Bob Arum not sure Muhammad Ali could have beaten Tyson Fury

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum has been around the block longer than just about anyone in the boxing business, and has seen generations of great fighters over that time. And it’s not that we don’t know that promoters are prone to hyperbole when, you know, promoting their fighters, but Arum claims that Tyson Fury would’ve been more than a handful for all-time great, Muhammad Ali. That’s one helluva hot take.

“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?”

Arum would continue by saying that although they had big heavyweights back in the day, they were all basically slow and plodding fighters, not quite the athletes of today (relative to their size).

“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.”

Well, since there’s not much going on in the sport at the moment and we’re all using our imaginations anyway, maybe this is something worth a discussion. Do you think Fury would be too physically large and mobile for a fighter like Ali, or is Arum just talking out of his ass? Share your thoughts below.