This writer has written over half a dozen articles on the 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist and three-time world heavyweight champion born Cassius Clay, who became Muhammad Ali, making that announcement after winning the title, stopping Sonny Liston in February of 1964.
Cassius Clay lost in the 1960 Olympic Trials to Sgt. Percy Price in the heavyweight division. He was permitted to fight as a light heavyweight, and he won the gold medal at the Rome Olympics.
In Clay’s eighteenth fight against Doug Jones, who had lost in a light heavyweight world title fight to Philadelphia’s Harold Johnson up 3-1 in rounds when he got rocked on three occasions in the fifth round. In the sixth Jones evened the score at 3-3. With 5-4 Clay on my card going into the tenth and final round, Clay finished strong, taking the round. The final scores were 5-4-1 twice and 8-1-1, among the boos from the fans. Clay had predicted a fourth-round stoppage.
In Clay’s next fight, he came off the canvas from a Henry Cooper, 27-8-1, in London from a left hook on the chin in the fourth round. In between rounds, his trainer Angelo Dundee cut a glove, causing Clay much more time to recover as a new glove had to be put on Ali. He would stop Cooper on cuts in the next round. In his eleventh fight, he was dropped by Sonny Banks, 10-2, in the first round, only to come back and score a knockdown in the second round and a fourth-round stoppage.
In February of 1964, Clay defeated Sonny Liston, 35-1, for the world title after six rounds for the title. In November of 1966 he never looked better in taking out big muscular Cleveland “Big Cat” Williams, 69-5-2, in 3 rounds.
In March of 1967 in his final fight before being suspended for not entering the draft by the New York Commission he stopped Zora Folley, 74-7-4. Upon his return to the ring after appealing to the US Supreme Court he was given his license back and in October of 1970 he defeated Jerry Quarry, 37-4-4 and it was obvious his defensive skills had diminished while his hand and foot speed were much slower.
In March of 1971, Ali, 31-0, in an attempt to regain the tile, met 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist and then WBA and WBC world champion “Smokin” Joe Frazier, 26-0, down 7-6, 8-6 and 10-4 going into the fifteenth and final round. Ali was floored and lost floored and lost for the first time at Madison Square Garden.
Four months later Ali met former champion Jimmy Ellis, 30-6, whom he split with in the amateurs. His trainer, Angelo Dundee, also trained Ellis and would work his corner in this bout. Ali won the vacant NABF title in this one.
Ali won his next ten fights before losing for the second time in his first of three fights by split decision to Ken Norton in San Diego in March of 1973, having his jaw broken early in the fight. I met him in Philly’s center city shortly after this while he was in a crowd. An older gentleman told him, “Next time you fight Norton, be a man, not a boy!” Ali replied, “Did you call me Roy?”
Two weeks later I saw an article in the Philadelphia Daily News showing his Cherry Hill home. Though not writing at the time I ventured to the house. His wive Belinda answered the door when I asked “can I speak to the champ?”’ She said she’d be fight back and asked me to come in when she did.
Shortly after, Ali entered the living room, where a Muslim banner was hanging. I asked, “Why didn’t you give Doug Jones a rematch? He brought me into a large room where others were. Either Bobby or his dad, Murray Goodman, both matchmakers for Madison Square Garden, were there whom I did an article on.
Four years later, at Ali’s Deer Lake, PA, training camp (now called Fighters Heaven), sitting next to him in a group getting my picture with him, I asked, “Why are you fighting all these bums?” The look on his face was like, “What are you talking about, Willis?”
Six months after losing to Norton Ali in the rematch, the loss was reversed by a split decision. It would be the second of three fights, with many readers feeling Norton won them all, not this writer.
Two fights later, in January 1974, Ali defeated former champion Frazier in their rematch at Madison Square Garden by 6-5, 7-4, and 8-4 in rounds, regaining the NABF title.
This win earned him a third shot at the world tile when he upset champion “Big” George Foreman, 40-0, the former 1968 Olympic Gold Medalist knocking him out in eight rounds.
Two fights later, behind by scores of 49-43, 46-45, and 46-46, in the eleventh round, Lyle against the ropes did the Ali rope-a-dope when referee Ferd Hernandez surprisingly called a halt.
Two fights later came the third meeting with Frazier called “The Thrilla in Manila,” where Frazier was kept in the corner by his trainer Eddie Futch after 14 rounds ahead by scores of 66-60, 66-62, and 67-62.
Two fights later he met Philadelphia’s Jimmy Young, 17-4-2, he fought what seemed like a good idea sitting on the ropes a bit too long, not allowing Ali to do enough to score a stoppage losing by decision 72-65, 70-68 and 71-64. Another controversial decision?
In September of 1976 came the third Norton fight for the first time, not by split decision. Ali won by scores of 8-6 and 8-7 twice, at Yankee Stadium. Couldn’t have been much closer winning the final round. Two fights later, finding himself on the canvas by the hardest puncher in the division in Earnie ‘Black Destroyer’ Shavers, 54-5-1, at Madison Square Garden by scores of 9-5 and 9-6 twice.
In Ali’s next fight he was upset by former 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist Leon Spinks, 6-0-1, by split decision in Las Vegas, Nevada. Spinks showed no fear or respect in taking the title. Seven months later Ali reversed the decision coming in much better condition before 63,350 in attendance at New Orleans Superdome. It would be his last win.
A year later, Ali would be stopped for the first and only time by WBC champion Larry “The Easton Assassin” Holmes, 38-0, in the tenth round, not having won a round. Again, with a bit of over a year, he had his final bout, losing to former champion Trevor Berbick, 19-2-1, at Nassau in the Bahamas, in December of 1981, ending with a record of 56-5 with 37 stoppages at the age of 39.
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