Top Rank’s Bob Arum made an interesting statement regarding two of his best heavyweight fighters he ever promoted. According to the 88-year-old lawyer, Muhammad Ali would have problems with the current WBC champion Tyson Fury.
“I look at Ali, I look at Foreman when he won the title when he was 45, I look at Fury,” Arum told Sky Sports when asked about the biggest stars he has promoted.
“How would Ali have done with Fury? That’s a question I wrestle with.
“The Ali before the three-and-a-half years out was absolutely superb. Nobody could touch him, he was so fast.,
“Ali was 6ft3in and the guys he fought were about the same size. How would he do against a 6ft9in guy who is an incredible boxer with great footwork?
“I grew up with basketball in New York and the center was barely 6ft6in. A guard was 5ft10in. Now LeBron James is as quick as any guard but he’s 6ft10in. Imagine LeBron playing against the small guys of my era. It would be a joke, he would score 60 points every game.
“I can’t see Ali competing with a 6ft9in guy like Fury. We had big guys in the old days but they were slow, lumbering. They were jokes who couldn’t fight, they were just big. It’s all changing. Look at Fury, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder. They are huge guys.
“But maybe if Ali was in this era he would be 6ft6in instead of 6ft3in because of the nutrition. Everything has changed.”
Source: www.skysports.com
