Muhammad Ali would have struggled to compete with much larger fighters like Tyson Fury, according to the boxing icon's former promoter Bob Arum.

The Top Rank founder has promoted both men during his career and the 88-year-old still promotes Fury in America, which led him to becoming WBC heavyweight champion by dethroning Deontay Wilder.

Arum also brought Ali to Arsenal's Highbury stadium in 1966 where he beat Henry Cooper in a rematch, and was also the promoter of George Foreman's comeback after 10 years away from the ring before he went on to become the oldest ever heavyweight champion in 1994.

But Arum is not convinced Ali would have been able to overcome the physical and technical attributes of Fury.

'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,' he 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 6ft 3in and the guys he fought were about the same size. How would he do against a 6ft 9in guy who is an incredible boxer with great footwork?' 

'I grew up with basketball in New York and the center was barely 6ft 6in. A guard was 5ft 10in. Now LeBron James is as quick as any guard but he's 6ft 10in. 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 6ft 9in 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 6ft 6in instead of 6ft 3in because of the nutrition. Everything has changed.' 

Fury became a two-time heavyweight champion in February when he dropped Wilder twice before a seventh-round stoppage to claim the WBC world title. 

Wilder and Fury are scheduled to meet for the third time later this year, although a date has not yet been set due to the coronavirus crisis.