Did Wilt Chamberlain use an unrealistic tax demand to back out of the Ali fight?

[APerno]

[Kalan]

One of Chamberlain’s dreams from childhood was being Heavyweight Champion of the World... He got involved with Basketball because it was a natural for a kid with his height, size, superior athletic ability, strength, power, and endurance. Basketball took over Chamberlain's life, but he never forgot his boyhood dream of being Heavyweight Champion. That’s why he challenged Ali in the 1st place.

But by 1971 Chamberlain was tired of the whole damned mess. He knew he was used by Ali for publicity and Ali was scared to death of fighting him. Back in 1966-67 Chamberlain hired a team of lawyers and ironed out an agreement to fight Ali for the Heavyweight Title. Chamberlain and Ali went on TV together and did interviews and hyped up the fight. All the while Ali refused to sign the negotiated contract. Chamberlain knew instinctively that a fight between him and Ali would be box office dynamite - and that everyone in the world would want to see it – but you can’t make a boxer get into a ring if he doesn’t want to.

Before all this got rolling, Wilt did a lot of leg work.. He contacted Cus D’Amato and Floyd Patterson and discussed his fistic talents with them. He wanted to get a grasp on whether it was feasible for him to become Heavyweight Champion by beating Ali... Both D’Amato and Patterson agreed that Wilt would knock Ali out cold and take his title.. Wilt always thought he could beat any man alive in a fist fight, even though he needed gloves custom made for his huge fists. The fight and training would take place in basketball’s offseason so it wouldn’t affect the 76’ers season. However the offseason arrived and Ali still hadn’t signed the contract – and he never would. Ali only did it because he was a publicity hound.

So several years later, in 1971, when lawyers approached Chamberlain about an Ali fight, he didn’t believe it for a minute... He knew Ali just wanted to generate publicity before the Frazier fight.. But Wilt threw it out there “I want the same deal we agreed to before. $500,000 and it has to be tax free because I’m in the top tax bracket. Ali has to win the Frazier fight. This whole thing is about me being Heavyweight Champion of the World.” The lawyers said there was more than enough money in the fight to swing a deal like that. They put together a package both Wilt and Ali agreed to. Wilt again signed a legal agreement to fight Ali if he retained the title against Frazier.. As far as anyone knows, Ali never signed the agreement.. It was a repeat performance of 1967.

After Ali lost to Frazier he told people his next fight was going to be Wilt Chamberlain. “This is no joke. Me and Wilt are going to fight.” Chamberlain was no longer interested because it wasn’t a Title Fight. He wasn’t interested in appearing with Ali anymore. He wanted a signed contract. So he said, “You know the terms I signed for. I’m done signing my ass off for nothing. Show me an agreement Ali signed.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF57P1uUG0s

[BoxBuzz]

Wilt never never wanted the fight......period...fact....end of story.....


your storm of verbage on this matter needs to be put in the fridge....right next to this....

they are two of a kind.









Forturnately for Wilt, his wise decision made it possible for him to continue his basketball career.

[gilgamesh]

Who gives a sh*t? He's a f*cking basketball player

[elmersalsa]

Enough of this BULLSHIT! Please!

[BoxBuzz]

now now....it's just another sparkly and colorful topic regarding the history of Boxing, and it's many chapters.

no need to for raised blood pressure over simple historical musings. At least the contributor offered up a bona fide newspaper clipping rather than gossip.

[elmersalsa]

now now....it's just another sparkly and colorful topic regarding the history of Boxing, and it's many chapters.

no need to for raised blood pressure over simple historical musings. At least the contributor offered up a bona fide newspaper clipping rather than gossip.

Okay, then. The SAME OLD CRAP BACK AGAIN!

[Nile4000]

Wilt was a great player, but Ali would've hurt him. So it is good thing they didn't fight.

[BoxBuzz]

fair enough elmer.....but some do seem to be drawn like moths to the flame on this ......my motivation here is just not allowing certain members to represent this as anything more than what it is.


A blatant attempt on behalf of one athlete to garner attention to increase his potential earnings by stirring up interest in something he actually had no interest in, and little likelihood of having any impact on. Crystal Clearly demonstrated by his TOTAL and COMPLETE unwillingness to ultimately even put his little toe in on a reality basis.


Leaving some "chief imagineers" to attempt to stir up the illusion that somehow this person was going to create a whole new chapter of "glory days" for himsefl that never ever came to be.

Why did this not take place, and why did the really tall guy never enter the sport ?Simply because he never had a scintilla of a chance to be anything more than a "flash in the pan" moment. Check that....make it a "crash to the deck" moment.

