[OFF TOPIC][LONG] Why I left out Ali

I didn't have time to go into depth last night over why I left Ali out of the top 10 on my list, it was so late. This caused me to have trouble falling asleep, my brain was going 100 mph. If this will help you understand, here's why.

I will never sit here and deny that Ali was a great fighter. He is one of the all time greatest heavyweight boxers. However, I would love to see how Ali would have fared against these former champs:

Based upon the films I have seen over the years of these fighters, I think that they are all at least equal to or better fighters than Ali. For Ali to boast that he is "the greatest" is actually a slander to these great fighters. And I really get sick and tired of ESPN Classic Sports playing that "I must be the greatest!!" sound byte over and over again.

His loss in 1973 to Ken Norton and in 1978 to Leon Spinks were really unthinkable for someone like Ali to suffer. How a fighter of Ali's ability could allow Norton to break his jaw is beyond me. And in the first Spinks fight, Ali was lazy and totally unprepared. Spinks won in a decision, but as Ali proved in the rematch, Spinks did not belong in the same ring with Ali. If you can show any equivalent fights in the careers of the five deceased champs listed above, bring it on.

The two real defining victories of Ali's career were his two wins over Joe Frazier. I believe Frazier was the best fighter Ali ever fought, and I personally wish Frazier had won all of the three Ali fights so that this great fighter would get his proper due. Ali today suffers from Parkinson's disease, which most people feel was caused by the punishment Ali took from Frazier in the Thrilla in Manila. Frazier hit Ali so hard, Ali took a terrific pounding. And IIRC, the decision that Ali won that fight (Manila) was widely disputed and criticized; most boxing experts thought Frazier should have won the fight. (Those of you who know Sonny Liston better than I might want to offer up your takes here.)

Then there's the "rope-a-dope". This often portrays Ali as a legendary fighter, but in reality it exposes stupidity and impatience in Ali's opponent. This is not such a brilliant tactic by Ali as it is a damnation of any foolish opponent to fall for it. If I were the trainer for an Ali opponent, I would stay away from Ali for as long as I had to, 8, 9, 10, 11 rounds, whatever it took. Wait Ali out until he finally came to my fighter. Work him on pacing carefully while Ali pulls his stall tactics. Watching an opponent pummel a curled-up, clenched Ali used to make me sick. How can the fighter be that stupid to fall for that, I thought.

Finally, you have the draft refusal. I am not really qualified to talk on this subject, I would prefer the Nam vets to offer up their takes on this one. While I objected to the war unequivocally, I salute the men and women who went over to Viet Nam to do what they were ordered to do in the name of their country. It's easy to sit here and say "Shame on Ali! He dodged the draft, he should have gone like all the other people had to!" when at the time of Ali being stripped of his title I was only 9 years old. My wife's brother was on a bus to Fresno for induction and service over in Nam when his bus was ordered to turn back home, the hostilities had finally concluded. Yes, I know other Americans dodged the draft, including Prez Bubba. I did not take the draft refusal into consideration for my list, but if anyone out there thinks that it detracts from Ali's overall luster as an athlete, let them please speak up.

        Now, on an other point, how can you *not* even *mention*
        Mohammed Ali in your top ten !?!?!? This man is the most
        recognizable athlete (next to Pele) world-wide that ever
        existed. To ignore him in your, or any, top 10 is folly...

I have a problem with the word "recognizable". This tells me that you are judging Ali more on his shtick than his boxing ability. This is why Ali will show up on many people's top ten lists: because Ali was a loudmouth braggart, and a terrific self-promoter.

Most everyone in the world faints dead away when they see Ali. This is due to this, to quote Howard Cosell, "truculent" side of Ali during his heyday. Ali talked a great game and backed it up, yes. But if you had Ali's ability, extrapolated to any sport, would you choose to be such a jerk?

I listen to the great athletes of all time and how they wax poetic about their adversaries. What did Ted Williams say about Joe D when he died? Did you see Magic's tribute to Bird at Bird's number retirement? Russell and Chamberlain toss each other the highest of praise all the time. All Ali ever talked about was how great he was and how many rounds he was going to knock his opponent out in. Ali was fortunate in that he never had, save for Frazier, any fighter of his true peer in his day to have to deal with. And again, a fighter of Ali's ilk does not lose to Norton and Spinks.

Instead, the world sucks up this Ali crap still to this day, and he is revered because he is so "recognizable". You need to judge Ali in the whole picture, not just his "aura". He was a great fighter. He was a jerk in his prime. He was not the greatest fighter ever. He was one of the greatest self-salesmen ever.