No Bull With Raging Robert.
Robert Massimi.
Originally Answered: Once I asked Muhammad Ali what his hardest and most difficult fight was, and what do you think he told me?
I know what Muhammad said in his autobiography, and I also know what Angelo Dundee said.
The question is which was Ali’s hardest and most difficult fight, and the answer to that, the hardest single fight he ever had, Ali unquestionably believed it was his third fight with Frazier, the “Thrilla in Manila.” Ali said “that was the closest thing to death I ever experienced.”
In his autobiography,”The Greatest: My Own Story,” Ali said the first fight with Norton, which he managed to finish on his feet despite a broken jaw was “the second toughest time I had as a fighter.” (Manila was first)
In total, the hardest fights, plural, of his career, and his two most difficult opponents, were those fights with Kenny Norton, with Joe Frazier a close second — and I will explain why.
Styles make fights. Two fighters had styles which were all wrong for Ali: Norton and Frazier.
The most dangerous and toughest fights Ali ever participated in were with Ken Norton, who broke his jaw and gave him 3 extremely tough fights — and who was the #1 contender when Ali retired — and Joe Frazier, who also beat him once, and gave him all he could handle in two other fights, including the legendary “Thrilla in Manila.”
In Manila, Ali later admitted he had come into the fight believing Frazier was finished. Indeed, in the sixth round, after Frazier stepped up his legendary body attack, Ali whispered, “they told me you was all washed up, Joe Frazier!” Frazier growled back, “they lied!”
The general belief before the fight was that Ali was giving Joe one last big payday before sending him off into retirement. Ali did little training, instead wrapped up in his personal life, including an affair which made headlines all over the world, and an entourage nicknamed the “Ali Circus”.
Frazier, on the other hand, was singularly focused, and training with a grim and determined intensity. Frazier had a deep and unforgiving hatred for Ali. He had never forgiven Ali for painting him as the villain in their fight in 1971, and Frazier wanted desperately to win their third fight.
The first became a terrible war of attrition, and I doubt anyone will ever wage a more ferocious battle than Ali and Frazier did. In the 14th round, Frazier was effectively blind as he continued to try to get inside, only to be hit over and over by Ali. It was later revealed that Frazier actually had a cataract in his left eye and, with the punishment from Ali closing his right eye, was effectively fighting blind in the last three rounds of the fight.
Eddie Futch, Frazier’s trainer, decided to stop the fight after the 14th round. Frazier protested stopping the fight, shouting “I want him, boss” and trying to get Futch to change his mind. Futch refused, saying, “It’s all over. No one will forget what you did here today” and signaled to the referee to end the bout.
Ali said later he asked Dundee to cut his gloves off after the 14th, saying he could not take another round of Frazier beating on him.
Both men were never the same.
But both Frazier and Ken Norton deserve mention, because Ali said Norton’s style was the most difficult for him to solve, while Frazier was the toughest opponent he ever faced.
Norton’s style was all wrong for Ali, and Frazier’s was tough for him as well. Contrary to the never was a coach’s claims, Ali ate boxers like Holmes for breakfast, but had real trouble with swarming infighters like Norton and Frazier. Angelo Dundee said it best: “If Muhammad had faced Larry when he was a few years younger, he would have spanked him. Norton? He was always tough for us, and so was Frazier. Their style was wrong for Muhammad.”
Norton was a constantly advancing pressure fighter, a type of swarmer who could also box when necessary, who used a highly unusual stance characterized by the “cross arm” defense. This type of defense in some form was also used by boxers Archie Moore and Tim Witherspoon, as well as George Foreman during his famous comeback years. In this stance the left arm is positioned low across the body, with the right hand high by mid-head. When a fighter using this type of defense is put under pressure both arms are brought up high across at face level.
Norton also used the “bob and weave” from a crouch, applying constant pressure. His great physical strength and considerable punching power made him a dangerous opponent. Norton was best when advancing, and applying constant pressure. He was not anywhere near as effective if forced backwards, but very few fighters possessed the great strength and raw power to do so. Ken’s great weakness was he did not have a first rate chin, and powerful counter punchers were kryptonite to him.
Unfortunately for Ali, he was not the kind of “one punch” KO fighters who were Norton’s nemesis, and he was extremely vulnerable to powerful swarmers.
