Boxing Thread
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"@MN5 said in Boxing Thread:
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He then went on to beat both twice which definitely goes someway to explaining why they called him the greatest."Oh he most assuredly was!
In the mid '90s my then 20 year old son rang from wherever he was and insisted "Dad, turn on the television"
"Why?"
"The LA Olympics opening ceremony - just turn it on, now!"
"Yeah, yeah" says I to myself "Not interested" as I switch it on, to see the great man lighting the Olympic flame, shaking with that awful Parkinsons disease. My boy stayed on the line because he knew of my admiration for Ali and had a fair idea of my likely reaction.
I will admit the tears ran down my cheeks at the sight of him responding so proudly to the fabulous gesture of recognition, and at the realisation of how much the disease had deprived him of his mighty, mighty strength.
Muhammad Ali against Liston coincided with my taking up boxing, as further rugby training aimed at developing strength as a young loose head. That grew into an abiding love of the sport and I boxed for as many years as I played rugby.
I had the grand good fortune to watch the whole of Ali’s exceptional career. I saw some of it in Martin Place, Sydney on the screens set up in the ground floor of the Overseas Telecommunications Building. Overseas sports events were not routinely shown on television, and not a lot of homes had sets anyway!
He was tall and beautifully built, handsome and fit. I have had that famous photo of him standing over Sonny Liston hanging on the lounge room wall forever. He took some getting used to at first because his personality was nothing like that of the boxers we knew and loved – Bob Dunlop, silent Jim Caruthers, shy and friendly and deadly Lionel Rose, smiling Johnny Famechon and Tony Mundine, who said precious little about anything.
Ali was quicker than any of his predecessors – with his hands, on his feet, coming in and moving back out. He used all of the ring in a manner we had not previously seen in the heavy divisions, he used the whole of the fight to build his win, he knew the precise length of his opponent’s reach and stood just outside it enticing him to keep throwing leather and tiring all the while, and he talked in their ear, mocking and goading and infuriating them – no-one did that back then. He was clever and intelligent, mentally disciplined, good humoured, sometimes menacing.
Muhammad Ali was the best sportsman and athlete I have seen.
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@Mick-Gold-Coast-QLD said in Boxing Thread:
@MN5 said in Boxing Thread:
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He then went on to beat both twice which definitely goes someway to explaining why they called him the greatest.Oh he most assuredly was!
In the mid '90s my then 20 year old son rang from wherever he was and insisted "Dad, turn on the television"
"Why?"
"The LA Olympics opening ceremony - just turn it on, now!"
"Yeah, yeah" says I to myself "Not interested" as I switch it on, to see the great man lighting the Olympic flame, shaking with that awful Parkinsons disease. My boy stayed on the line because he knew of my admiration for Ali and had a fair idea of my likely reaction.
I will admit the tears ran down my cheeks at the sight of him responding so proudly to the fabulous gesture of recognition, and at the realisation of how much the disease had deprived him of his mighty, mighty strength.
Muhammad Ali against Liston coincided with my taking up boxing, as further rugby training aimed at developing strength as a young loose head. That developed into an abiding love of the sport and I boxed for as many years as I played rugby.
I had the grand good fortune to watch the whole of Ali’s exceptional career. I saw some of it in Martin Place, Sydney on the screens set up in the ground floor of the Overseas Telecommunications Building. Overseas sports events were not routinely shown on television, and not a lot of homes had sets anyway!
He was tall and beautifully built, handsome and fit. I have had that famous photo of him standing over Sonny Liston hanging on the lounge room wall forever. He took some getting used to at first because his personality was nothing like that of the boxers we knew and loved – Bob Dunlop, silent Jim Caruthers, shy and friendly and deadly Lionel Rose, smiling Johnny Famechon and Tony Mundine, who said precious little about anything.
