it was a fixed fight.
@@GloveWarriors There was a camera directly above Ali and Liston. It shows Liston's head jarred as Ali hit him. It was a solid punch. Liston did some acting after that, but he was hit and he fell -- a flash knockdown. The camera angle from ringside didn't catch it. As far as a fix is concerned -- I don't see why it would have been fixed in Ali's favor. Liston was the one with underworld connections. It's hard to know, 60 years later, what race relations consisted of at that time. I remember the atmosphere very well. Until the Civil Rights Movement began, black athletes were respectful of white society. Now, Ali's comments are amusing to one and all, but then, white people scowled in disapproval. Ali didn't "know his place" -- he didn't play the game. With the "long, hot summers" underway, and the Nation of Islam arousing fear and hatred in white people, Ali was seen as an "uppity n*****." Even a lot of black people were disapproving. They saw Ali as someone who would bring down the wrath of white authority on all African-Americans. Really, all Ali was doing was talking to his opponents the way black guys talk to each other -- "playing the dozens," they used to call it. But it wasn't something you did in front of white people. Ali didn't care. I just don't see how all this could have led to a fix that guaranteed Ali the win and not Liston.
This is a very good video. I m old@ seen this in real time@ in my opinion this is a good assessment. ,,,i would like to ask, Is there any footage of the Charlie Powell fight? I seen it one time ,it is off the hook in speed. Quicker than the London flurry.,, blinding speed.
Ali was still Cassius Clay at this point. I saw the fight live on B&W British TV as a ten year old. Nobody had seen anyone like Clay before. However, many say that if Henry Cooper hadn't had the eye tissue weakness, he would have won this fight, as he was the better boxer. We'll never know....:) :) Both were great gentlemen and a credit to the sport.
Ali & Cooper became great friends, Sli visiting the Coopers at their home and having meals with them when he came to UK. Henry in turn visited Ali in the US & they both greatly appreciated & respected each other.
Ali was at his peak in the first Liston fight. He was never better than that. He moved like a gazelle, Liston could barely hit him. If it was not for the eye problems he would have taken every round against a guy who everyone thought was one of the very best in history. I would have liked to have seen that Ali against Tyson from 1985-89. Zora Folley said that Ali did things in the ring that no one else could come close to doing.
Feel for Liston and I truly believe he was one of the best, such a shame his career was smeared because of his public perception people hated him no matter what he did such a shame
HE WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE RING WHEN HE WAS IN BEST OF HIS FIGHTING FORM OTHERWISE THE HISTORY OF BOXING COULD BE VERY DIFFERENT FILLED WITH SIGNIFICANT UNTOUCHABLE RECORDS NO DOUBT THE GREATEST BOXER THIS WORLD HAS WITNESSED
I don't know what you're talking about!!!, ALI, WAS ALWAYS AT HIS BEST!!, + He had thee best fights of his entire life and career, AFTER he was in his prime!!, Just like the Rumble in the Jungle, and the thriller in Manila!!
Scary fact: he taunting his Opponent by talking while dodging, Near prime ali is on another level, imagine how good he was in his 25-28 so sad his hypocrite goverment atm stole it
Dude what? Liston did not throw the fight. Read all the comments and watch all the interviews from the top names of boxing who were there that day. They were like "we saw the punch Ali hit him with. He took it just right. That's all it takes. Dude was out." Liston pretty much walked into Ali's right hook. Going into it double the force. Caught him on the chin, rattled his brain, KO.
Emmanuel Stewart said Ali was the best. He beat more great fighters in their primes than any other. He also fought them two sometimes 3 times. Emmanuel Stewart knew a thing or two about boxing.
Can't call Ali thr complete boxer but before the ban, for a heavyweight, he was extraordinary. After the ban he was slower but by then an expert puncher.
Are you joking Scott? I was a interested 8 year old boy when Cassius Clay fought Liston the first time .Ali was the boxer who revolutionised the sport.
