For those who say Ali never hit to the body...

[butterfly1964]

Watch more of his fights. Ali hit to the body plenty of times. Watch the Doug Jones fight and the first Chuvalo fight, and you will see his in-close exchanges to be a good portion of jabs and hooks to the body. In his prime he would also jab to the body a lot, almost as much to the head, watch the first Liston fight. Ali's not gonna be Frazier-like in his bodywork, because he is 6'-3? for God sakes, so it won't make sense for him to hit to the body of a guy that's like 5'-10" or something. But in his prime he hit to the body about a quarter of the time, it's just that after his prime he got lazy and became a headhunter just like tyson did after his prime, but in his prime Ali varied his attack considerably.

[hemichromis]

usually i was to bring the guard down but that can be said of almost any boxer

i believe his fast snappy punches are far more effective to the head because they carry little weight

[apollack]

Ali and the body

Uh, you are reaching. Ali rarely went to the body. Certainly he went there here and there, but so little as to be statistically negligible. He was a head hunter, and more power to him if he could get it done that way.

[Southpaw Stinger]

because he is 6'-3?

Where's the extra half come from? lol

And Ali was particulary a headhunter, although he went to the body now and again but the head was his main target.

[SABBATH]

Ali went to the body quite a bit with straight punches against Al 'Blue' Lewis, a straight up tall guy, which wore Blue down and set him up for the stoppage. For the most part though Ali usually hunted the head. Never say never though in boxing. Ali did go downstairs sometimes just not very often.

[BKM-]

Whatever he did worked for him. Maybe he would have been more effective if he went to the body a lot.

[butterfly1964]

Whatever he did worked for him. Maybe he would have been more effective if he went to the body a lot.

Well, like I said, if your fighting a guy that's like half a foot shorter than you, then it makes no sense to be a constant body puncher, but if the guy is your height or more, then it does, and Ali did hit to the body against guys who were similar to him in dimensions.

[K-DOGG]

Against Lewis, Ali was facing a taller fighter who kept his guard up and left his body, which was right in front of Ali, open. As a general rule, the body attack wasn't a part of Ali's strategy; but of course he through some body shots from time to time. Ali was an instinctive fighter for the most part; he went with the flow and fought very "natural" fights, which was one of his biggest strengths because you can't really have a game plan to fight a guy like that because you never really know what he's going to do...you only have an idea. Ali was like water, shapeless and could change his game plan at a moment's notice if the opponent's game plan called for it....as he did againt Foreman.

[butterfly1964]

Against Lewis, Ali was facing a taller fighter who kept his guard up and left his body, which was right in front of Ali, open. As a general rule, the body attack wasn't a part of Ali's strategy; but of course he through some body shots from time to time. Ali was an instinctive fighter for the most part; he went with the flow and fought very "natural" fights, which was one of his biggest strengths because you can't really have a game plan to fight a guy like that because you never really know what he's going to do...you only have an idea. Ali was like water, shapeless and could change his game plan at a moment's notice if the opponent's game plan called for it....as he did againt Foreman.

Nice post. Ali was a complete fighter unlike what some people say. He could do it all. He could box, he could brawl, (doug jones, chuvalo I, bonavena, and he could slug,(norton, shavers). He knew what he was doing. That's what made him so successful even after his prime.

[hayZ]

he also hit terell numerous times in the chest, but also went for the head alot. ^^