Why the hell did Ali???

[Ezzard]

Fight Inoki?

Seems bizarre that he did this. And crazy that his advisers didn't stop it.

[ThatOne]

$$$$$$$$$$$

[Ezzard]

He was making plenty of money. And I doubt it was his idea. Surely someone should have stooped it.

I can't imagine that Angelo wanted it to go ahead.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I'm sure they viewed it as an easy paycheck not realizing how physical those wrestlers are, especially in Japan.

[Ezzard]

Wasn’t it originally going to be a fixed fight. But as it got closer Ali’s people realised that Inoki had little to lose by rushing Ali and breaking from the script. If he defeated Ali it would have made him a megastar or at least that was the worry…

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Wasn’t it originally going to be a fixed fight. But as it got closer Ali’s people realised that Inoki had little to lose by rushing Ali and breaking from the script. If he defeated Ali it would have made him a megastar or at least that was the worry…

It was choreographed. Contrary to popular opinion, those guys/girls beat the shit out of each other.

[ThatOne]

Fight Inoki?

Seems bizarre that he did this. And crazy that his advisers didn't stop it.

Ezzard, good question.

Muhammad Ali was 'starting' to become irrelevant, and the need for the 'Spotlight'
and desire for 'more money' at the expense of integrity consumed him.

When a $6,100,000 offer was 'thrown in his face', instead of saying,

No, I'm not some sort of 'Freak' in a 'Circus Sideshow', Muhammad actually got
down real low in the 'Class Department' and took it.

There you go again, Il Liberace, displaying your double standards (judging people by different standards) for all the world to see:


Floyd Mayweather Jr. headlines WrestleMania on Sunday with his matchup against Paul “Big Show” Wight in Orlando. But he is far from the first boxing star to try his hand at pro wrestling. Here are some of the most notable examples over the years:

1. Muhammad Ali: The most famous boxer of all time made numerous appearances at pro wrestling events in the United States, Japan and once in North Korea. Ali was even a referee at the first WrestleMania in 1985.

Ali was the only boxer besides Mayweather to do a high-profile pro wrestling match while still in his prime, when he faced Antonio Inoki on July 25, 1976, at Budokan Hall in Tokyo in a match broadcast on closed-circuit television throughout the U.S.

The match was supposed to be scripted, with Ali losing. At the last minute, Ali got cold feet and the match almost fell apart. To save the event,Inoki agreed to fight for real, with a rule set that was akin to fighting in a straitjacket. Inoki couldn’t punch because he wasn’t wearing gloves. He couldn’t kick while standing. He couldn’t use throws, nor use any submissions. So he spent 15 rounds laying on his back throwing kicks to Ali’s legs. The match, officially called a draw, was a farce, but in Japan it is considered one of the most famous pro wrestling matches ever, as well as the birth of mixed martial arts.

Photo Muhammad Ali taunts Antonio Inoki in their 1976 match in Tokyo. The referee, Gene LaBell, is presently a judge for mixed martial arts competitions.
(AP)
2. Mike Tyson: Tyson’s participation in WrestleMania 14 in Boston in 1998, as a referee for a match where Steve Austin beat Shawn Michaels for the WWF title, may have been the most historically significant appearance by a boxer on a wrestling show on a long-term basis. Austin was already on the verge of becoming the hottest wrestler in the country, but by getting into a staged shoving match with Tyson on national TV, he started getting recognition past just the wrestling fan audience. It was the popularity of Austin that was the key in the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) , at the time behind in a heated wrestling war with rival World Championship Wrestling, that started turning the corner in a battle Vince McMahon’s company won. As for Tyson, at the time suspended from boxing for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear, his big move was a supposed knockout punch to Michaels after the match.
3. Primo Carnera: A dubious heavyweight champion in 1933-34, long after his boxing career was over and he was left broke, turned to pro wrestling from 1946-63. In his early years, the 6-foot-6, 265-pounder was one of the biggest pro wrestling box office attractions in the country. While considered poor as a wrestling performer, he was a headliner almost his entire run.