I believe Mohammed Ali was an actual conscience objector. I have no problem with that . Boxing and killing the enemy are like apples and oranges. My problem with Ali is he would have never stepped one foot in Vietnam. The military wouldn’t have demanded Ali shoot and carry a firearm. Ali would have ever been put in danger if he just would have signed up one of the Military Forces. He would have most likely boxed for whatever military force he signed up for. Most likely gotten an early release and definitely a honorable discharge. Desmond Doss was a conscientious objector but served in battle conditions against the Japanese during WW2. He was a Medic,never shot or held a firearm during WW2. He saved 75 soldiers from certain death. When after the fighting seized and In extremely dangerous situations with many Japanese Soldiers all around him. Desmond Doss received the Medal of Honor
We will mever see another Ali and his skills even the iron Mike adored him to the extent that he paid revenge for him after he was beaten by Holmes. If i may ask is the heavyweight div exciting now?😮😮😮😮😅😊
The FBI, and the Senate subcommttee never found anything other than rumors by gamblers, "oilmen", and a few "businessmen" who reported that while they thought of boxing the way they thought of wrestling, there was some buzz about it being a losing bet to bet on Liston in the rematch. They concluded that there was no reliable evidence of a fix. It was always considered a sign of gullibility to deny that the rematch was fixed. But there are a few things to think about. The first is something seldom discussed, because it is inconvenient if you've decided that it had to be a fixed fight. One is that Liston got back up. It is not that LIston had to pretend to be hurt and remain down for a long time. He got up WITHOUT the timekeeper ever calling ten. Journalist Dick Young was the one who yelled at Walcott to stop the fight. Liston was up, guard up, feet moving...you know FIGHTING. No one throwing a fight gets back up to continue fighting. Especially if "the mob" is going to be mad. Sure, Sonny may well have had some criminal associates and influences. It was common. But even with those associates, no evidence of a fix was EVER found. Rumors. Only rumors. Skeptical oldtimers changed their minds after watching the films. Marciano and Braddock were watching it live. It was Braddock who pointed out that Ali wobbled Liston with a flush right hand shortly before the "phantom punch", and that the decisive punch (which twisted Liston's head around, which Sonny walked into, which came from below Ali's shoulder level and thus was completely unseen by Liston) finished the work the previous shot had started. Marciano and Braddock both concluded that Ali hit with far more impact than it was commonly thought at the time. Add Joe Louis and Jose Torres, also at ringside, who concluded, and insisted, that the shot was pinpoint and produced a legit KO. I'm a psychologist, and I have boxed for more than 40 years. I have also consulted on neurological safety with one of the major organizations, with emphasis on changes to screening protocol from the first licensing through every renewal, to better track clinically discernible changes in a fighter's brain functioning. Liston's right (rear) foot desmoinatrated a spasm upon impact, visible in the footage, which accompanied an extremely quick rotation pof his head from walking into the punch. That sudden acceleration with a rotational vector is one of the main causes of a KO...and of long-term brain damage. Liston showed every sign of a concussed fighter. The punch is visible. The reaction is visible. The ringside doctor reported optical nystagmus, the side-to-side movement of the eyeballs, one of the things a ringside physician looks fro when they shine their penlight into a hurt fighter's eyes. Boxing commissioner and physician in the state of Kentucky, Carole Whitten, studied the neurological effects of boxing, and made the same observations of Sonny after the fight. Sonny himself reported in the dressing room that he had no idea Ali could hit that hard. When you consider that even with the final few, unhealthy, years of Ali's career having fewer stoppages, he stopped over two thirds of his opponents, Ali's speed and unconventional way of delivering his shots produced considerable impact. Ali had staggered Liston three times, visibly, prior to the stoppage. Ali dropped Bonavena on one of his most ineffective nights - a single, pinpoint left hook counter having greater impact than anything Frazier landed in two attempts. No one else stopped or seriously hurt Bonavena, who at first mocked Ali, but then sang his praises as the strongest man he ever got in the ring with. Physics: Velocity times force equals power. not debatable. Ali's shots were the fastest in heavyweight history, an close to being the fastest of any fighter at any weight, as measured. With exquisite timing and the abilituy to deliver shots from highly unusual angles, rotatted from below shoulder level, pked and torqued straight from the shoulder, snapped form the hip while on the rear foot, opponents had less opportunity to brace, roll, slide, or even prepare mentally. Top-shelf boxing offers many ways to hurt an opponent. Finesse and timing are more important at the highest levels of the sport than raw payload. Liston was a proud man who always lamented not being respected by the sport and its people. For all the continued s--t-talking about this extremel;y skillful and dangerous fighter, few of us who have studied him and enjoyed his work can reconcile what we know of him with the allegations, which belonged to the time when Sonny was spoken of as if he were an animal. Sonny reacted the way a fighter does when concussed. Witnesses included some of the tougher old-school greats of the sport, at ringside, and experts on clinical symptoms of head blows. Sonny had been hurt a few times in the first fight, and had been stunned before this particular stoppage by another right hand. Sonny fell immediately in the direction he was moving, collapsing upon impact, after his rear foot spasmed the way it would if an impact to the motor cortex were the thing. You don't fall that way if you're throwing the fight. You might STAY down...and not get back up. Sonny got back up to fight. Ali's lightning fast right hands and a few hooks had the same effect on many opponents. Some of those opponents, like Liston, looked silly trying to find "up"; that's one of the things which happens when you're hit by a very fast punch. Real punch, bungled job by the ref, real knockdown, real stoppage.
Thank you for this comment. Really gave me some things to consider. I will do more research on it and correct the record if I come to the same conclusion. What a great comment. Really made me think and exceptionally well written. I really appreciate your input. I just had to reply and let you know that. Cheers
Frazier 1w, Ali1w, Frazier/Ali 1 Draw. And Ali was Telling his Corner between the 14th and 15th round of The Thrilla in Manilla to "Take em off, Im done, Take my gloves off, im done!"
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It's not "sad" that he lost his prime years to politics, it's criminal what was done to him by his blood thirsty country. And his refusal to bend his knee and betray his conscience to the war mongers remains his greatest victory in or out of the ring. An incredible athlete but, more importantly, a great man.
❤exactly well said and well REASONED.
His convictions were visionary. He disliked going to kill people who never did ANYTHING to deserved death.
Well said.
@doviejames ...I second emotion!