Ali was quicker than any of his predecessors – with his hands, on his feet, coming in and moving back out. He used all of the ring in a manner we had not previously seen in the heavy divisions, he used the whole of the fight to build his win, he knew the precise length of his opponent’s reach and stood just outside it enticing him to keep throwing leather and tiring all the while, and he talked in their ear, mocking and goading and infuriating them – no-one did that back then. He was clever and intelligent, mentally disciplined, good humoured, sometimes menacing.
Muhammad Ali was the best sportsman and athlete I have seen.
Awesome post, I'd imagine my old man woulda seen all of his fights live too, one way or another, most of them from the UK before he moved to NZ.
He calls him the greatest as well.
Out of interest where would guys like Tyson ( Iron Mike ), Lewis ( George Foreman rated him as the greatest ) and Fury rate in your opinion given it's fair to say all others are below Ali by varying degrees......
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@MN5 it depends on what the criteria is for rating them , i rate ali the greatest for his skill level , but it doesn't necessarily mean he would have beaten them all . All fighters are beatable on their day . But his skill level was something else .
The other guy who very rarely gets a mention is Larry Holmes, came along just after the Ali/ frazier / Foreman / Norton / shavers era , came a bit late to fight them in their prime . Didnt quite have the great names on his W resume , but the same could be said of others like tyson . But dominated the division and was clearly in their class.
For a while there , there was this regular pattern , where the great of his era near the end , past his best,probably still hanging on . would suffer a humiliating loss to a younger next great on the rise , It kept repeating .
Floyd Patterson - Ali- Holmes - Tyson - Lewis
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@kiwiinmelb said in Boxing Thread:
@MN5 it depends on what the criteria is for rating them , i rate ali the greatest for his skill level , but it doesn't necessarily mean he would have beaten them all . All fighters are beatable on their day . But his skill level was something else .
The other guy who very rarely gets a mention is Larry Holmes, came along just after the Ali/ frazier / Foreman / Norton / shavers era , came a bit late to fight them in their prime . Didnt quite have the great names on his W resume , but the same could be said of others like tyson . But dominated the division and was clearly in their class.
For a while there , there was this regular pattern , where the great of his era near the end , past his best,probably still hanging on . would suffer a humiliating loss to a younger next great on the rise , It kept repeating .
Floyd Patterson - Ali- Holmes - Tyson - Lewis
Very true.
And true of all sports - passing on the batton.
Ali is my favourite fighter, but for pitting people in their prime against each other then I think Tyson would beat everyone 6 out of 10 times. At least.
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@MiketheSnow said in Boxing Thread:
@kiwiinmelb said in Boxing Thread:
@MN5 it depends on what the criteria is for rating them , i rate ali the greatest for his skill level , but it doesn't necessarily mean he would have beaten them all . All fighters are beatable on their day . But his skill level was something else .
The other guy who very rarely gets a mention is Larry Holmes, came along just after the Ali/ frazier / Foreman / Norton / shavers era , came a bit late to fight them in their prime . Didnt quite have the great names on his W resume , but the same could be said of others like tyson . But dominated the division and was clearly in their class.
For a while there , there was this regular pattern , where the great of his era near the end , past his best,probably still hanging on . would suffer a humiliating loss to a younger next great on the rise , It kept repeating .
Floyd Patterson - Ali- Holmes - Tyson - Lewis
Very true.
And true of all sports - passing on the batton.
Ali is my favourite fighter, but for pitting people in their prime against each other then I think Tyson would beat everyone 6 out of 10 times. At least.
Tyson was a fast starter , probably the best in that area , if he had a weakness, that ferocity could not be Possibly maintained for 12 rounds . And he could be made to look ponderous in later rounds .
If I had to pick someone To Stay out of harms way early and take him into deep water , and you might be surprised at my answer, it would be Tyson fury . Such a big unit at 6 foot 9 , With good defensive skills .
In a match up of styles ,(Not rankings Of greatnesses) I think that would be my pick
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@kiwiinmelb said in Boxing Thread:
@MiketheSnow said in Boxing Thread:
@kiwiinmelb said in Boxing Thread:
@MN5 it depends on what the criteria is for rating them , i rate ali the greatest for his skill level , but it doesn't necessarily mean he would have beaten them all . All fighters are beatable on their day . But his skill level was something else .
