What if America had won the Vietnam war?

Apologies if this has been covered before or elsewhere, but it's a topic that's been playing on my mind recently.

When Ali refused the draft in 1967, opposition to the war was high but draft dodgers, particularly a black muslim one, were still viewed negatively by the majority of the US public.

As 1970 approached, opposition to the war took a real turn and it was no longer the preserve of hippies, students and ex-GIs. Overwhelmingly the US public began to oppose the war as US casualties rose and Nixon was playing nuclear chess with the Russians as he directed B52s to the Soviet border to prevent their interference.

In late 1970 the New York State Supreme Court ruled that Ali had been unlawfully denied the right to box.

Ali was no longer the villian.


However, what would have happened if the US had won in Vietnam? What if Nixon had turned the tide and got the US public on side in supporting the war? Imagine Ali didn't get his licence back, or was at least denied the opportunity to fight at the highest levels because he was vilified as a traitor.

How would the face of heavyweight boxing have changed in the 1970s, and beyond? You have fighters that are inexorably linked with each other throughout that period. With no prospect of a trilogy between Ali & Frazier, would Joe be as revered as is had now? Would Foreman have still destroyed him in the way he did and would he have faded away? What about Foreman? A terrifying fighter going 40-0 before he met Ali. Despite losing the Ali fight, that fight probably had more influence on him than any other event prior to that and since. He changed as a person, and to look at what he became versus what he was, would that have happened had Ali not been around? Could those fighters have been great without him? Neither Frazier nor Foreman really had the personality to sell fights.

What about beyond that era? It's viewed as being the last great era of heavyweight boxing, but without the greatness of that era, would subsequent eras be viewed as negatively? Was that greatness bad for boxing in any way, like the rise of Don King?

Ali's record up until his ban is/was still a very impressive one and, despite the potential for him to have been permenantly exiled, I think many would always consider him to have been the number one guy. He was just reaching his peak and it's not unreasonable to suggest that he would have only improved on an already impressive resume.

I find it hard to imagine that someone with Ali's record up to that point would have remained permenatly exiled though. The sports writers of the day would have always made reference to him whover became champion in his absence.

Frazier would undoubtedly have gained the HW crown in Ali's absence but he'd always have the shadow of Ali looming over him? "Could Frazier have ever beaten him, what if, what if, what if, if only" is all he'd ever hear (which, I believe, is part of the reason Frazier asked the President to grant Ali his licence to fight...Frazier needed Ali to become legitimate). However, when you consider that Foreman annihilated Joe twice, it's likely that Foreman would have become the premier guy with Joe STILL playing second fiddle.

if ali didnt come back, then i reckon foreman would have gone on to rule for some time, ali was one of the few fighters i believe could have taken that version of the foreman. and if foreman didnt lose im not so sure he would have left and found god so easily. foreman had a that invicible tag around him that ali burst, think this lose affected foreman badly and without the loss im not to sure he's goes and loses to jimmy young. frazier would have been about but dont see how having no ali affects how the fight between foreman and frazier goes.

undoubtably the era doesnt look as good without ali around, ali wasnt just a boxer he was a entertainer inside and outside the ring, still some great boxers in there but without the high profile rumble, manilla etc wouldnt have been as big. the era would have depended on how foreman went imo.

like others have said ali probably would have been allowed back one way or the other, and the other fighters would have always had ali's shadow over them, its not like ali wouldnt have been quite about the issue!