Muhammad Ali is a phenomenal athlete with skill and heart.
Ali is the greatest ever.
Ali is my hero.
❤agreed 100%
AND MINE TOO!!! THE US ARMY dishonored him for a lost war in Vietnam. Look now, all communist and happy people.
What people don't realise is many of his career highlights, rumble in the jungle, thriller in manilla, they all came after his prime. He basically solidified his legacy with the weaker version of himself
After foreman no one has a better second career than Ali
I wouldn't call that Ali weaker than Ali in his prime around 65-67. But he was more experienced, though visibly slower with hand and foot he still had good speed and a lot more ring experience
@umarb7325 ...Ali was never in his prime.
@@brucescott4261You're right. He was exiled at 25 years old. Never had a prime
The narrator is delusional, liston did not throw the fight and because we know the FBI is so credible right? My assessment and conclusion would be that the narrator is was a big Sonny Liston fan and a conspiracy theorist
We admired Ali both in the ring and outside it. Ali's legacy will never be paralleled. He was the true champion in everything. We are grateful forever to this wonderful man who lightened up everybody's life.
100%
I fully agree with you that their will never be another fighter that can exceed Muhammad Ali record or talent, Muhammad Ali has raised the boxing record to such a high level that its almost impossible for any boxer that will match that or come close to it or exceed that record or the talent Muhammad Ali had!!!!!
May Allah almighty grant him a beautiful place in heaven!!!!!
Ameen sumameen ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤!!!!!
Can you imagine what we would have seen in those years of exile......wow. YUMBAYE ALI
Thanks sir. Wonderful production. More please
As Angelo Dundee said, "we never got to see the best of Ali. What we saw was plenty, but we missed most of his true prime year's." (25 - 28, the nexus between ability and experience for most athletes).
Absolutely right
Think about this, Ali was ready to give it all up, the money, the title, the fame, for what he believed. HE WAS ONLY 25 YEARS OLD!!!
He was always fighting for more than most of us realized. And came out victorious even when he stacked the odds against himself.
@@kcash6359 Anything to keep from his duty.
@@MrMarco855 ...Pay a visit to the laughing house.
@@brucescott4261 the young george def was weaker than his old ver u can see he had no real def in his young days
another proof is berbick which I exposed George wouldn't be able to keep doing that to keep space berbick abused it keep getting countered George was slower than berbick
Mike had trouble with rangy fighters who fought from range who had lateral movement who had good hand speed and who had good defense
They even say in the trever match which I described that's not the way to fight him he came nonstop forward
Wasn't that the exact same way george fought? He didn't fight off the jab or use any lateral movement while fighting from distance george would lose off of the breakdown and even said by the commentaries like I said
Mike wasnt joe his weaknesses wasnt a uppercut that he just kept running through especially not a slow easy to read one from a person as slow as george it was like I said a person who fought from range and who used good lateral movement
Ali was more than a fast boxer with great IQ he was also one tough guy, he had so much heart and determination coupled with a great chin you could say he had it all GREATEST OF ALL TIME
"Ali was more than a fast boxer with great IQ"
You mean great boxing-IQ.
In terms of pure intellect he was under 85.
Exactly
Ali was the greatest of his era. Not sure how he would do against a Mike Tyson in HIS prime or a Joe Louis. We’ll never know.
@@TravisMcGee151mike tyson would be toast after the 5th round in a fight with Ali...he would have to find Ali 1st...n he always had trouble with big fighters with long strong jabs that can fight on they back foot...
@009incher Ali's IQ was very low. And it got lower because he got hit too much.
Beautiful boxer unbeatable at his best and tough competitor when his best was absent.
His boxing skills and his talking skills were equal.... The greatest of all time.... ❤❤❤❤❤
Ali had a very limited vocabulary so he was a 1-dimensional bullshit dispenser with his favorite subject being himself. His boxing skills were badly flawed. He lacked any inside game and body attack. He lacked defensive skills to get away from left hooks and got hurt and dropped by left hooks from guys as small as 185 pounds. He fought far fewer fights than many, but was hurt far worse than almost any. He was left totally disabled -- both mentally and physically.
@@sriwija8755 Clay was widely outpunched in the finals so his gold medal award was corrupt. Ali wasn't 3 times world champion. Ali lost to a guy (Neon Leon Spinks) with 6 wins who wasn't the legitimate champion when Ali was given a gift verdict over him. Larry Holmes WAS the legitimate world champion at the time. Holmes blew Spinks away like he was an average middleweight. Then Holmes gave Ali a brutal boxing lesson -- but Ali was a dull and slow student whose basics were flawed -- as Holmes noted.
@@bobgarrett7134 ...ok...i can say on more ...
@@sriwija8755 Holmes was more -- and talked less.
thank you…👍
Ali was my big idol, to this day. When we were little boys, we all wanted to be like Ali. Back then I collected all the stamps with Ali on them that I could get my hands on.😅
Today, in quiet hours, I still look at the stamp collection with Ali.😅
The lightning devastating punches makes Ali's d'greatest.. 😘
Great vid! Well put together, and well scripted and narrated. 👍🏽👍🏽
One of a kind. I never knew how tough he was until I watched him fighting Frazier. Most don't think of him that way. He's the cavalier the matador. He was also as tough as they come. Those body shots by Frazier make me wince to watch them. True champion. In that era, we had the one time ever privilege of seeing four champions in their peak fighting it out. Greatest era for the division and he stood at the top.
