Muhammad Ali is one of the most famous sportsmen of all time, but even he wasn’t above taking a big payday once in a while.
It is undeniable that Muhammad Ali is one of the greatest boxers of all time.
His clashes with the likes of Joe Frazier and George Foreman captured the public’s imagination like never before.
Ali made an estimated $80 million from his boxing career, hitting its peak in the 1960s and 1970s.
However, one of his biggest paydays came in a fight against a professional wrestler in Japan that made fans furious.
Muhammad Ali earned $6 million for a bizarre ‘War of the Worlds’ fight with Antonio Inoki in 1976
Ali’s clash with wrestling legend Antonio Inoki earned him one of the biggest paydays of his entire career.
The former world champion was paid a reported figure of $6 million to fight the New Japan Pro Wrestling founder, who was one of the biggest celebrities in Japan at the time.
Ali and Inoki battled in Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan Hall on June 26, 1976, in a match that was dubbed “War of the Worlds” and was the precursor to what became MMA.
Due to the bizarre ruleset enforced by both parties, Inoki spent the bulk of the match lying on the ground, avoiding Ali’s punches and kicking him in the leg.
After 15 tedious rounds, the match was declared a draw, with fans furious about the spectacle they had just seen.
Cushions, cups, and various trash were thrown into the ring, although I doubt Ali minded after getting his bumper pay from Inoki for the match.
This $6 million he earned was only beaten in his career by the reported $8 million that Ali earned in his comeback fight against Larry Holmes in 1980.
Ali suffered in that fight before his corner threw in the towel, which is what he probably wishes had happened against Inoki in Tokyo.
Antonio Inoki’s kicks almost caused Muhammad Ali to have his leg amputated
While Inoki’s strategy to lie on the ground and kick Ali’s leg was a sound one, it caused a huge amount of damage to the boxing legend.
Ali’s former manager, Bob Arum, told The Guardian in 2009 that Ali almost had to have his leg amputated, which would have put an end to his boxing career four years before the Holmes fight.
This was due to the damage from Inoki’s kicks, causing him an infection which was eventually treated.
Arum said: “So fine, OK. It was terrible, it was embarrassing. But Ali is bleeding from the legs. He gets an infection in his legs and almost has to have an amputation.
“Not only the [Ken] Norton fight would’ve been not happening, but Ali could’ve been a cripple for the rest of his life.”
The leg damage affected Ali’s famous speed in the ring, and he never managed to knock another man out again following his crossover fight with Inoki.
