Simply known as ‘The Greatest’, new fans to the sport of boxing could be forgiven for thinking Muhammad Ali went through his career untouchable. That’s far from true – although he did show signs of it at stages – and his close contests added to his legacy just as much, if not more, than the one-sided wins. Here we take a look at five of his toughest opponents…
Doug Jones – March 13, 163
In a little over a year and a half, Cassius Clay, soon to be known as Muhammad Ali, had won all 17 of his professional fights, scoring 14 knockouts. Clay, who had won gold at the 1960 Olympic Games, was young, bold, and filled with poetic bravado.
Clay liked to predict when his fights would end. He had been successful in seven of his last eight fights. He was gunning for heavyweight champion Sonny Liston, but first, the 21-year-old would have to get past number three contender Doug Jones at Madison Square Garden on March 13, 1963.
Jones had been boxing professionally for five years. He knocked out former middleweight champion Bobo Olsen in his 16th professional fight. Three losses in succession hurt his career momentum. Still, knockout wins over future light heavyweight champion Bob Foster and contender Zora Folley, after being floored, restored his ranking, and led to his fight against Clay.
Jones, 26, was a 3-1 betting underdog on fight night. Clay predicted Jones would fall: “This boy likes to mix. So, he must fall in six.” He tweaked his prediction days before the fight:“I’m changing the pick I made before. Instead of six, Doug goes in four.”
Whatever Clay envisioned; he couldn’t have foreseen being staggered by a big Jones right a minute into the bout. Clay held on and fought back. He popped Jones with jabs and hooks, but the resourceful Jones connected with blows of his own. Clay tried to make good on his prediction but failed. Jones was likely ahead after seven back-and-forth rounds. Clay dug deep after being told by trainer Angelo Dundee he was losing the fight. He picked up the pace, strafing Jones with combinations.
Two judges scored the fight 5-4-1 for Clay. The other is an outrageous 8-1. “Clay showed me that I’ll get locked up for murder if we’re ever matched.” Liston said after the fight.
Ron Lyle – May 16, 1975
Throughout 61 professional fights, Muhammad Ali was rarely behind on the judges’ scorecards. Joe Frazier and Ken Norton were the exception, but Ron Lyle?
Lyle’s life had been deadly and destructive. He was convicted of second-degree murder at 19 and almost died on the operating table after being stabbed in the abdomen by a fellow inmate. It took seven hours and 36 blood transfusions to save him. After recovering, Lyle found boxing and devoted himself to becoming a fighter.
Released from prison after serving nine years. Lyle won the Denver Golden Gloves and turned pro at 30. He won his first 19 fights (17 by knockout) and was favored to beat battle-worn Jerry Quarry at Madison Square Garden in 1973. Lyle was wobbled twice and lost for the first time. His record stood at 30-2-1 when he met Ali in Sin City.
Ali had shocked the boxing world when he stopped George Foreman to regain the heavyweight title in 1974. A sluggish win over Chuck Wepner was his only action since the Foreman affair. Ali’s weigh-in at 224 pounds when he fought Lyle. He had told everyone (Lyle was listening) that he’d use his “rope-a-dope” tactic to tire the ex-con, but Lyle refused to play the dope. He waited for Ali, turning their fight into a chess match. Ali landed nothing in the opening session. He landed a little more during the next five rounds. Lyle hardly did more, but he was banking rounds and thinking upset.
Lyle looked gassed after chasing Ali in rounds six through 10. Ali had done better, stinging Lyle with jabs, but was still behind on two of the judges’ scorecards.
Early in the eleventh round, Ali landed a sharp right hand that knocked a sagging Lyle into the ropes. He unloaded shot after shot on Lyle, who eventually stumbled into the ropes near Ali’s corner. Referee Eddie Hernandez waved the fight off. Ali’s corner looked relieved.
Oscar Bonavena – December 7, 1970
Forty-two days after slashing the eyebrow of the high-ranked contender Jerry Quarry and winning by stoppage, Muhammad Ali was back in the ring against the tank like Oscar Bonavena. Ali’s win was impressive to everyone but Ali. Still, the push was on to fight Joe Frazier.
Bonavena came close to handing rising Joe Frazier his first loss in 1966, scoring two knockdowns early and forcing Frazier to hold on. Bonavena was strong, awkward, and threw wild punches from various places. He could punch–scoring 37 knockouts in 46 victories. He tabbed Gil Claney to train him and followed directions.
