Why Muhammed Ali Ruled the Roost
Why Muhammed Ali Ruled the Roost
Boxing has had a rich history of heavyweight champions. It is the heavyweights, or the stronger men you might say that most thrill the fans and the crowd. Perhaps because of their sheer size and punching power, that draws the people in to watch their bouts. Over the years we have been privileged to experience the likes of Jack Johnson to Rocky Marciano to Joe Louis until there came a man many say was the greatest sportsman ever, let alone the greatest Heavyweight Boxer of all time.
Yes that man can only be Muhammed Ali but what made this man special in the ring? The three time World Champion transcended the sport and became a recognizable face all over the world.
Ali had a number of qualities which made him stand head and shoulders over his opponents. The first, the skill which most of us will know him by, was his tremendous hand speed and his lightning foot speed. Ali was 6’3 and around 210lbs yet he was able to punch faster and move around the ring quicker than Boxers who were several divisions below him. So for his opponent, a similar sized man to Ali, the speed would simply be too much for them.
His 2nd characteristic was really only discovered upon his return to the ring following his ban for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War. Ali’s speed had lessened upon his return and he wasn’t always able to dance around the ring for 15 rounds. But as the world soon found out, Ali’s chin was made from rock, Ali was never knocked out in his career, Joe Frazier knocked Ali to the canvas and he got straight back up, George Foreman one of the biggest punchers in Boxing history was unable to knock Ali out inspite of Ali using the rope a dope method and literally standing infront of Foreman the whole bout Ali, eventually beating the then champion George Foreman in the 8th round to regain the heavyweight crown. Ernie Shavers, named by Ali as the biggest puncher he ever fought against, was also unable to put Ali on the canvas.
The third quality was equally as vital, Ali had a heart the size of a lions, he never gave up which we saw on numerous instances in some of the finest fights ever such as the thriller in Manila against Joe Frazier, where Ali mentioned he was at deaths door in that bout but he persisted in Boxing and Frazier’s corner called the bout off at the end of the 14th round in what was a ruthless battle. Ali also fought Ken Norton for much of the fight with a broken jaw, the bout went the full 15 rounds! Muhammed Ali avenged his defeats to Frazier, Norton and Leon Spinks displaying that a true champion is one who can bounce back from his defeats and reach the highest level again.
