How great could Muhammad Ali have been without his Vietnam War exile?

[Kelley1]

Muhammad Ali at his peak (circa 1964–1967) is widely considered the most physically dominant heavyweight in boxing history. Possessing unprecedented speed, lightning-fast footwork, and a lightweight-like agility, a young Ali overwhelmed dominant champions like Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, and Cleveland Williams.
His prime was brutally cut short in 1967 when he was stripped of his boxing titles and exiled from the sport for refusing military induction into the Vietnam War. During this specific, pre-exile stretch, he defended his WBC and WBA titles nine times.

[canamlusciouslad73]

Nearly superhuman. (Joe Frazier, Ken Norton wouldn't have stood a chance against an Ali during his 31/2 year layoff, and he wouldn't have used Leon Spinks or Trevor Berbick as a sparring partner. Only a prime Larry Holmes would have troubled Ali, who would have been kayoed early by 18-to-21-year-old Mike Tyson were Ali and Tyson to meet in the ring at those ages, but after age 22, Ali easily handles Tyson.)

[Just_Ken]

Was still 28 when he met Fraser. Still in his Prime. Ali didn't slow down, he adopted new techniques, put on more weight to compensate for bigger fighters that were appearing
Ali had been in the spotlight since the Olympics and they found ways to compensate for how he fought.
Ali had to change the way he fought to fight Foreman. The way tyson fought was developed to outright guys like Ali and Holmes. Worth mentioning that Holmes was 28. when he won the title, he and Foreman were the same age.

[canamlusciouslad73]

@Just_Ken Holmes was an inordinately superior fighter to Foreman, who was just an overmuscled thrower of (admittedly nearly lethal) haymakers.

[Just_Ken]

In the same year foreman retired at 28, holmes won his first title. Thats no coincidence.
Forearm was a very skilled fighter. He didn't just throw haymakers. He used a lot of old boxing and some wrestling techniques to intercept incoming punches, hit the body to wear guys out, leaned on them to tire them and was always in postion to land hard punches. Thst takes skill, there big muscled bruiser boxers today that can't land accurate heavy punches like he did. Ali even adopted a lot of fireman's techniques to extend his career. Foreman's skill was shown later when fighting against younger heavyweight champs years later like morrison, hollyfield and Moore. Foreman and Ali were similar weights and heights.
https://youtu.be/PJ80CoMwSu8?is=ySXPXvkLOmCUgPXC

[canamlusciouslad73]

@Just_Ken Foreman didn't learn boxing technique until he emerged from his decade-long retirement, and he had to learn to box some and shorten his punches to compensate for his advancing age and size.(When he knocked out 26-year-old Michael Moorer to become, at age 45, the oldest Heavyweight Champion, Foreman weighed 250 as oppsed to 215-230 in his prime, and he boasted 181/2 [perhaps 20] -inch biceps. Still, Foreman lost the first nine rounds before the out-of-the-blue right-handed 10th-round knockout blow.)

[Lliam]

I have to admit that the AI bot said it best.

But even with his exile, Ali was the greatest of all time.

[Lliam]

Thanks for the MHO, Kelley.

[AI Opinion]

Ali lost three prime years, which in heavyweight terms is massive. In that 1967–70 window, with his speed, reflexes, and confidence, he likely would’ve cleaned out the division even more decisively, racking up title defenses and widening the gap between him and everyone else.

Without exile, he probably takes fewer career beatings, extends his peak, and his GOAT case becomes almost untouchable 🥊

[Just_Ken]

He still would have met Smokin Joe Fraser who beat him the first time. Still would have met Ken Norton who beat him. Still would have met George Foreman who beat everyone only that time he may not have had the tools to beat foreman.

Might actually be a case of be careful what you wish for as Ali may have only beaten the fighters Fraser did while Ali was banned meeting either Fraser, Norton or Foreman eventually. With Foreman vs Ali it could have gone the way it did for Floyd Patterson vs Sonny Liston. People dont realise how good Fraser and foreman were, both were skilled Olympic Gold medalists. Foreman was way more skilled that he's ever been given credit for.

https://youtu.be/PJ80CoMwSu8?is=ySXPXvkLOmCUgPXC

[Spencer10]

He stood up for a principal... that made him even greater.

[DonaldDarko]

He was great because of it. Also his views on race.

[Bklynbadboy12]

Lets be clear he's great and that Vietnam exile have done nothing to stop his greatness

[Paige2006]

The same as he was

[eagle1951]

i'm guessing it screw him