4. Joe Louis: Heavily in debt to the IRS after his boxing career ended, Louis wrestled some in the 1950s and ’60s, and as late as 1972. But the former heavyweight champion was used more often as a main event referee, working at many of the biggest arenas in the country into the early ’70s.

5. Jack Dempsey: During the 1920s, when Dempsey was the king of boxing and Ed “Strangler” Lewis was the king of wrestling, there were serious efforts to have them face off in a legitimate match. But after Dempsey did some training with wrestlers, he lost interest in the offers. On July 1, 1940, in Atlanta, a 45-year-old Dempsey, whose boxing career ended a dozen years earlier, destroyed a pro wrestler with no boxing background, Clarence “Cowboy” Luttrell, for two rounds under boxing rules in what videotape evidence seems to indicate was not a choreographed match, even though it was part of a pro wrestling show. Dempsey also did boxing matches with famous pro wrestlers Bill Longson and Wild Bull Curry on pro wrestling shows, which were likely more along the lines of traditional pro wrestling.

6. Archie Moore: Moore’s pro boxing record shows two knockout wins over pro wrestlers on pro wrestling events, a 1956 win over “Professor” Roy Shire, and a 1963 win over “Iron” Mike DiBiase, the stepfather of ’80s wrestling star Ted “Million Dollar Man” DiBiase. But both were along the lines of pro wrestling feuds, done identically. Moore refereed matches where the villain blamed Moore’s officiating for costing them the match, and challenged Moore to boxing matches. Both also ended identically, in the third round, stopped due to blood. Shire later became one of the most successful pro wrestling promoters of the ’60s and ’70s out of the Cow Palace in San Francisco, and on a few occasions in big matches used the longtime former light heavyweight champion as a special referee.

7. Joe Frazier: Frazier refereed a famous Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes match on November 22, 1984 in Greensboro, N.C. He stopped the match due to Rhodes’ bleeding, which was done to set up a Rhodes vs. Frazier match, which never materialized. The former heavyweight champion did lose a scripted boxer vs. wrestler match in the Caribbean to Carlos Colon in 1984, the father of current World Wrestling Entertainment star Carlito.

8. “Jersey” Joe Walcott: While in his late 40s, long after his boxing career ended, Walcott participated in what were billed as former world heavyweight champion boxer vs. world heavyweight champion wrestler matches against Buddy Rogers and Lou Thesz. They were both scripted matches, with the wrestlers winning.

9. Leon Spinks: Spinks, while still active but long past his prime as a boxer, wrestled extensively in both the U.S. and Japan, including high-profile matches with Inoki in Japan and Jerry “The King” Lawler in Memphis during the late ’80s and early ’90s. Spinks’ 1986 match with Inoki had gigantic ratings on Japanese television, but was an embarrassment. Inoki was supposed to drop Spinks backward on his head and pin him, but Spinks went dead weight and both went down with no impact. Spinks then laid down for the finish and wouldn’t get up, since it was his time to lose. After the unconvincing ending to the match, Spinks got right up like nothing had happened.

10. Evander Holyfield: As recently as August 13 in Madison Square Garden, Holyfield did a mock boxing match with WWE wrestler Matt Hardy in Madison Square Garden, which was taped for airing a few nights later on NBC. Holyfield did the wrestling gig to help promote his next boxing match.


http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=dm-boxers032608

[ThatOne]

The real deal,


It was Herbert Muhammad who approached Bob Arum with the idea.

Yes, Muhammad Ali's Manager...........

Herbert Muhammad felt {knew} that Muhammad Ali was probably going to lose
to Kenny Norton, so they wanted to 'cash in' before the September 1976 bout
in Yankee Stadium.

Bob Arum brought in Vince McMahon Sr. to 'script the bout'.

Yes, Muhammad Ali was 'scamming the public' again..........

