How Could Ali Have Beaten Wilt?

[The Old LefHook]

In fact was there any way for Ali to win?

Talk about the need to adapt! Circling from the outside would have been a pathetic technique against the giant.

Did Ali even remotely possess the set of skills needed to move inside effectively and hammer Wilt's willowy torso all night?

Trained by the incarnation of Manny Steward, Wilt will maximize his chances and minimize Ali's advantages by fighting tall to perfection.

Wilt is a head hunter's worst nightmare. Body shots from Ali were more rare than one punch kayos from Chris Byrd.

What is Ali supposed to do?

[QueensburyRules]

- -Ali could try ye aulde lef hook.

Ali's handlers didn't fancy the fight, and in their ABC Saturday presser organized by Howie Cosell, he looked very smallish and uncertain.

Btw, it was Cus Damato who trained Wilt and he was quite confident of his chances. Ali team had no history of knowing how Wilt woulda fought and no fighter with Wilts unparalleled natural attributes. The only question mark would be wilts chin.

Understand wilt could grab Ali and throw him into the 5th row had he wanted to run afoul of the ref.

[PRINCEKOOL]

Walk forward and punch him.

Wilt Chamberlain was a great athlete, but could he really fight? Probably not.

[kushking]

In fact was there any way for Ali to win?

Talk about the need to adapt! Circling from the outside would have been a pathetic technique against the giant.

Did Ali even remotely possess the set of skills needed to move inside effectively and hammer Wilt's willowy torso all night?

Trained by the incarnation of Manny Steward, Wilt will maximize his chances and minimize Ali's advantages by fighting tall to perfection.

Wilt is a head hunter's worst nightmare. Body shots from Ali were more rare than one punch kayos from Chris Byrd.

What is Ali supposed to do?

Wilt backed out of the fight because he sht himself. What's more to discuss?

[Longhaul]

You got to be fu^*ing kidding me .The same way way those bums who fought Too Tall Jones What was he 69” .There is no way Wilt was going to fight and when push came to shove he backed out He would have been gone on the first hard shots. Ali would have him twisted like a pretzel with his movement.If he rope a doped him he would take him out with a counter.Have any of you guys fought before most people could not including other athletes can’t handle the punch of a seasoned amateur let alone a pro fighter.And because your big doesn’t translate to a good chin.Did you see the other day the 320 lb NFL lineman get knocked out by a guy probably 185 lbs if he was lucky in a street fight.

[Longhaul]

You question Ali’s skills to adapt to a fighter with height being his only challenge and no exp.Next you are going to assure me Wilt the headhunter hit harder than Foreman Shavers ect.

[GhostofDempsey]

Try to make Wilt miss with upper body movement, reflexes, and footwork. He may have to give away a few rounds early on, but he would have the stamina to take him into deep waters late in the fight. I think Wilt gets frustrated and tired while throwing telegraphed punches that Ali would see coming from a mile away. Ali would pot shot and frustrate Wilt to a UD win.

[Longhaul]

Wilt gets knocked the **** out with first hard counter punches.You guys are in fantasy land if you think he could last until the cards.Put him in with that 7” Russian that was the tallest champ ever and he would knock the stilt out

[QueensburyRules]

You got to be fu^*ing kidding me .The same way way those bums who fought Too Tall Jones What was he 69?.There is no way Wilt was going to fight and when push came to shove he backed out He would have been gone on the first hard shots. Ali would have him twisted like a pretzel with his movement.If he rope a doped him he would take him out with a counter.Have any of you

- -Yeah, speak loudly and ******ly about what you know not!

At the inaugural ABC presser arranged by Cosell that was supposed to be the signing of the fight Ali clearly refused to sign the contract or make any commitment to the fight.

The reason being when Herbert first laid eyes on Wilt and realized the sheer magnitude of the man oozing from every pore he freaked.

I'd remind you Too Tall was undefeated mostly by KO. When he realized how exploitive and dirty boxing was and the peanuts he was earning compared to his prime years in football, he secured a better contract to return.

Lomachenko did not only the unprecedented in boxing by becoming the #1 fighter in his 3 Divsions, but exposed dirty officiating in Boxing when texas ref Laurance Cole and Salido tag team Loma in the most blatant foul fest I've ever seen, and in spite of the dozens of low blows and headbutts et al, he turned Salido into jelly needing Cole to repeatedly pull Loma off him so Salido could survive for the dirty decision. All in the interest of protecting the boxing myth that no AMA can step immediately into a pro championship unless he toes the line to subservient himself to years of exploitive development.

Cus as a crusty ol man appeared on tv with Ali to talk about the strategy of his comeback against Frazier.

Ali did his usual clowning and shuffling, so Cus told him that wouldn't work on Joe and explained how joe would get to him.

Ali protested, so Cus told him to get into a fighting stance, and little ol Cus jumped in to pop him sharp enough to draw blood.

Modern media used athleticism as their new buzz lingo without knowing what true athleticism is, and Ali is always described as more athletic than Joe which is obvious even to the village idiot.

As demonstrated over history, the #1 athlete ever is Jim Thorpe with Babe Ruth and Wilt duking it out for 2nd, and btw, Babe in a preseason contract dispute with the Red Sox signed a contract to fight JJOHNSON spar mate Gunboat Smith to replace his salary. Fight was canceled when the Sox capitulated.

Wilt didn't even like BAsketball, but like Thorpe between football, they were collegiate track stars and in retirement Wilt was the greatest volleyball talent ever seen.

So, Wilt was a grade AAA+++ athlete, and where Would Ali rank?

He was obviously ill suited to track and field or any team sport, so he had his A+ reflexes of hand and foot, and that's it, so overall say a C-.

Wilt arguably the smartest athlete in history based on perceived IQ and base academics. He invested wisely and infuriated the politically righteous by being a ********** back when reps were considerably more moderate, so he was always his own man.

Ali admitted to being a poor student, but he had a comic gift for a quick quip and was controlled by the dictates of Elijah and Herbert, not his own man.

Cus!!!!! One of the early disciples of studying fight footage for strategy. Wilt don't have to learn ALL the skills needed for career success, but to hone the few needed specifically for Ali who was limited in skill set, instead relying on reflexes.

$$$ Was a major obstacle as Wilt would have to make more to replace his BB income, and finance wise Ali was hard to promote then because of the threat NOI posed back then. Herbert was concerned if Ali lost, he'd never be given another title shot, a legit concern in those days. He only got the Liston shot because Ali was considered a cupcake by Sonny and wasn't with NOI.

Few Legit fantasy fights are a given, and this was a legit fight with contract and serious concerns by Ali brain trust. Later Wilt would use it to squeeze better contract terms from the Lakers meaning his purse demands were escalating faster than Ali could afford.

Read it and weep for thee!

[Dempsey19]

no fighter with Wilts unparalleled natural attributes.

That's a controversial statement.

Mike Tyson, James J Jeffries, George Foreman, Evander Holyfield and Jack Dempsey come to mind.

Marciano's body may not fit the normal definition of a natural athlete but it was uncannily well suited for the job it was designed for.