Fraizer
Career record (all fights): 32-4
(not too impressive)
Career record real heavyweight fights
200×2 lbs: 13-4
Career record real superheavyweight fights 215×2 lbs: 1-2
Frazier fought 20x against bums: KO'ratio 90%
Frazier fought 17x against non-bums
(that's very good): KO'ratio 52%
and of these 17 ALL were natural cruisers except 2 ( Buster Mathis (win) and Foreman (2x loss)
Frazier outweighed his opponents in 21 fights: KO'Ratio 95% (he KO'ed all of them but 1)
Frazier was outweighed in 15 fights: KO'ratio 46% (featherfist)
Median weight of Frazier's KO'victim: 197 lbs (cruiser)
Frazier boxed 9 times against natural heavies (that's good)
He scored 4 KOs (featherfist)
of which 3 were against bums
·Don Smith (11-7)
·Ron Stander (37-21)
·Mel Turnbow (8-13)
and 1 KO (round 11) was against a non-bum
·Buster Mathis (30-4, 61% KO'ratio), a very fat boxer. No wonder Frazier could KO him in the 11th round: It was the first time that Buster went more than 10 rounds and already the previous 10-rounder of Buster was merely a split decision against bum ·Bob Stallings (31-32, 201 lbs).
Frazier never fought some of the better boxers of his time like Mac Foster, Earnie Shavers, Ken Norton, etc
Joe Frazier KO'ed 14 opponents within 3 rounds (that's pretty good, considering he had only 37 fights).
But it turns out that ALL of them were bums (median career record of these bums 11-23) except for 2 opponents:
·Bob Foster 188 lbs (= cruiser) and
·Dave Zyglewycz 190 lbs (= cruiser) whom tiny Frazier (hold your hat) out-weighed, out-reached and out-talled.
Dave Zyglewycz has been called "the worst guy to ever get a title shot" and once you check his wins (ONLY bums, median record 10-16) you will have to agree.
@@joetrie Sometimes styles make fights. Every time he fought Ali it was competitive and he beat him once. All I'm saying is he was tough, and he attacked Ali's body in a way that would've wilted most fighters I think. Sick shots man go back and watch the first one plus he was motivated. He really didn't like Ali.
Tell it like it is, Muhammad. You the man!
This version of Ali beats everybody.
They robbed 3 years of his absolute prime. That's 10 fights. He was never the same after
It's sad, he was still improving. He had pretty much cleaned out the division anyway but we would have seen the Frazier fight sooner and I think Ali would have won it instead of losing like he did.
Well, that is the truth.
@@GloveWarriors ...That first Ali-Frazier fight was extremely close. Smokin' Joe did not win unanimously! I saw the fight first hand. Frazier was hospitalized for approximately six weeks afterwards.
Speed was Ali ultimate gift from the beginning that’s what made him great!
His legs were strong and gave him a solid foundation to deliver combinations. Nolan Ryan taught deliver r a pitch up from your feet through your legs..just the way Ali punched
Greatest heavyweight boxer ever, beat more great heavyweights than any other champion by a mile. But what I also liked about Ali was the pre fight trash talk, the post fight analysis, the training footage, interacting with his fans, and his tv appearances/interviews, just so entertaining. What rarely gets mentioned about Ali , is how mentally tough he was, he fought all over the world against boxers in their own back yards, he was never intimidated by champions who were supposed to be unbeatable, Liston and Foreman. And he even fought his own government and won.
ALLAH u AKBAR
He fought his own Gov't and won...?. What planet are from?. His title was stripped.
His title was stripped because he fought his own government, not just his title but his boxing licence and passport to try and stop him from earning a living.He fought them through the courts, leading to the supreme court where he won his case.@@someoneelse.2252
@@someoneelse.2252 Then he proved to the world that the war mongering government at the time were wrong so they gave him back his license and won the title 2 times more to become the greatest champion in history in many eras.
@Ahmed-mr4xo ... "Ali fought all over the world against boxers in their own back yards"
Canada, England and Germany doesn't qualify as all over the world. And Ali fought 5th rate bums like Brian London, who didn't have the ghost of a prayer. Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine, fought world title fights in Russia, Latvia, USA, Canada, Germany, Poland, and England versus the top fighters in the world from those countries. His country is the most war-torn in the world, so it may be years before he fights there again, if ever. Ali was in tragic decline at Usyk's age. The Ukrainian is a veteran of 371 amateur and professional fights.
Great take. Thank you for putting this together.
22:00 is awesome. The speed and variety of his feinting overloaded the opponents brain to stop functioning and he just stand there taking punches lol
❤❤Muhammad Ali❤️❤️
Muhammad Ali was great boxer
Muhammad Ali was three-time undisputed heavyweight champion of the World. Ali was the GOAT.
He was a genius, born to box, but like most geniuses flawed.
All people are flawed, that goes without saying.