That is why he loses all respect, from the real people.

CITATION PLEASE AND I BELIEVE ONE OF THE EDITORS AT THIS SITE CAUGHT YOU IN ANOTHER, SHALL I SAY POLITELY, MISSTATEMENT, ERGO:

http://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=172267

[ThatOne]

Mr. That One

Then who was the Film Director for the The Superfight 'Marciano vs. Ali'

Willie Wonka

Good Day Sir........

Drum roll

...

...

...

Murray Woroner

[SteveO]

Yep, sorry Il Duce but you're wrong AGAIN!
As Thatone correctly said..the 'Superfight' was directed by Murray Woroner. The Technical Director was Hank Kaplan.

http://rocky.wikia.com/wiki/The_Super_Fight

[ThatOne]

Yep, sorry Il Duce but you're wrong AGAIN!
As Thatone correctly said..the 'Superfight' was directed by Murray Woroner. The Technical Director was Hank Kaplan.

http://rocky.wikia.com/wiki/The_Super_Fight

I wish we could go back to the days when this board had a extra large font size option but I can see why the admins eliminated it.

[SteveO]

I stand corrected.........and will hang my head low in shame,,,,,,,,,,,
I was talking about the Re-Edited version,,,,,
So Sir,,,,,You Are Wrong Again
Everybody knows the 'original' was done by Woroner Productions.

That's okay - anyone can make a mistake
Everybody knows that the 2005 issued 136min DVD was done by Mike De Lisa - of which 'The Superfight' was PART of the content!

[BoxBuzz]

Inoki beat the crap out of his legs in that affair. So it was almost like workin' for a livin'.

[HomicideHenry]

Considering Foreman/Ali was like $5,000,000 split the $6,000,000+ in Tokyo was something that couldn't be refused. Originally it was to be a work--- however, the truth is Inoki wasn't going into it like that either---- he trained purposely for the fight that whenever Ali came close, he would drop to his back and kick, or throw a round house kick to Ali's legs. Ali somewhere between the press conference and the day of fight fight was told by Freddie Blassie that Ali had to watch his back cus if Inoki wanted to take liberities, he could and would. So Ali went into it like it was a real fight.

How it wound up being a 15 round draw I will never know, considering Ali thrown 6 punches in 15 rounds and landed only 2 of them, while Inoki kicked the living shit out of him.

[ThatOne]

I remember hearing some of this bout on Radio with an after Round re-cap.

The Radio Announcer was funny as hell,

Several of the Rounds he scored the Round for the Referee, because he was the
only one doing anything in the Ring.......

The Japanese fans actually threw 'garbage' on Muhammad Ali,,,,,,half-eaten Fish-Cakes.....

Jesus Christ........

Perhaps it was a belated reaction to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

[p4p1]

I actually have an MMA book somewhere were this fight is talked about in detail as it was going to be the first majorly televised mixed rules fight and I will have a re-read of that section but from what I remember Ali originally thought it was going to be a work, Inoki knew it wasn't going to be and was training to put the fight straight onto the mat and dominate Ali there. When Ali and his management found out that it wasn't going to be a work they had the rules changed to stop Inoki wrestle fornicating him. There was no way Inoki a wrestler was going to stand across from Ali and try to fight him there, So he decided that he would drop down and kick his legs. Terrible idea for a fight if it wasn't going to be a work. As I have mentioned in previous threads in a hybrid match the guy who has the better wrestling always has the advantage because he can dictate where the fight takes place, Ali would of had nothing more than a small punchers chance in this kind of match as would any boxer around at that time, Though I feel that a physical freak like Foreman could throw a good wrestler off him even though he didn't have the technique. The Japanese shoot wrestlers back then had very legitimate catch wrestling skills back then regardless of the fights being fake, Also at the time IIRC the Japanese fans did not know that it was fake either.