Ken Norton is recognized as an all time great fighter, a 1989 inductee of the World Boxing Hall of Fame, a 1992 inductee of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, a 2004 inductee into the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame, and a 2008 inductee into the World Boxing Council Hall of Fame.
Ring in 1998 ranked Norton #22 among “The 50 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time.” Norton received the Boxing Writers Association of America J. Niel trophy for “Fighter of the Year” in 1977.
Joe Frazier was a “swarmer,” a short, compact, heavyweight who was a terrific two handed body puncher, who possessed endless desire and stamina and actually got stronger as a fight progressed. He was the ultimate catch-and-kill fighter, because he had mastered cutting off the ring, and forcing his opponents into wars.
His signature was his left hook, which he threw with equal force to the body or head. Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1967, 1970 and 1971, while the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1969, 1971 and 1975. Ring magazine ranked him the eighth greatest heavyweight of all time. BoxRec ranks him as the 18th greatest heavyweight of all time. He is an inductee of both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
Joe grew up the child of sharecroppers in the south, working on a farm, and worked himself in a slaughterhouse at 15 years old when he was forced to flee his home and live alone in the north. His harsh life left him both strong, and tough as old shoe leather, fearless, and a far better defensive fighter than he is credited being.
Joe recorded five first-round knockouts and fourteen knockouts within the first three rounds, more KO’s in the early frames than Tyson had. He had a KO percentage of 73% against all time great competition, including Ali, Foreman, Foster, Bonevena, and Jerry Quarry. He was never knocked out in any of his fights, and only George Foreman and Oscar Bonavena ever knocked him down — and he got right back up and kept fighting.
Both Frazier and Norton won their first fights against Ali, and though he won the rematches, all fights with both were very difficult for him. In his autobiography, “The Greatest: My Own Story,” Ali himself said “Ken Norton’s style was hardest for me to solve, and Joe Frazier was just the toughest man I ever knew.”
Finally, let us dispense with the myth that the Holmes fight was Ali’s toughest.
There are people who bring up Ali’s fight with Holmes — but they usually are totally unaware of the facts that Ali was almost 40, already ill with Parkinson’s, coming back from a two year retirement, and on a thyroid medication he did not need medically, which nearly killed him during the Holmes fight, and left him effectively helpless from heat stroke. Holmes style did not bother Ali, age, illness, and heat stroke did.
As to Larry Holmes, Ali never ducked anyone, ever. He certainly did not duck Larry Holmes, his sparring partner, who he taught to box, and was not his mandatory #1 at the time of his retirement. Holmes is a controversial figure in boxing history, for what he did not do, as much as for what he did…
Ali retired for the first time — we are not counting his forced, 3 1/2 year “retirement” from 1967 to 1970 when he was barred from boxing — on September 15, 1978 after he regained the title from Leon Spinks. He was almost 37 when he retired, had been in 59 fights, 56–3, with losses only to Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, and Leon Spinks.
Larry Holmes was NOT the #1 contender as ranked by the WBA, WBC, or Ring. Ali certainly did not duck him, and never believed Holmes a better fighter. He was not the #1 contender when Ali faced Spinks, either the first or second time, and he was not the #1 contender when Ali retired. Holmes was, in fact, ranked #3.
After his unanimous decision victory against Earnie Shavers, Muhammad Ali decided to face 1976 Olympic Gold medalist Leon Spinks in a discretionary defense, wanting an easy tune up before facing Ken Norton for the fourth time in a mandatory defense, after the No 1 ranked Norton beat No 2 ranked Jimmy Young in a title eliminator in November 1977.
His former sparring partner Holmes was not a consideration because 1. he was not the #1 or even #2 contender; 2. he was regarded in boxing circles as a boring fighter, and 3. as Don King said at that time, “ain’t nobody gonna pay to see Ali whup his sparring partner!”
Contrary to the picture painted by folks like the Never was a coach, Ali was coming off a terrifically hard fight with Earnie Shavers when he scheduled the discretionary — not a mandatory — defense against Leon Spinks, who was ranked as a fringe contender after finishing his first year after winning Olympic Gold. Ali wanted an easy fight before facing the always tough Norton for a fourth time.
But the aging Champion got more than he bargained for, and the young Olympic champion outworked him for a decision win. Ali, already showing signs of Parkinson’s, made one more great effort, regained the title, then retired. He simply felt he no longer had what he took, and he retired.
Holmes was NOT the #1 contender when Ali retired, and was not a factor in the Spinks rematch, or Ali’s retirement. He was not even the #2 contender! Norton was the #1 contender, period.
