obviously we didn't and we can only guess at the performance he would have put on. The Ali of the sixties trained joyfully, he was in peak or near peak condition each time and was improving. They say that for the Liston rematch, Ali weighed the same but both his legs and arms had gained an inch, he was still growing at 25 and still improving. Henry Cooper says the main difference between the first and second fights was Muhammad's physical strength and how strong it made his clinch, "like a vice". He retained most of his speed as he became a true big man and was hitting hard enough to finish off all but 2 of his defense opponents. The Ali who came back wasn't nearly as passionate about the sport, had lost his legs for the most part and wasn't as fast with his hands or reflexes, it's when he started to really get hit. I could see a peak Ali either kayoing or decisioning Frazier and remaining on top for who knows how long. However, everything worked out, who's to say that had ali fought those three years and started taking everyone for granted, he may not have been ready for some of the new crop, (just as he wasn't for the first Norton fight) and suffered an embarrassing loss. the comeback losses, first against frazier and then against Norton were both great wake up calls for a fighter who was running out of drive. no telling how it would have played out in another scenario, maybe letting down in a title fight against a good but mediocre opponent. The comeback added a mystique and myth to his story and unlike Tyson who came out of prison to a welcoming public, he came all the way back.
