I wonder if is now ingrained in boxing training to move like that -- no one notices a big difference like they did with Ali because everyone is trained to move like that. Looking back through the videos I have to think that none of the heavyweight boxers move like that today. I wonder if there will be a renaissance in boxing where you have a whole generation of boxers moving like Ali. Does anyone follow boxing? Can anyone comment on how Ali influenced the state of boxing generations later?
Sadly, boxing as a sport has much declined since Ali's day, and especially in recent years. In particular, the heavyweight division has been found most acutely lacking for some time.
However, you are correct that heavyweights don't and have not typically "moved like that". Even those who were relatively fast and defensively gifted (e.g. a young Tyson) didn't move as poetically.
He moved like a boxer of a much lower weight class and, beyond even that, he moved like Ali. Graceful. Fluid. Quick. Rhythmic. Instinctive. Check out some of his highlights on YouTube. There are entire sequences during which he defied opponents to hit him through head/upper body movement alone. Hands are low and movement is so fast and well-timed that it seems to predict his opponent's next move. It's as if he is training his opponent to punch wherever he moves his head, and his opponent is reacting to him vs. the other way around.
And, this is to say nothing of his footwork. He glided without effort and the mechansim by which he changed direction was almost imperceptible. It seemed that he was being guided on a wire versus using his legs. Back then, it was amazing to see a man his size (or any) move like that, and it would be just as much so today.
At 1:21 and 1:35, Ali does this shuffle thing with his feet.
How does one do that? I just tried it, and I can't imagine how I would move my feet that rapidly even with extensive training. I'm pretty lanky. Would it be easier to foot-shuffle if I had Ali's build? Or would it be even harder because of his mass.
And does this maneuver have a name? It seems like he does it when he's winding up for a jab combo. To make his punches unpredictable. Am I reading his movements correctly?
One thing people underestimate about boxing is how much training goes into the feet movement. Any boxer at that level can do things with their feet that is pretty baffling. Training your feet and calfs in boxing is extensive. That said one of the things that made Ali so astounding is that for a big guy he was super light on his feet.
That foot shuffle doesn't have a name, and he isn't doing it for a tactical advantage. He's showing off. Nearly anyone else on the planet who tried it would have a coach in there ear ripping them a new one. But you know, the greatest of all time gets to do things others can't.
Oh, I do think the shuffle had tactical advantages beyond showing off. It's demoralizing to the opponent, it serves as a distraction, and it's so unorthodox that it momentarily leaves opponents wondering what's coming next. He frequently threw (and landed) off of a shuffle, even if not to devastating effect.
But, I agree that it would drive most trainers nuts for any other boxer. And, yeah, Ali's gifts and confidence made it possible for him to get away with a lot of the kind of stuff that would drive trainers crazy (including Dundee early on). For, instance, consistently carrying his hands so low violated a Golden Rule of boxing and keeping the hands up is one of the first things kids are taught about the sport.
Later, he fashioned the rope a dope and other techniques to compensate for his then diminished speed.
Kind of reminds me of Bruce Lee. Improvise. Create. Take what your opponent gives you.
Yeah, he made the "Ali Shuffle" look easy! He was one of those people who seemed almost "engineered" for a specific sport. I'm no kinesiologist, but I'm guessing the secret to his speed--including that shuffle--was related to insanely tuned fast-twitch muscle fibers.
It's the same muscle fiber type that provides the explosive power and acceleration that give many basketball players their impressive vertical leaping abilities.
These muscles can also be further developed to some extent, and he was also a really hard worker. Amazingly, he later declared that he hated every second of his training, but knew it's what he had to do.
Boxing is in a bit of a vicious cycle and has been for some time. During Ali's prime boxing was more popular generally. It was a mainstream sport that lots of people watched. It was also going through a golden era with regard to talent especially at the heavy weight level. There was Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Liston all fighting at the same time which of course amplified the popularity.
Now boxing doesn't have any of the all time greats boxing and its less popular, meaning its unlikely to have greats start boxing again. Add in how much less acceptable head injuries are in sports, the decline of youth boxing in the USA and the rise of MMA and it is unlikely we will see boxing be anything more than it is now, an occasional big fight for a couple of top contenders and not a lot else that makes it into the general mainstream.
As for moving like that, part of it is that bigger guys more generally move better than they used to so the difference isn't as pronounced but its also Ali being special.
I wonder if the drop in popularity has to do with title bouts moving to pay per view. I've never been interested enough to pay to watch but if it was on network, I probably would have...
I would imagine it's something that worked at the time, because it successfully exploited the slow, static movement of his opponents, but today it's probably "priced in" as a possibility with known correct countering, so that people don't actually use it anymore. Like a rare chess opening that was once used successfully until people figured out how to deal with it later in the game.