[Kalan]

Wilt never never wanted the fight......period...fact....end of story.....


your storm of verbage on this matter needs to be put in the fridge....right next to this....

they are two of a kind.









Forturnately for Wilt, his wise decision made it possible for him to continue his basketball career.

That's your favorite meat BuzzBox ... and you do nothing but eat it all day long until you're full of it... You have no facts.. You've got nothing but insults

Wilt signed 2 contracts that obliged him to fight Ali... The 2nd one if Ali beat Frazier to retain the title... Ali signed NONE!!! Ali didn't want to get obliterated by Wilt Chamberlain's size 23 fists... Ali said of Wilt.., "That man scares me.. He's the only man in the world I'm afraid of.. I think he would kill me." That explains Ali's response when Wilt asks him how long is it going to be before Ali signs the contract... and Ali saying "Don't rush things" at that point Chamberlain knew Ali was a FOUR-FLUSHER.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF57P1uUG0s

[gilgamesh]

Kalan you should get your ass kicked for ever introducing this stupid ass conversation to this forum.

[Kalan]

Who gives a sh*t? He's a f*cking basketball player

He was the greatest player in the History of the NBA and holds more individual records than anyone else in history... Including the most rebounds in a game AND the only man in NBA History to score in 3 figures in a game.. He's the only man in HISTORY to dominate on both ends of the court.. He did it with the whole other team fouling the Hell out of him, allowing him to score the record number of foul shots in the history of the NBA... Plus Cus D'Amato, one of the greatest trainers in the history of Boxing, offered to train Chamberlain and said Chamberlain was so quick he would knock Ali out cold because all he needed was to rip Ali with 1-shot and it would be "Lights Out"

The above article ADMITS Chamberlain signed a contingency contract based on Ali retaining the title... There is NO evidence of Ali signing that contract.

OR the previous contract in 1967 that had been wrangled over for many months. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF57P1uUG0s

[Kalan]

Kalan you should get your ass kicked for ever introducing this stupid ass conversation to this forum.

You're all ass. You need to flush yourself down the nearest toilet before your stench kills everybody in your neighborhood.

[gilgamesh]

Kalan you should get your ass kicked for ever introducing this stupid ass conversation to this forum.

You're all ass. You need to flush yourself down the nearest toilet before your stench kills everybody in your neighborhood.

You got your 10 year old nephew writing your comebacks for ya?

[Kalan]

Kalan you should get your ass kicked for ever introducing this stupid ass conversation to this forum.

You're all ass. You need to flush yourself down the nearest toilet before your stench kills everybody in your neighborhood.

You got your 10 year old nephew writing your comebacks for ya?

Get lost creep. You bore me.

[gilgamesh]

You're all ass. You need to flush yourself down the nearest toilet before your stench kills everybody in your neighborhood.

You got your 10 year old nephew writing your comebacks for ya?

Get lost creep. You bore me.

Came up with that one all by yourself huh? I can tell, doesn't have the sharp wit of the 10 year old's writing

[Kalan]

You've got the maturity of a 3-year-old creep

[gilgamesh]

You've got the maturity of a 3-year-old creep

Oh come on now...I've at least reached the maturity of a 7 year old. You're being unreasonable.

[BoxBuzz]

Kalan....I did not insult you.......I took demonstrable issue with you....

they are not the same.

This gets civil, or it gets locked......it's just another boxing topic uh...ok semi boxing topic....no more no less.

Follow the rules. Enjoy the board. Embrace civil give and take. Or be shown the door.

[gilgamesh]

Kalan....I did not insult you.......I took demonstrable issue with you....

they are not the same.

This gets civil, or it gets locked......it's just another boxing topic uh...ok semi boxing topic....no more no less.

Follow the rules. Enjoy the board. Embrace civil give and take. Or be shown the door.

OH NO BUZZ! Please don't lock the Wilt Chamberlain tax thread...whatever shall we do without it?

[Ossyrules]

The basketball player gets beat by the boxer at boxing

What about shaq vs wlad

[Syntax Error]

Oh no: Wilt Chamberlain again!

[gilgamesh]

The basketball player gets beat by the boxer at boxing

What about shaq vs wlad

What about The Easter Bunny vs The Incredible Hulk?

[Ossyrules]

The basketball player gets beat by the boxer at boxing

What about shaq vs wlad

What about The Easter Bunny vs The Incredible Hulk?

If the hulks not angry enough it's goes to points

[gilgamesh]

The basketball player gets beat by the boxer at boxing

What about shaq vs wlad

What about The Easter Bunny vs The Incredible Hulk?

If the hulks not angry enough it's goes to points

Oh don't worry about that, when he can't find that last Easter Egg he's gonna hit the f*cking roof