His prime was from his professional debut, until his ban in 1967. In those few years, I've never seen a better boxer. Ever.
Well said and well REASONED
How many have you seen? I've been watching since 1963...
In the lower weightclasses you have seen guys with very high skill levels like Ali. Just not in the heavyweight division like that. Ali moved like a middleweight or even a welterweight in his prime.
@mrkipling2201 ...Ali was never in his prime.
@@beatlejim64 ...Really?
With Ali moving like that for 15 rounds, popping the jab with quick combinations, no one (holyfield, Tyson, Lewis, Holmes, Fury, Wilder, etc) would have beaten him. PERIOD
Tyson , Holyfield.
@@bellavia5😂
@@bellavia5NO, just NO
Ahahaha
@@Only1Kizz yes, just yes.
He was Super Ali up until 76, check the record.
IMHO, Ali should have retired after the Frazier fight in Manila in late 1975. He had nothing else to prove - he really *WAS* The Greatest.
The Manila fight damaged him (he said that those 14 rounds were the nearest to dying he'd been) & as a result he lost his speed. Thereafter he started taking heavy punches which he'd have skipped away from in his earlier years. To see him in his later years was sad & depressing. You can call it what you want but Ali suffered mightily from the effects of those heavy hits 1976 ~ 1980 & his health and wellbeing were seriously damaged.
He is the greatest athlete of all time. The average person would take one solid hit and call for a paramedic. In the toughest sport of all he was the best. When he took out the monster Foreman the world of sport stood in awe. I will never forget when the commentator said: ‘He’s done it, the great man has done it!”
That was David Frost on the call for the UK broadcast. I think "colonel" Bob Sheridan's call on the KO was the most hair raising and exciting call ever.
Alexandr Karelin enters chat.
Foreman had a monster punch but wasn’t exactly the most skilled boxer.
Better than Jim Thorpe?...Bill Russell?...Jim Brown?...Don't think so...
In fact, the commentator said "this is the most JOYOUS moment in boxing history" when Ali ko'd Foreman.
The sad part is the 4 year ban which robbed us of a chunk of Ali's prime years. We are left with so many what ifs.
I don't think the world ever saw the prime, Muhammad Ali!!! It would have been something to behold... What a shame?
Mohammad Ali's glamorous charm concealed his toughness.
Prime Ali is the GREATEST Heavyweight that has ever lived no doubt but his kryptonite was the left hook
Único irrepetible genial espectacular es y será el mejor de todos los tiempos...
Greatest boxer of all times. Ali would have made mince meat out of present day heavyweights- lennox Lewis and above. RIP champ.
No 😂😂😂
The Greatest.
Muhammad Ali, Aka the butterfly and the bee.
Ali was vulnerable to that left hook. Banks caught him with that quick left hook and floored him. Cooper also floored him with it. Partially explains why Frazier was such a fearsome challenge with him. Frazier had that huge left hook just gave Ali fits.
Ali cooper 2 66 prime nobody floors him in his prime
The myth that Ali was unhittable is garbage. He never learned how to box....@@active.7universal
But you just stop there, ie that Ali was vulnerable to a left hook. But, what were the fights taken in their entity? They showed Ali's dominance and class which were way above the others.
@mmcniel777 ... Ali was never knocked out from those left hooks, PERIOD!!!
Some are trying to be boxing pundits without really knowing anything about boxing. Have you heard any boxing critic, sports-caster or boxer claiming that Ali was vulnerable to left hooks. This guy is inventing his own analysis of boxing without any reasoning.
Ali in his prime was untouchable in the 60s the three year ban he had ruined his legacy when he resumed he wasn’t the same elusive fighter and started taking to many head shots which later turned into parkingsons legend Rip
The US government took away his prime years. It's disgraceful what they did to Ali. They also made Joe Louis destitute after he had given many purses of his towards the war effort and Joe had to come back way past his prime and get destroyed by the beast Marciano.
2024 Seeing Ali and Witnessing his greatness.
There’s a video on CZcams called “Muhammad Ali in action” it shows a young Cassius clay fighting. I never knew how solid of a counter puncher he was.
Clar!!
The best of all time!!
21:50 Ali's opponent looked like Redd Foxx in "Sanford and Son" when Redd Foxx would throw punches in the air like he really wanted to fight! LOL!
He fought the best in his prime and out of his prime...Simply the best to ever do it
At 2:33 I didn’t even see the punch. I just saw his opponents head buck back. that’s one of the fastest punches I’ve seen.
Great Indeed!
Actually, we never saw Ali box at his prime... The U.S. govt stole those years from him.
Other men gave their lives.
for what?
@@cabura-X To fulfill their duty.
@@cabura-X Many Ali fans are so enamored with him that they carry things too far. I understand, I was the same way as a kid. At 68 naturally I think differently. I have nothing against Ali but like all of us, he was a flawed human being. His fans won't hear of it, they borderline worship him, which is a sin.
The issue I have regarding the military suspension relates to life at the time. If you weren't alive then maybe it doesn't 'feel' the same to you. My brother was in Viet Nam, I almost had to go. We all knew guys who didn't return or returned badly injured. Many still suffer today from physical/psychological damage.
