BoxRec

I have seen you guys talking about this before but I wonder what is acctually true about it.

according to Ingemar Johanssons biography american press wanted it to look like Ali was superior in every way and that Johansson was on the brink of being knocked out.
According to Ingemar, Ali just backed away the whole time and hardly ever threw a punch, he said Ali was a horrible sparring partner because every time Ingemar was going to nail him with the "hammer of Thor" Angelo Dundee yeald out from ringside "don't throw the right".

Now call me crazy but i just don't think such a unexprienced fighter (only 4 or 5 profights) it doesn't matter that it's "the gratest of all time" i just don't think a fighter like that would outbox a former world heavyweight champion and then get knocked on his ass by Henry Cooper it sounds crazy to me.

I'm sorry if this is an old topic but i just want to know what you tink about it.

..ingermar was notorious for looking lousy in training camp. before the first patterson fight many reporters covering his camp said he never even threw his "toonder and lightning" right hand" in any of his sparring. plus he just seemed to go through the motions of training..even had his girlfriend in camp with him.

i don't know any actual facts about the session with ali, but considering the above it's highly possible that ali made him look bad. i can't go along with ali having him on the verge of a knockout, though. that would have been hugely written about. ingemar was a curiousity and was closely watched by the press in everything he did...except maybe for what he did with his girl freind.

Jaclem wrote:..ingermar was notorious for looking lousy in training camp. before the first patterson fight many reporters covering his camp said he never even threw his "toonder and lightning" right hand" in any of his sparring. plus he just seemed to go through the motions of training..even had his girlfriend in camp with him.

i don't know any actual facts about the session with ali, but considering the above it's highly possible that ali made him look bad. i can't go along with ali having him on the verge of a knockout, though. that would have been hugely written about. ingemar was a curiousity and was closely watched by the press in everything he did...except maybe for what he did with his girl freind.

I've seen the footage and can lay some of this to rest. Clay was very elusive and Johansson landed virtual no shots. Clay had great movement and threw some snappy jabs and tried to land a big right on a few occassions. Johansson was nowhere near being KO'd but he did quit the sparring session after a round and a half since he was getting embarrassed.

Supposedly the same thing happened with Ali and Willie Pastrano.
Against his better judgement Dundee claimed that right before he turned pro Angelo let Ali spar with Willie.
Dundee said that Ali was kickin hell out of Pastrano and Angelo halted the session after one round saying that Willie was getting stale.
Pastrnos reply was "dont give me that crap. that kid kicked my ass".
A young Ali sparred in the gym with something to prove.
When he got older he allowed himself by laying on the ropes all the time to take way too much punishment.

expug.


i remember reading about that in "king of the world"

..okay..so ingo called a halt. ingo didn't like to train much and maybe ali was setting too fast a pace for him. i haven't seen the film so of course your eyewitness counts for more than my assumptions.

but...i still think if ingo had taken ali seriously....had been prepared for him....no question ali at any stage was going to be fast and cocky...he might have come across better. i recall the long lanky billy daniels bouncing right hands off ali's head for much of their fight...early in ali's career, before daniels got stopped..on cuts, i think. so ..i don't think at the even earlier stage ali could have gotten away from ingo's very fast right....he did NOT like to throw it in training camp. i guess what i'm really saying is that even if ali had made ingo look bad i don't see ali beating ingo in a pro fight at that time . later when ali was a pro and with some experience...yeah.....he'd make ingo dizzy trying to find him.....but not when he was an amateur.

I've seen the footage and can lay some of this to rest. Clay was very elusive and Johansson landed virtual no shots. Clay had great movement and threw some snappy jabs and tried to land a big right on a few occassions. Johansson was nowhere near being KO'd but he did quit the sparring session after a round and a half since he was getting embarrassed.

Is there acctualy film of this do you know how i could get a hold of that i would love to see it

Here you go guys, enjoy