Muhammed Ali fights Syracuse U's/NFL great Jim Brown?

Fire-medic · Dec 7, 2012

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/boxin...n-quickly-gave-idea-fight-070258768--box.html

A great story about how even elite athletes have to be careful with what they try to do when it comes to being 'tough.'

dannymax · Dec 7, 2012

Haha...that's a great story!! :boxing:

Fire-medic · Dec 7, 2012

My oldest brother attended Syracuse U just after Jim Brown did, I did get to see Ernie Davis play there when my Dad & I went to visit my brother on football weekends. He was a fitting member of the Orangemen after the departure of Jim Brown. Jim Nance was another I got to see, he was an imposing sight, and was an NCAA national wrestling champion for Syracuse besides terrorizing the Syracuse opponents on the gridiron.
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/17/us/jim-nance-a-star-with-the-patriots-ex-runner-was-49.html

http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/nancejim.shtml

http://www.suathletics.com/sports/2006/1/10/daviserniebio.aspx

sdt354 · Dec 7, 2012

How about Ali playing linebacker against Brown?

He might not have been able to touch Jim as well, or gotten run over. Though the mismatch would be greater in boxing. Most people won't fair well against a trained boxer, but Ali? He was way to fast in his prime, for most fighters.
Brown was one of the best football players to ever run with the ball. It's still exciting to see him on an old clip.

Fire-medic · Dec 7, 2012

sdt354;288682[SIZE=3 said:
]How about Ali playing linebacker against Brown?[/SIZE]

He might not have been able to touch Jim as well, or gotten run over. Though the mismatch would be greater in boxing. Most people won't fair well against a trained boxer, but Ali? He was way to fast in his prime, for most fighters.
Brown was one of the best football players to ever run with the ball. It's still exciting to see him on an old clip.

Yes, probably a mismatch, but that wasn't the direction the principal was proposing to take things. Brown wanted to 'try' Ali, and it wouldn't have been pretty. At-least he had the sense to back-off the challenge. Some have hubris which would force them to do it anyway. :confused2: