Bob Arum: Muhammad Ali Couldn’t Compete Against Tyson Fury

Top Rank CEO and legendary promoter Bob Arum doesn’t think three time heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali would be able to compete with someone like Tyson Fury.

Arum who promoted Ali believes despite his former fighters’ immense talent he would struggle to overcome the sheer size disadvantages he’d face against modern heavyweights like Fury.

The 88-year-old promoter explained to Sky Sports why he thinks Ali wouldn’t be able to compete against Fury, he said.

“I look at Ali, I look at Foreman when he won the title when he was 45, I look at Fury. How would Ali have done with Fury? That’s a question I wrestle with,” Arum told Sky Sports.

“The Ali before the three-and-a-half years out was absolutely superb. Nobody could touch him, he was so fast. Ali was 6’3 and the guys he fought were about the same size. How would he do against a 6’9 guy who is an incredible boxer with great footwork?”

“I grew up with basketball in New York and the center was barely 6’6. A guard was 5’10. Now LeBron James is as quick as any guard but he’s 6’10. Imagine LeBron playing against the small guys of my era. It would be a joke, he would score 60 points every game.

“I can’t see Ali competing with a 6’9 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. But maybe if Ali was in this era he would be 6’6 instead of 6’3 because of the nutrition. Everything has changed.”  

Do you agree with Bob Arum? Would Muhammad Ali struggle to compete against modern heavyweight champions such as Tyson Fury?