The other guy who very rarely gets a mention is Larry Holmes, came along just after the Ali/ frazier / Foreman / Norton / shavers era , came a bit late to fight them in their prime . Didnt quite have the great names on his W resume , but the same could be said of others like tyson . But dominated the division and was clearly in their class.
For a while there , there was this regular pattern , where the great of his era near the end , past his best,probably still hanging on . would suffer a humiliating loss to a younger next great on the rise , It kept repeating .
Floyd Patterson - Ali- Holmes - Tyson - Lewis
Very true.
And true of all sports - passing on the batton.
Ali is my favourite fighter, but for pitting people in their prime against each other then I think Tyson would beat everyone 6 out of 10 times. At least.
Tyson was a fast starter , probably the best in that area , if he had a weakness, that ferocity could not be Possibly maintained for 12 rounds . And he could be made to look ponderous in later rounds .
If I had to pick someone To Stay out of harms way early and take him into deep water , and you might be surprised at my answer, it would be Tyson fury . Such a big unit at 6 foot 9 , With good defensive skills .
In a match up of styles ,(Not rankings Of greatnesses) I think that would be my pick
I get the feeling Fury is gonna be extremely lauded after he retires ( even if he is a 30 stone blimp propping up a bar telling yarns )
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@MN5 said in Boxing Thread:
@kiwiinmelb said in Boxing Thread:
@MiketheSnow said in Boxing Thread:
@kiwiinmelb said in Boxing Thread:
@MN5 it depends on what the criteria is for rating them , i rate ali the greatest for his skill level , but it doesn't necessarily mean he would have beaten them all . All fighters are beatable on their day . But his skill level was something else .
The other guy who very rarely gets a mention is Larry Holmes, came along just after the Ali/ frazier / Foreman / Norton / shavers era , came a bit late to fight them in their prime . Didnt quite have the great names on his W resume , but the same could be said of others like tyson . But dominated the division and was clearly in their class.
For a while there , there was this regular pattern , where the great of his era near the end , past his best,probably still hanging on . would suffer a humiliating loss to a younger next great on the rise , It kept repeating .
Floyd Patterson - Ali- Holmes - Tyson - Lewis
Very true.
And true of all sports - passing on the batton.
Ali is my favourite fighter, but for pitting people in their prime against each other then I think Tyson would beat everyone 6 out of 10 times. At least.
Tyson was a fast starter , probably the best in that area , if he had a weakness, that ferocity could not be Possibly maintained for 12 rounds . And he could be made to look ponderous in later rounds .
If I had to pick someone To Stay out of harms way early and take him into deep water , and you might be surprised at my answer, it would be Tyson fury . Such a big unit at 6 foot 9 , With good defensive skills .
In a match up of styles ,(Not rankings Of greatnesses) I think that would be my pick
I get the feeling Fury is gonna be extremely lauded after he retires ( even if he is a 30 stone blimp propping up a bar telling yarns )
I think we ( well most of us ) underestimated how crafty he is ,
When he beats wider again , Joshua twice ( my prediction) and all other challenges he will cement his place as one of the greats imo
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@kiwiinmelb said in Boxing Thread:
@MN5 said in Boxing Thread:
@kiwiinmelb said in Boxing Thread:
@MiketheSnow said in Boxing Thread:
@kiwiinmelb said in Boxing Thread:
@MN5 it depends on what the criteria is for rating them , i rate ali the greatest for his skill level , but it doesn't necessarily mean he would have beaten them all . All fighters are beatable on their day . But his skill level was something else .
The other guy who very rarely gets a mention is Larry Holmes, came along just after the Ali/ frazier / Foreman / Norton / shavers era , came a bit late to fight them in their prime . Didnt quite have the great names on his W resume , but the same could be said of others like tyson . But dominated the division and was clearly in their class.