At the time we didn't know that the war was based on evil greed. We believed that an individual was an unpatriotic coward if they wouldn't go. Poor people had no option, they all went including poor blacks. 'Famous' people went, many well-known star athletes had their careers interrupted by war, but they went. I'm not sure how I feel today about his claim of religious exemption.
All Christians could have claimed the same thing, the 5th commandment says, 'Thou shall not kill'. Based upon that it seems Christians could have objected, but I don't know anyone who did. The bottom line was, if you were poor, middle class or upper middle class, you went. If you were patriotic, you went. Ali is the only one that I know of that claimed religious exemption, although I know there were others. Many left the country, went to Canada to 'hide'.
When soldiers are routinely dying in war and someone refuses to go, it's understandable that most would consider them to be cowardly. I heard a lot of people say that Ali didn't mind fighting and hurting people for money in the ring, so his excuse seemed shallow to them. I don't know his heart, but that's how it was at the time.
@@MrMarco855 to who?
His skill in those prime years was just... Phenomenal. I am in awe each time I watch. People like to speculate how eg Ali Vs Tyson would have gone, to me there is no question, Ali took apart some very Tyson-esque fighters (noticeably Liston) during this time.
Mike Tyson side that Ali in his prime was giant monster that he wouldn't ever wanted to face 😮😮
Great analysis. I enjoyed watching this video.
R I P Muhammad Ali greatest Boxter of times
GREAT FOOTAGE, THANK YOU.👍🥊🥇🏆💵👑
Greatest of all time
No one in Ali's prime could have beaten him period! Just to fast & elusive to be run down & defeated!
Smokin Joe did...............
@milwaukeegregg He had the help of a US congress that banned the guy for 3 years. Hardly in his prime any longer. Say, who's your favorite to win the Stanley cup 🏒 ?
I know you know this. Isn't Tiger Woods a phenomenal golfer⛳️
@@milwaukeegreggAli prime mid 60's--66 vs cooper joe Frazier wouldn't have Landed half those hooks on Ali that he did in 71 .. joe would get boxed up like Tetris
He deserved to be banned... I have no pity for this draft dodger........@@EinsteinKnowedIt
Sure...lol@@active.7universal
Ali is definitely "The Greatest"
Thanks for sharing, great breakdown...!
Ali's speed combined with his reach (78") made him extraordinarily dangerous, and with his power and precision to match, it's no wonder he made ever other fighter during his prime look slow, clumsy and outmatched.
Mouhamed Ali ,nice Times or sad times hé will be Always thé best of thé ring , hé was thé king .
That right at 14:34 “It was a right to Liston’s jaw and it was a beauty. It shook Liston to his shoe tops” according to former champion James Braddock who was at ringside. “That shot shivered Liston. He blinked his eyes three times, like he was trying to clear his head”, per trainer Chickie Ferrara who was watching closely near Liston’s corner. The knockout punch was 38 seconds later and it was a temple shot that lifted Liston’s left foot off the canvas. A real knockout, not a fix.
Those 3.5 years lost because of his righteous refusal to kill any Vietcong were his prime years. Frazier would have wilted in front of a prime Ali ! So will Foreman and Tyson. In fact, so will any other heavyweight on earth, including Joe Louis and Dempsey.
Ali was, indeed, the greatest !
He must be the greatest ,and he was. Of all time
George Chuvalo and Doug Jones were both good contenders. I have heard that Cleveland Williams gave him a good fight, I say he got a whoopin. I can remember as a 5,6,and 7year old.my dad waking me up at 2.30am and listening to some of those fights on a scratchy little transistor and struggle to stay awake. I was usually out to it by the 3rd round. Living down in New Zealand was misfortuned by the time lines.
Yes he is the greatest in my book. His reflexes suffered in the time between the Folley fight and the Quarry fight. He lost just enough in that time to hurt him.
He was a great boxer and a great human being.
They stole his prime, title and his livelihood...and he still became the GREATEST! R.I.P CHAMP!
That 2nd Liston fight will always be shrouded in doubt. Liston gets up and then proceeds to duck all of Ali's follow-up punches before referee Jersey Joe Walcott stopped it. It looks like it was a fixed fight.
Totally. I would love to know what really happened.
@@GloveWarriors There was a camera directly above Ali and Liston. It shows Liston's head jarred as Ali hit him. It was a solid punch. Liston did some acting after that, but he was hit and he fell -- a flash knockdown. The camera angle from ringside didn't catch it.
As far as a fix is concerned -- I don't see why it would have been fixed in Ali's favor. Liston was the one with underworld connections. It's hard to know, 60 years later, what race relations consisted of at that time. I remember the atmosphere very well. Until the Civil Rights Movement began, black athletes were respectful of white society. Now, Ali's comments are amusing to one and all, but then, white people scowled in disapproval. Ali didn't "know his place" -- he didn't play the game. With the "long, hot summers" underway, and the Nation of Islam arousing fear and hatred in white people, Ali was seen as an "uppity n*****." Even a lot of black people were disapproving. They saw Ali as someone who would bring down the wrath of white authority on all African-Americans.
