MUHAMMAD ALI
Born: 17 January 1942Birth Place: Louisville, Kentucky,, USANationality: AmericanNickname: The Greatest & The People’s ChampDivision: Heavyweight (200lbs+)Height: 6’ 3” / 191 cmReach: 80″ / 203 cmACCOMPLISHMENTS
• 1960 Olympic Light Heavyweight Gold Medallist• First and Only Three Time Lineal World Heavyweight Champion• Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated• Sports Personality of the Century by BBCGREATEST ASSETS
• Left Jab• Hand Speed• Foot MovementOne of the greatest of all time, and arguably the greatest heavyweight ever, Muhammad Ali has a style that’s best described in his own words “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”.True to every word, Ali used his superior foot movement to keep his opponents off balance and walking onto punches that they don’t see. His jab was a thing of beauty, delivered with such quickness and accuracy which sets him up for the right hand.HOW?
Muhammad Ali transcends boxing and is seen as a cultural icon, who’s idolized all around the world. As a fighter, he was cocky and was known for his trash talk, but would back it up every time.In an era where the heavyweight division was filled with so many other great fighters, Ali was involved in a number of historic fights against Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Ken Norton. Ali was an innovator at a time where boxing didn’t have much scientific training behind it.He devised the rope-a-dope strategy which he used to defeat George Foreman. This required Ali to stay on the ropes for long periods of time, while his opponent swung away at him, often missing due to Ali leaning backwards whenever they punched. The whole aim is to get his opponent to become exhausted and wear down during the course of the fight.During sparring sessions, Ali would sometimes allow his sparring partners to hit him at will by laying on the ropes. He may have been practicing his rope-a-dope strategy, but unfortunately, the punishment he sustained during these sparring sessions would affect his health towards the end of his boxing career.The legendary trainer, Angelo Dundee was Ali’s trainer throughout much of his career and knows first-hand just how special his fighter was and the kind of work ethic he had. “Alot of times, he couldn’t get a ride from Miami to 5th Street Gym, so he would run from his apartment and then run back. I’d say it’s about seven miles…He was the first guy in the gym, and the last to leave”.JOE FRAZIER
Born: 12 January 1944 -November 7, 2011Birth Place: Beaufort, South Carolina, USANationality: AmericanNickname: Smokin’ JoeDivision: Heavyweight (200lbs+)Height: 5’ 10” / 178 cmReach: 73″ / 185 cmACCOMPLISHMENTS
• 1962, 1963 and 1964 Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship• 1964 Olympic Heavyweight Gold Medallist• Undisputed World Heavyweight ChampionGREATEST ASSETS
• Left Hook• Bobbing and Weaving Defense• Mental StrengthJoe Frazier is another all-time great coming from an era where the heavyweight division was jam packed with great fighters. He was famous for his powerful left hook which accounted for the majority of his knockouts.Frazier was a relentless pressure fighter who would bob and weave to avoid punches while getting into range to unload his own punches. A strong mind was displayed throughout Frazier’s entire career, sometimes taking so much punishment without quitting as best seen in his third fight with the legendary Muhammad Ali.HOW?
By a stroke of luck, Joe Frazier entered the Olympics as a replacement for the original fighter, Buster Mathis who was injured. Frazier was very well prepared due to his workhorse nature. He’d spar whoever he could, in his own words "Middleweight, light heavyweight, it didn't matter to me, I got in there and boxed all comers".After running through the heavyweight division and winning a world title in the process, Frazier would be the first man to beat Muhammad Ali. His three fights with Ali would forever shape his legacy, because of the taunts that he had to endure from Ali, and the intensity of these fights.In training, Frazier never slacked off, which is why he superseded other fighters who were more talented than himself. It’s what gave him the energy that allows him to have a relentless style. Sparring was a huge part of his game, he said “Sparring is the real deal. You can’t be a star unless you spar”.Frazier did no weight training, only calisthenics which consisted of push ups, pull ups and sit ups. These were more effective as it required using the entire body for a certain motion. To strengthen his ability to take body shots, there was an emphasis on getting his trainer to launch a medicine ball towards his abdominals and sides.Joe Frazier’s workout was quite simple, since he was a simple man. However, it’s clear that he brought it to another level and constantly, not to mention repetitively, performed these exercises at the highest intensity.
