My days as a fight fan go back to the wars between Fullmer, Robinson, and Basillio as well as Carter vs Ghiardelli. I saw Patterson devastate Johansen with that leaping left hook. I can’t remember any heavyweights of that era who could be called great but the light heavyweight division was full of them: Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore and Harold Johnson are three that I can still name. Despite fighting for the heavyweight crown Charles and Moore were really light heavies. Having said all that, I believe Ali is the best heavyweight champion of all time. I also don’t think Smokin Joe could have touched him in his prime. I do know that Ali in his prime was by far the best heavyweight I ever saw.
my fight following era started as Cassius Clay really began his run to the title, about ‘62 or so, then on from that point. I was a young guy then but he captivated me. your last 3 sentences says it all. Clay/Ali had the greatest combination of height and weight physique, foot speed, conditioning, hand speed, offensive boxing ability, defensive boxing ability, taking and recovering from a punch ability, brains, the ability to improvise in a fight, guts and heart (and probably a few more that escapes me at the moment) that God ever put into a human being. Clay/Ali fought MONSTERS. most of his opponents could have fought in any era and he took ‘em all on. If one goes back thru past champion’s records and compares how many times they went to the post against the caliber of men Ali fought.... well it isn’t even close in my book. Shavers, Lyle, Foreman, Liston, Norton, Frazier, Chuvalo to name a few, huge, terribly strong and powerful young men who were able KO anyone then, or from any era, who ever laced up a pair of everlasts. even his ‘lower’ opponents still were all well conditioned athletes,(except for maybe Buster Mathis, but could that man hit!). I followed his entire career very close, he was/is my favorite all time athlete. I still miss the pre fight anticipation and excitement of his fights. there will never be another like him I think it is VERY safe to say!
“I believe Ali is the best heavyweight champion of all time. I also don’t think Smokin Joe could have touched him in his prime. I do know that Ali in his prime was by far the best heavyweight I ever saw.”
I also believe Ali was the greatest, but not by as wide a margin as people commonly maintain. Ali in his prime was a marvel. The speed, the agility, the doges, the dancing. Watch the Williams match from ‘66, or whenever it was, and it looks like he was unbeatable.
Then again, when Tyson was on he looked unbeatable, too. It was a different matter once he faced guys on his level. Same with Ali. Once he got to Frazier, Foreman, and Norton, he proved how tough and smart he was, but he couldn’t dance circles around them.
I think the main contributor to the “Ali at his peak” legend is the hiatus. We’ll never know what those years robbed him of. The gap between him and the competition from 65 to 67 was so enormous, then he just disappears. However, the best he faced before the forced retirement were Patterson and Liston. Patterson was over the hill. Liston, well, who knows what the hell was going on in those fights? I have a feeling that had Ali met the ‘71 Frazier in ‘67, they still would have been perfect opponents.