Muhammad Ali Had No Doubt What Was His Best Ever Performance In Dazzling 61 Fight Career

Muhammad Ali was a part of historic moments both inside and outside the boxing ring.

The fighting enigma was known for his dazzling speed, poetic trash talk and extreme self-confidence. Ali captured the heavyweight championship three times, engaged in epic battles with big hitters like Joe Frazier and George Foreman, and became a global icon for his social activism.

In a Rumble in the Jungle 50 year anniversary feature for the Guardian, writer Donald McRae recalled what Ali told him about his standout fights, saying his best boxing performance came against Cleveland Williams in ’66.

“The fight when I was at my best as a boxer was against Cleveland Williams. The fight that was the best for fans was against Joe Frazier in Manila. But the fight that meant the most to me was beating George Foreman to win the championship of the world again.

“So many people come up to me and tell me they remember where they were when I whupped George Foreman. I remember where I was too.”

Ali was defending his heavyweight belts against Williams, who entered the ring with a record of 69-5-1 (55 KOs). It was his first shot at the championship and he would become well known as one of the best fighters to never achieve the top honour.

Ali dominated, sticking and moving his way to a third round stoppage. Plenty of others in the sport agree with him in holding the performance in high regard. He fought and won four more times before suffering his first loss to Frazier in his 32nd contest.