Really, all Ali was doing was talking to his opponents the way black guys talk to each other -- "playing the dozens," they used to call it. But it wasn't something you did in front of white people. Ali didn't care. I just don't see how all this could have led to a fix that guaranteed Ali the win and not Liston.
Ali the 🐐✍️
Very informative video😮
Ali's style boxing superb
The greatest my champion
Ali was the fastest heavyweight in boxing
This is a very good video. I m old@ seen this in real time@ in my opinion this is a good assessment. ,,,i would like to ask, Is there any footage of the Charlie Powell fight? I seen it one time ,it is off the hook in speed. Quicker than the London flurry.,, blinding speed.
Ali was still Cassius Clay at this point. I saw the fight live on B&W British TV as a ten year old. Nobody had seen anyone like Clay before. However, many say that if Henry Cooper hadn't had the eye tissue weakness, he would have won this fight, as he was the better boxer. We'll never know....:) :) Both were great gentlemen and a credit to the sport.
Ali & Cooper became great friends, Sli visiting the Coopers at their home and having meals with them when he came to UK. Henry in turn visited Ali in the US & they both greatly appreciated & respected each other.
Liston was in the wrong era.If it wasn't for Ali, he would have been one of the GOATs. He had all of the tools...
اسطورهای تکرار نشدنی ❤
May Allah have mercy on him Ameen ya Allah
Ali was at his peak in the first Liston fight. He was never better than that. He moved like a gazelle, Liston could barely hit him. If it was not for the eye problems he would have taken every round against a guy who everyone thought was one of the very best in history. I would have liked to have seen that Ali against Tyson from 1985-89. Zora Folley said that Ali did things in the ring that no one else could come close to doing.
07:52 my absolute favourite moment in boxing. Henry’s hammer.
Feel for Liston and I truly believe he was one of the best, such a shame his career was smeared because of his public perception people hated him no matter what he did such a shame
Something very significant about the Cooper Fight was omitted here. ??? Ali's glove needing 'repair' when knocked silly...😊
Amen I love Classi Clay boxing no doubt His is the Greatest of all Times!!!!!
His name is Muhammad Ali
Best ever
Boxing has been mostly just a fighting event until Ali who made it a real sport.
HE WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE RING WHEN HE WAS IN BEST OF HIS FIGHTING FORM OTHERWISE THE HISTORY OF BOXING COULD BE VERY DIFFERENT FILLED WITH SIGNIFICANT UNTOUCHABLE RECORDS NO DOUBT THE GREATEST BOXER THIS WORLD HAS WITNESSED
Damnsd right Scitt. May weather the businessman didn't do anything to support Frazier earlier but showcased his pocketing of the funeral.
I chose the GREAEST - nicely done
Lewis cannot be beaten
Liston's head movements. could cause him to feel dizzy.
The crazy part is we missed most of his prime because he was banned/suspended
I don't know what you're talking about!!!, ALI, WAS ALWAYS AT HIS BEST!!, + He had thee best fights of his entire life and career, AFTER he was in his prime!!, Just like the Rumble in the Jungle, and the thriller in Manila!!
@pgs2179 ...Ali was never in his prime. That was taken away doing his exile circa 1967-1970.
Scary fact: he taunting his Opponent by talking while dodging,
Near prime ali is on another level, imagine how good he was in his 25-28
so sad his hypocrite goverment atm stole it
Dude what? Liston did not throw the fight. Read all the comments and watch all the interviews from the top names of boxing who were there that day. They were like "we saw the punch Ali hit him with. He took it just right. That's all it takes. Dude was out." Liston pretty much walked into Ali's right hook. Going into it double the force. Caught him on the chin, rattled his brain, KO.
Emmanuel Stewart said Ali was the best. He beat more great fighters in their primes than any other. He also fought them two sometimes 3 times. Emmanuel Stewart knew a thing or two about boxing.
Can't call Ali thr complete boxer but before the ban, for a heavyweight, he was extraordinary. After the ban he was slower but by then an expert puncher.
Are you joking Scott? I was a interested 8 year old boy when Cassius Clay fought Liston the first time
.Ali was the boxer who revolutionised the sport.
The only heavyweight who also undefeated between that time 61-67 facts
I believe Mohammed Ali was an actual conscience objector. I have no problem with that . Boxing and killing the enemy are like apples and oranges. My problem with Ali is he would have never stepped one foot in Vietnam. The military wouldn’t have demanded Ali shoot and carry a firearm. Ali would have ever been put in danger if he just would have signed up one of the Military Forces. He would have most likely boxed for whatever military force he signed up for. Most likely gotten an early release and definitely a honorable discharge.
Desmond Doss was a conscientious objector but served in battle conditions against the Japanese during WW2. He was a Medic,never shot or held a firearm during WW2. He saved 75 soldiers from certain death. When after the fighting seized and In extremely dangerous situations with many Japanese Soldiers all around him. Desmond Doss received the Medal of Honor
To Ali boxing is giving a good show which he enjoys he is not interested to knock out his opponent in first round he wants to enjoy and others too
We will mever see another Ali and his skills even the iron Mike adored him to the extent that he paid revenge for him after he was beaten by Holmes. If i may ask is the heavyweight div exciting now?😮😮😮😮😅😊
The FBI, and the Senate subcommttee never found anything other than rumors by gamblers, "oilmen", and a few "businessmen" who reported that while they thought of boxing the way they thought of wrestling, there was some buzz about it being a losing bet to bet on Liston in the rematch. They concluded that there was no reliable evidence of a fix.
