Posted on 04/16/2015 12:37:06 PM PDT by zeestephen
"I don't look at a man who's expert in one area as a specialist," McGregor told Esquire. "I look at him as a rookie in ten other areas...It would take me less than thirty seconds to wrap around him like a boa constrictor and strangle him."
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Ali was almost 35 years old in that fight.
His legs were gone five years earlier, when he had to do Rope-A-Dope against Joe Frazier in 1971.
An expert display of ground fighting doesn’t bore me at all.
Watching someone like Demian Maia muscle blanket his opponent for 5 rounds makes my want to kill myself in the face.
Pretty safe bet that the athlete force to fight by the other’s rules would lose.
This Irish guy is a bum. What a disgusting thing to say about a guy who has done nothing but excel in his life.
In the days leading up to the fight Ali and Inoki's representatives began to renegotiate the rules. A list of restrictions was imposed on Inoki. He would not be allowed to throw, grapple or tackle Ali, and could not land any kicks unless he had one knee on the mat.[3] Ali's camp also demanded that the rules not be made public before the fight. Judo expert and US Marine Donn Draeger noted: "The rules have been so seriously modified that the contest is no longer boxing versus wrestling. Unless this were done there would be no way to choreograph the match and make it look convincing. Ali can grapple or punch the man down; Inoki is not allowed to leg-dive or tackle. That latter restriction is the same as prohibiting Ali from jabbing. What a farce!".[4]
The fight
As soon as the opening bell rang, Inoki ran the 16-foot gap and slid at the legs of Ali, who sidestepped the attack. Inoki stayed on the ground for all but the first 14 seconds of the three-minute first round, kicking at Ali and landing one clean hit to Ali's right leg. The majority of the fight saw Inoki on his back kicking Ali's legs, occasionally connecting. By the third round, a wound had appeared on Ali's left knee.[3]
Ali began walking around the ring, out of reach of Inoki's kicks, taunting him by shouting "Coward Inoki! Inoki no fight!". In the fourth round, Inoki, still on his back, trapped Ali in a corner and started kicking wildly at his thighs. Ali leapt up on to the ropes and tucked his legs underneath him. In round six, Ali tried to grab Inoki's left ankle as he kicked him, but Inoki wrapped his right leg around Ali's right calf and flipped him over on the canvas. He then rolled over on top of Ali's chest. While in this hold, Inoki elbowed Ali in the face, costing him three points.[4]
Ali did not throw his first punch until the seventh round. In the eighth, Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee, demanded that Inoki tape the tips of his shoelaces, claiming that one of the eyelets came loose and was cutting Ali's legs. A wound had already opened up on his thigh. In the tenth, Ali threw his second punch, and two more in the thirteenth. He threw only six punches in total during the fight.[5]
The fight, went the fifteen round distance and was scored as a draw. Inoki had been three points up but was docked all three for fouls. The result meant no one had to lose face; Inoki could claim he would have won had it not been for the penalties, whereas Ali could defend himself by saying his opponent had cheated.[4]
Aftermath
The fight was poorly received. The crowd at the Budokan threw rubbish into the ring and chanted "Money back! Money back!". Donn Draeger said of the response: "the Budokan janitorial people took almost a full day to clean up the garbage that was hurled at the two 'combatants' as the result of their lousy performance".[4]
The public, unaware of the restrictions put on Inoki, were critical of his tactics during the fight. Inoki's right leg, the leg he had used for the majority of his kicks was broken. During the fight Ali's left leg was badly swollen and bleeding, which led to an infection. He also suffered two blood clots in his legs affecting his mobility for the remainder of his boxing career. At one point amputation was also discussed.[3]
Perhaps but when you tackle someone, you are running at them with your head tucked down, so they are only getting a free shot at the top, back, or maybe the sides of your head. Might still be able to do some damage, but not as likely to get a knockout like that.
Me thinks many here do not do much fighting. Mayweather might last longer than 30 seconds but not by much.
A low blow means the groin area.
Kicks to the legs were allowed.
If all you do is box you will be a victim of every grappler from beginner to master no matter what is in your fists.
I can and have broken someone’s collar bone when they rushed me like that (accidental elbow blow to the collar bone from me covering up). While that stopped the fight and I won from a TKO, I noted that it becomes very difficult to implement ANY kind of hold when your shoulder is broken.
In 1986 Spinks would also fight and lose to Inoki in the eighth round of a match for the WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship.
Say that again! I've bounced in a number of bars and I never saw a fight last more than a minute with both men still standing. The ground fighter always wins.
It ain't like the movies.
I really miss the PKA. Bob “Thunder” Thurman, Alvin Prouder, Jerry Trimble, Rick “The Jet” Roufus, Dennis Alexio, John Yves Therioux, “Superfoot” Wallace. The UFC doesn’t even come close.
And that’s why it’s called boxing, not street fighting. How long would he last if he had to follow the rules of Mayweathers sport? personally I never had any interest in watching someone take a guy down and then beat the crap out of him until the Ref finally pulled him off, kinda like watching an out of control PitBull.
Random Trivia:
Bill Wallace was an announcer for the 1st UFC event, he famously flubbed his opening monologue by burping/hiccuping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzynOCnAVqU
Rick Roufus’ younger brother, Duke, is a renowned MMA trainer.
If you like high level kickboxing, the best right now is Glory. You can watch Glory Kickboxing on Spike TV.
Don’t forget the lay and pray of Jon Fitch.
Disgusting? What are you a pansy? All Mayweather and McGregor do is talk smack. Stick to golf.
hah!
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Fitch. I think he got fired form the UFC or something, but I’m not sure what the reason was.
He was a fighter who did not have any sort of ability or way to finish a fight.
He could go forever, but that is not necessarily a good thing for fans on its own, I’d say.
No. I think there has to be a level of respect among fighters. I can’t relate to punk talk. “Kill” is inexcusable. You can be colorful without crossing the line. And hey Bud, what’s wrong with golf? lol
Absolutely fascinating post, thanks! Answers questions I've had for years about Ali. I never heard of Inoki or this fight and I was in HS too at the time.
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