Do not let success go to your head and do not let failure get to your heart.
Not True
Muhammad Ali was in great physical shape, and was as sharp as a 'tack'.
He even said so himself.
Bill if Joe himself, God rest his soul, was still here, even he would shake his head in disbelief. You are several nuggets short of a bargain bucket.
Larry Holmes
Played 'mind games' with Muhammad Ali.
Larry broke down Muhammad before the bout got started.
It had nothing to do with Muhammad's physical being.
This psychological stuff is viewed wrong. Yes Hopkins pulled some nice stunts but any way you look at it he was going to box the WW great Tito to bits. Any way you look at it he was going to beat Holmes. You see evidence that the result is actually drawn from the result by someone saying it didn't work against Calzaghe. The difference wasn't the psychological war, it was the opponent.People say he won this fight so that psychological stuff must have worked or he lost so it must not have. When it was never about that.
Psychological war is fought in small details. Make a guy think about your straight right when your gameplan revolves around the left hook. If a guy has stamina issues make him think about that, nothing taxes the body like nerves. Or maybe they fight at a slower pace.
Drawing conclusions from the result is faulty, look at the action. Don't look at the whole, was a detail effected and capitalized on. We fans want to make dramatic all encompassing statements. To make these statements we stretch small factors into deciding factors.
Bill the only person you are kidding is yourself.
Do not let success go to your head and do not let failure get to your heart.
That is a stretch Ron. Again, Hop had everyone, including Tito, looking for a back alley brawl and came out and put on a clinic. You can try and downplay it all you want, but ANYONE who followed the sport at that time was shocked at Hopkins fighting like that. Shocked.
As for looking at the small things, I used the example of Pascal in the rematch. If you don't think it messed with Pascals mind to have Hop constantly discuss Pascals stamina issues, you're crazy. Pascal was mentally exhausted by the 10th round. Again, the most impressive part of Hops mind games is how he uses them on judges n refs with success as well.
He only ever saw Ali from a distance or when he gatecrashed his training sessions in the pre - fight build up. Most of the time Liston was in the ring training. He had never met Ali up close until the weigh in. Many of those watching at ringside were surprised during the referee's instructions to see that Ali was considerably taller than Liston. While receiving instructions, Liston glowered upward at Ali, while Ali stared back and stood on his toes to appear even taller.Ali might've been shitting himself, but i reckon Liston had just realised a huge problem was in front of him and not just some nut!
The Third Man is out in the Rafters.
Sonny Liston and Cassis Clay met up close many times in 1962 and 1963.
In November 1963, they were all buddy-buddy, both in Denver and in Las Vegas.
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