It was always considered a sign of gullibility to deny that the rematch was fixed. But there are a few things to think about. The first is something seldom discussed, because it is inconvenient if you've decided that it had to be a fixed fight. One is that Liston got back up. It is not that LIston had to pretend to be hurt and remain down for a long time. He got up WITHOUT the timekeeper ever calling ten. Journalist Dick Young was the one who yelled at Walcott to stop the fight. Liston was up, guard up, feet moving...you know FIGHTING. No one throwing a fight gets back up to continue fighting. Especially if "the mob" is going to be mad.
Sure, Sonny may well have had some criminal associates and influences. It was common. But even with those associates, no evidence of a fix was EVER found. Rumors. Only rumors.
Skeptical oldtimers changed their minds after watching the films. Marciano and Braddock were watching it live. It was Braddock who pointed out that Ali wobbled Liston with a flush right hand shortly before the "phantom punch", and that the decisive punch (which twisted Liston's head around, which Sonny walked into, which came from below Ali's shoulder level and thus was completely unseen by Liston) finished the work the previous shot had started. Marciano and Braddock both concluded that Ali hit with far more impact than it was commonly thought at the time.
Add Joe Louis and Jose Torres, also at ringside, who concluded, and insisted, that the shot was pinpoint and produced a legit KO.
I'm a psychologist, and I have boxed for more than 40 years. I have also consulted on neurological safety with one of the major organizations, with emphasis on changes to screening protocol from the first licensing through every renewal, to better track clinically discernible changes in a fighter's brain functioning. Liston's right (rear) foot desmoinatrated a spasm upon impact, visible in the footage, which accompanied an extremely quick rotation pof his head from walking into the punch. That sudden acceleration with a rotational vector is one of the main causes of a KO...and of long-term brain damage. Liston showed every sign of a concussed fighter. The punch is visible. The reaction is visible. The ringside doctor reported optical nystagmus, the side-to-side movement of the eyeballs, one of the things a ringside physician looks fro when they shine their penlight into a hurt fighter's eyes. Boxing commissioner and physician in the state of Kentucky, Carole Whitten, studied the neurological effects of boxing, and made the same observations of Sonny after the fight. Sonny himself reported in the dressing room that he had no idea Ali could hit that hard.
When you consider that even with the final few, unhealthy, years of Ali's career having fewer stoppages, he stopped over two thirds of his opponents, Ali's speed and unconventional way of delivering his shots produced considerable impact. Ali had staggered Liston three times, visibly, prior to the stoppage. Ali dropped Bonavena on one of his most ineffective nights - a single, pinpoint left hook counter having greater impact than anything Frazier landed in two attempts. No one else stopped or seriously hurt Bonavena, who at first mocked Ali, but then sang his praises as the strongest man he ever got in the ring with.
Physics: Velocity times force equals power. not debatable. Ali's shots were the fastest in heavyweight history, an close to being the fastest of any fighter at any weight, as measured. With exquisite timing and the abilituy to deliver shots from highly unusual angles, rotatted from below shoulder level, pked and torqued straight from the shoulder, snapped form the hip while on the rear foot, opponents had less opportunity to brace, roll, slide, or even prepare mentally. Top-shelf boxing offers many ways to hurt an opponent. Finesse and timing are more important at the highest levels of the sport than raw payload.
Liston was a proud man who always lamented not being respected by the sport and its people. For all the continued s--t-talking about this extremel;y skillful and dangerous fighter, few of us who have studied him and enjoyed his work can reconcile what we know of him with the allegations, which belonged to the time when Sonny was spoken of as if he were an animal.
Sonny reacted the way a fighter does when concussed. Witnesses included some of the tougher old-school greats of the sport, at ringside, and experts on clinical symptoms of head blows. Sonny had been hurt a few times in the first fight, and had been stunned before this particular stoppage by another right hand. Sonny fell immediately in the direction he was moving, collapsing upon impact, after his rear foot spasmed the way it would if an impact to the motor cortex were the thing. You don't fall that way if you're throwing the fight. You might STAY down...and not get back up. Sonny got back up to fight. Ali's lightning fast right hands and a few hooks had the same effect on many opponents. Some of those opponents, like Liston, looked silly trying to find "up"; that's one of the things which happens when you're hit by a very fast punch.
Real punch, bungled job by the ref, real knockdown, real stoppage.
Thank you for this comment. Really gave me some things to consider. I will do more research on it and correct the record if I come to the same conclusion. What a great comment. Really made me think and exceptionally well written. I really appreciate your input. I just had to reply and let you know that. Cheers
Frazier 1w, Ali1w, Frazier/Ali 1 Draw. And Ali was Telling his Corner between the 14th and 15th round of The Thrilla in Manilla to "Take em off, Im done, Take my gloves off, im done!"