Two years later, King offered the almost 39 year old Ali $8 million dollars to come out of retirement and face Larry Holmes, who by then had defeated Ken Norton, and become the WBC champion. Holmes did not want to face the WBA champion (he never became unified champion), and lobbied King for an easier opponent. Although Holmes never wanted to fight his mentor, whom he knew was ill, he wanted the money, and took the fight against Ali.
Ali, restless in retirement, and needing money, had originally intended to face John Tate for the WBA title, but Bob Arum scuttled those talks by demanding Ali take a much smaller purse. Thus, King stepped in and set up the Holmes fight.
Ali could not pass the standard fight physical and the Nevada State Athletic Commission had the former champion examined at the famed Mayo Clinic as a pre-condition to being granted a boxing license. Ali checked into the clinic on July 23, 1980. His neurological exam was conducted by Dr. Frank Howard, whose tests and examination recorded: Ali literally could not touch his finger to his nose, he had difficulty in coordinating the muscles used in speaking, and he did not hop on one foot with even standard agility for a man his age.
Nonetheless, incredibly, Dr. Howard found no specific condition to prohibit Ali from fighting. The Mayo Clinic report was given directly to the Nevada State Athletic Committee, but it was not made public. Based on the report, Ali was granted a boxing in Nevada.
In addition to being unable to touch his nose, speak normally, or hop up and down the way a man his age should, the champ was vastly overweight, and had to starve himself down to be presentable for the fight.
And not only should the Parkinson’s have stopped the right, his own medial team nearly killed Ali. Dr. Charles Williams, who was a member of Ali’s medical team, believing that Ali had a thyroid imbalance, had prescribed one tablet of Thyrolar per day. Thomas Hauser, in his book Muhammad Ali: His Life & Times, wrote: “Thyrolar is a potentially lethal drug, and no one on Thyrolar should engage in a professional fight.” incredibly, Ali doubled the dosage because he “thought the pills would be like vitamins.”
Known side effects of Thyrolar include fatigue, sluggishness, headache, increased blood pressure, tremor, nausea, increased heart rate, frequent urination and weight loss. The drug also can impair the body’s ability to cope with heat, causing dehydratation then heat stroke. Against Holmes, Ali reported he felt weak, fatigued and short of breath from round one on. His body wasn’t able to cool itself properly, and his temperature rose. That, Dr. Williams would later acknowledge, “led to heat exhaustion that went into heat stroke with an immediate period of slight stupor and maybe delirium.” He added, “I may have placed him in jeopardy inadvertently.”
Ali’s former physician, Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, told Hauser: “Ali was a walking time-bomb in the ring that night. He could have had anything from a heart attack to a stroke to all kinds of bleeding in the head.”
Four days after losing to Holmes, Ali checked into UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Dennis Cope, who supervised Ali’s stay, determined “that prior to medical intervention, Muhammad’s thyroid gland was functioning properly.” In other words, Dr. Williams had almost killed Ali for a thyroid problem which did not exist.
In a fight he never should have been allowed to make, Ali’s corner threw in the towel with him on his stool, suffering heat stroke symptoms. Though Holmes had won every round, he never succeeded in knocking Ali down or out.
Let us make this plain: Ali, almost 39, with Parkinsons, with impaired motor skills, on a medication he did not need which caused heat stroke and weakness so severe he was having trouble getting up from the stool or holding his arms up, nonetheless came out for 9 rounds and tried to fight Holmes, who despite all the above, could not knock him down or out.
Alas, this kind of fight happens all too often in boxing — just an old man and a younger one offered too much money to turn down, and a retired fighter who never should have been medically cleared to fight.
Angelo Dundee, till his dying day, said the most courage he ever saw a fighter exhibit was Ali getting off the stool, in heatstroke, unable to even lift his arms enough to ward off punches, and trudging forward because, as he whispered to Dundee after round one, “I can’t quit, man, I can’t quit. I got to try.”
That was Ali’s fight against Holmes, the real one.
It was not his toughest fight, it was his saddest, because he was old, ill, and suffering heat stroke.
Frazier, in 1975 in Manila, and Norton, in San Diego in 1973, were Ali’s most difficult fights.
Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, Hot Mail, You Tube, Covid 19, Ken Norton, Boxing, Mike Tyson, Howard Cosell, Amazon, google, Apple.
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Robert Massimi
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