How would Muhammad Ali have fared against the heavyweight elites of today? This was one of the topics that was touched upon during the Essentially Sports exclusive interview featuring Rasheda Ali and Nico Ali Walsh. Ali had attained god-like status during his prime in the sport. While many have come close to that legendary status, nobody could reach the pinnacle of his greatness. So, the only question left unanswered is – could Ali compete with modern-day boxers?
Nico thinks absolutely! However, what about the person who spent the most time around Ali when he was steamrolling through the biggest names in boxing at the time? Comparing Ali to Tyson Fury, Rashida Ali details how Ali would do in the current era of boxing.
Rasheda Ali: Muhammad Ali was great at mentally challenging his opponents
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Highlighting modern technology boxers use and the evolution the sport has undergone, Kenny Ducey enquired whether Ali could give heavyweight behemoths of today a run for their money. In response, Ali’s Daughter suggested, “I think even with Tyson Fury, who I think is amazing, I think my dad would be able to handle him.” She went on to highlight Ali’s strengths in boxing.
“My dad was very good at handling not just the skill, but he was really good at mentally challenging his opponents,” Rasheda said during their recent appearance on ES fancast. According to Rasheda, Ali was the fastest heavyweight to ever exist, so modern boxing wouldn’t be a challenge for him. She added, “I think with the social media and the coverage that my dad could get, I think he’d be even greater.” What’s more, Rashida isn’t alone in thinking Ali would destroy modern boxers!
Ali’s biographer on Ali vs. Modern Boxers
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In a June 23, 2022 interview with Business Insider, Thomas Hauser, Ali’s Biographer, expressed his thoughts on Ali vs. today’s boxers. He began by claiming that if all the great heavyweights in history were matched with Ali, it wouldn’t present a challenge to the former world champion. Hauser then diverted his attention to the current stable of boxers.
Houser asserted that modern boxers would have presented a challenge to legendary boxers like Rocky Marciano and Jack Dempsey. “They could not have been competitive with today’s heavyweights,” said Houser. However, Houser stated, “Ali was obviously much bigger, and he was so fast that I would have picked him over any heavyweight fighting today.”
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Rasheda Ali provides a definitive answer to whether Muhammad Ali could handle modern-day boxers during the Fancast interview. However, we would like to get your thoughts – do you think Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, or Oleksander Usyk could defeat Muhammad Ali?
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