Muhammad Ali vs. Richard Dunn

Challenger rankings

Org.	Pos.	As of	Published
1+ Mth. Old
WBA	N/A	N/A	N/A
WBC	NR	29.01.1976	29.01.1976
Ring	NR	~31.01.1976	06.02.1976
2+ Mth. Old
WBA	N/A	N/A	N/A
WBC	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ring	NR	15.10.1975	12.10-06.11.1975
3+ Mth. Old
WBA	N/A	N/A	N/A
WBC	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ring	NR	15.10.1975	12.10-06.11.1975

Muhammad Ali 220 lbs beat Richard Dunn 207 lbs by TKO at 2:05 in round 5 of 15

• Date: 1976-05-24
• Location: Olympiahalle, Munich, Bayern, Germany
• Referee: Herbert Tomser
• Judge: Raymond Baldeyrou
• Judge: Jose Fernando Perotti

• WBC World Heavyweight Title (7th defense by Ali)
• WBA World Heavyweight Title (7th defense by Ali)

Notes

Jabs	Ali	Dunn
Landed	12	37
Thrown	46	206
Percent	26.1%	18%
Power Punches	Ali	Dunn
Landed	61	63
Thrown	120	145
Percent	50.8%	43.4%
Total Punches	Ali	Dunn
Landed	73	100
Thrown	166	351
Percent	44%	28.5%
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Timeline

• On December 8, Dunn's manager George Biddles told the press that he had been contacted with an offer to set up a fight between Ali and Dunn in the spring of 1976 in Munich: "The German promoters asked me not to make any move for Dunn's next fight until they had heard from us. The Germans are flying to New York tomorrow in the hopes of clinching the fight."[1]
• Dunn was scheduled to fight Jean-Pierre Coopman on January 20 for the European Boxing Union heavyweight title; however, the fight was put in jeopardy when boxing agent George Kanter announced on December 22 that Coopman had signed to face Ali on February 20.[2][3] Biddles criticized the matchup and accused Ali of avoiding Dunn due to him being a southpaw.[4][5] Dunn's promoter Henry Levene said "Now let's see if the European Boxing Union has any teeth."[6]
• On December 23, secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control Ray Clarke reported that the EBU general secretary Piero Pini had told him that the organization would ban the fight.[7] Pini himself confimed that the next day.[8]
• Nevertheless, Ali-Coopman was formally announced on January 7.[9]
• Dunn was later lined up with Bernd August for the vacant EBU title. On March 3, the fight was scheduled for April 5.[10]
• On January 3, several media outlets reported that Butch Lewis had offered Ali $1.1 million to fight Dunn in Munich.[11][12][13]
• On March 5, Biddles told the press that "the preliminary talks about a fight with Ali have been going on for some time, but there was not going to be any announcement until it was definite. I am asking for $175,000 for Richard and I know we can get $150,000. Obviously Richard needs to beat August because he needs the status of European champion for the world title fight to have any meaning... It won't surprise me if Ali's people have made the same sort of deal with Bernd August. It would be common sense if they did".[14]
• On March 6, Biddles reported that both sides had finalized terms for the fight.[15]
• Contracts signed on March 8.[16][17][18]
• WBC agreed to sanction the bout under conditions that Dunn would a) win the vacant European heavyweight title on April 5 2) receive the permission of the European Boxing Commission.

Ranking Movements

• Information about the WBC and especially WBA rankings between November 1975 and February 1976 is largely unavailable.
• Dunn not rated Top 10 by the WBC since at least February 1 and up until May 2, when he was promoted to tenth.
• Dunn was not rated among top 10 heavyweight contenders by The Ring Magazine in its January (released by November 9, 1975), February (released early December 1975), April (released February 6, 1976) and May issues.
  • March issue only featured annual rankings.

The Fight

• Ali dropped Dunn three times in the fourth and twice in the fifth.
• This was Ali's last knockout win.
• Fight Poster.

Preceded by: Ali vs. Young	WBA Heavyweight Title Fight # 26	Succeeded by: Ali vs. Norton III
Preceded by: Ali vs. Young	WBC Heavyweight Title Fight # 27	Succeeded by: Ali vs. Norton III