[p4p1]

Good Digging Mr. P-4-P1,

Lot's of changes in the Rules of Engagement prior to this bout.

No way was Antonio Inoki going to be allowed to lose in Japan.

Antonio could have ended this 'farce' in about 1-Minute if he wanted to,
but that wouldn't have played well in Peoria as we liked to say.

You gave to give them a show, even if it 'sucks'.

No I don't think he could though as the rules were changed to prevent that, there was no way Ali was going to try and outwrestle Inoki with little to no training and no way he should of. It was a dumb fight for everyone involved, It was especially dumb for Ali (though was it really considering the money he made?) to have it be on the level. Just a bad page for boxing and martial arts history. Cross rules fights are great if done right but boxer vs wrestler is just terrible if the boxer doesn't have any wrestling experience all that happens is the boxer has one chance to land a big punch in the opening 10 seconds and if that doesn't happen they he ends up on his back with no chance of getting up.

[BoxBuzz]

Is this true? I wouldn't doubt that it could be, but is it?

Do you have any sources? Or is this an assumption based on probabilities?

Was the Andre the Giant vs Chuck Wepner also scripted in some way?

if so, My brother is going to want his price of admission back.

[yancey]

Is this true? I wouldn't doubt that it could be, but is it?

Do you have any sources? Or is this an assumption based on probabilities?

Was the Andre the Giant vs Chuck Wepner also scripted in some way?

if so, My brother is going to want his price of admission back.

Sorry Mr. Box Box..............'NO REFUNDS'

Didn't your brother read the very fine print.........

It was directly under the word........SUCKER

[gilgamesh]

Is this true? I wouldn't doubt that it could be, but is it?

Do you have any sources? Or is this an assumption based on probabilities?

Was the Andre the Giant vs Chuck Wepner also scripted in some way?

if so, My brother is going to want his price of admission back.

Sorry Mr. Box Box..............'NO REFUNDS'

Didn't your brother read the very fine print.........

It was directly under the word........SUCKER

If anybody is going to a Professional Wrestling event expecting to see a REAL fight they're an idiot. Wrestling is often very physical and there's a lot more pain and anguish involved than most people realize, but if anybody thought Antonio Inoki and Muhammad Ali were REALLY going to go at it, they were fools.

[ThatOne]

Is this true? I wouldn't doubt that it could be, but is it?

Do you have any sources? Or is this an assumption based on probabilities?

Was the Andre the Giant vs Chuck Wepner also scripted in some way?

if so, My brother is going to want his price of admission back.

Sorry Mr. Box Box..............'NO REFUNDS'

Didn't your brother read the very fine print.........

It was directly under the word........SUCKER

If anybody is going to a Professional Wrestling event expecting to see a REAL fight they're an idiot. Wrestling is often very physical and there's a lot more pain and anguish involved than most people realize, but if anybody thought Antonio Inoki and Muhammad Ali were REALLY going to go at it, they were fools.

Il Liberace didn't speak to his dad for two weeks the winter of 1955 when he told him Santa didn't put his presents under the Christmas tree and he was thirty.

[elmersalsa]

Il Liberace didn't speak to his dad for two weeks the winter of 1955 when he told him Santa didn't put his presents under the Christmas tree and he was thirty.[/quote]

[Giancarlo]

That One and Elmersalsa Landscaping Services.

One is 'black' and the other one is an 'illegal alien' from the Dominican Republic........

More racist stuff from Il Dunce.

It's about time this guy was banned.

[gilgamesh]

Here Here, Mr. G

But Muhammad Ali would never pull a 'sham' on his fans, and take their hard earned money.

Given that he was the Professional Wrestler and the one that should've been able to make something out of the event, I'd say Inoki made the event more of a sham than Ali did.

The whole thing was a bad idea to begin with though.

[ThatOne]

Il Liberace thought wrestling was on the prior to the Ali-Inoki exhibition. All his animus toward the GOAT can be traced to that bout where both participants proved that it wasn't.