For a while there , there was this regular pattern , where the great of his era near the end , past his best,probably still hanging on . would suffer a humiliating loss to a younger next great on the rise , It kept repeating .
Floyd Patterson - Ali- Holmes - Tyson - Lewis
Very true.
And true of all sports - passing on the batton.
Ali is my favourite fighter, but for pitting people in their prime against each other then I think Tyson would beat everyone 6 out of 10 times. At least.
Tyson was a fast starter , probably the best in that area , if he had a weakness, that ferocity could not be Possibly maintained for 12 rounds . And he could be made to look ponderous in later rounds .
If I had to pick someone To Stay out of harms way early and take him into deep water , and you might be surprised at my answer, it would be Tyson fury . Such a big unit at 6 foot 9 , With good defensive skills .
In a match up of styles ,(Not rankings Of greatnesses) I think that would be my pick
I get the feeling Fury is gonna be extremely lauded after he retires ( even if he is a 30 stone blimp propping up a bar telling yarns )
I think we ( well most of us ) underestimated how crafty he is ,
When he beats wider again , Joshua twice ( my prediction) and all other challenges he will cement his place as one of the greats imo
Well probably, but with Fury you get the feeling he’s a chance to have several too many Guinesses, come in unprepared and get dropped by Wilder.
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@Siam said in Boxing Thread:
I remember being a fair bit freaked out watching Roy Jones Jr box. I didn't really follow up on him but my recollection was that he was the best in a bit of a boxing nadir.
Magnificent fighter ,And now an insightful commentator, as skilled as any fighter I have seen In any division , most of the discussion here is with the heavyweights, so I stay on topic .
But I’m a big fan of the middleweight division as well , Roy is as good as I have seen -
@kiwiinmelb And now training Chris Eubank Jr. Will eb interesting to see if he makes any tweaks to Eubank's style.
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Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr (Sept 12)
Tyson-Jones Jr. exhibition match set for Sept. 12
Mike Tyson, 54, who last fought in 2005, has agreed to fight Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match in September.
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@Duluth said in Boxing Thread:
Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr (Sept 12)
Tyson-Jones Jr. exhibition match set for Sept. 12
Mike Tyson, 54, who last fought in 2005, has agreed to fight Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match in September.
Considering last time i saw Roy, Danny Green tapped him on the head and he fell over, this could go badly if, and it's a big if, Mike can move as well as very short social media videos are indicating.
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Good mates , im tipping they will be looking after each other, bit of a spar session and cash in
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How would you like to wear these body shots when you weigh in at 72 kg ?
Canelo is a beast
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For Boxing fans in Aus ,
Whyte v Povetkin on Foxtel , free , Ch 505 Sunday between 4-9 am , good score to get this for no charge
main event probably between 7-9 or thereabouts , winner gets a shot at the winner of Fury Wilder 3 .
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@kiwiinmelb Which is annoying because all they're doing is hoding up Fury v AJ. Lets face it no-one apart from people who listen to Eddie Hearn's garbage and believe everything he has to say wants to watch Fury v Whyte or Povetkin for that matter.
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@African-Monkey said in Boxing Thread:
@kiwiinmelb Which is annoying because all they're doing is hoding up Fury v AJ. Lets face it no-one apart from people who listen to Eddie Hearn's garbage and believe everything he has to say wants to watch Fury v Whyte or Povetkin for that matter.
Yep , agree , If fury beats wilder , which he should , i would prefer to watch Fury v AJ, Wilder v Whyte
But tomorrows fight is a fairly decent match up at the next level down ,
I wouldnt pay for it , But for free is a good watch around breakfast time
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@kiwiinmelb Yeah it is a good fight. Can't stand Whyte personally and hope that Povetkin can turn back the clock but he's well over the hill now and his stamina isn't great these days as was shown in his last fight with Michael Hunter where I thought he was very lucky to get a draw (I had it 116-112 Hunter). Unfortunately I think Whyte will catch him and stop him late on.