Ali entered the ring, a 6-1 favorite. In the early rounds, Ali moved while Bonavena charged. Bonavena did well in round four. Ali was dancing in round five, but Bonavena was unmoved. The fight was close. Ali had predicted he’d stop Bonavena in round nine. Ali wanted the knock out. He attacked Bonavena, connecting with hard rights while Bonavena dug to the body.
Several punches appeared to hurt Bonavena, but there was no quit in the strongman from Argentina. He punched back, nailing Ali. One jarring left hook caused the former champion to wobble to the ropes. Ali said after the fight that his whole body went numb. The next few rounds were slow, with Bonavena out landing Ali. The Madison Square Garden booed their displeasure.
Bonavena came out throwing roundhouse punches in round 15. He missed. Ali, ragged throughout the fight, moved to his left as cornerman Bundini Brown yelled, “Close the show!” Ali landed a right that lacked power. Near the 1:30 mark, Ali connected with short left hand to Bonavena’s chin. Seconds later, another left hook landed, toppling Bonavena, who pulled himself up at the count seven.
Ali dropped him again with a combination. Once again, Bonavena got up, but not for long. Ali floored him for the third and final time. Though Ali was far ahead on the judges’ scorecards, he said after the match, “It was the toughest fight I ever had.”
Ken Norton – March 31, 1973
Muhammad Ali could never quite figure out Ken Norton. Think of the cliché: “Styles make fights.” Norton had the style that bamboozled Ali.
San Diego, CA., was the site of their first fight. Ali was a 5-1 favorite. The former champion had won 10 fights in a row since being upended (more on that soon) by Joe Frazier two years before. His performances had been uneven and sometimes sluggish.
Overconfidence could be a problem. Ali told the New York Times a few days before he met Norton that he’d weigh 218 pounds or more (he weighed in at 221) for the fight, “a little heavy, but I don’t have to be too fast for him.”
Ali was hoping for a fight with heavyweight champion George Foreman. The former champion had been waiting for a rematch with Frazier, but Foreman upset those plans by blasting Frazier out in two rounds. So, Ali stayed busy.
The little-known Norton, a loser once in 30 contests, had no top contenders on his resume. He spoke of visiting a hypnotist before the fight. Ali mocked Norton and worked on his golf swing. Rumors were rampant that he trained in a parking lot by signing autographs. Norton trained in seclusion. He knew this was his shot.
If Ali expected an easy night, he quickly realized that Norton’s awkward movement, subtle defense, and long jab were problematical. Norton caught Ali with looping shots and straight right hands. Ali returned to his bread and butter in round three, circling and jabbing.
Norton took over through the middle rounds, beating Ali to the punch. Ali was on his toes in round eight but couldn’t maintain his advantage. Norton worked him over as Ali tried to land something late to starve off a massive upset.
It didn’t happen. The split decision went in Norton’s favour. Trainer Angelo Dundee said Ali fought 11 rounds with a broken jaw. Norton’s team disagreed. Ali went to the hospital and plotted his revenge.
The rematch – September 10, 1973
Six months later, they met again. Ali’s career was on the ropes. Weighing less was the goal. He needed some extra speed to defeat Norton. He got up early and ran extra miles at his training camp in Deer Lake, Pa. The move was a smart one. He’d need everything he had in the rematch.
Norton felt like “owned” the former champion. His trainer, Eddie Futch, had pinpointed Ali’s weaknesses. Norton applied what he learned. Take away the jab. Pound the body. Tire out the old (31) year-old man.
Ali tipped scales at a ready 212 pounds–his lightest since being exiled and 10 pounds less than the first Norton fight. Ali was the “Louisville Lip” of the 1960s in the early rounds, circling to his left and firing snappy jabs.
Norton was unwavering–hunting down Ali like a dog chasing a rabbit. He figured Ali would get tired. He was right. Ali was flat-footed and stung by jabs and right hands. Ali fought back in round eight. He couldn’t hurt Norton with his blows, but his resolve was deep.
Ali did well in round 10, while Norton won the next round with intense bodywork. The fight was up for grabs. The last round could decide it. Ali found perhaps his third wind, stinging Norton with sharp combinations in the opening minute. Those lonely hours of running the hills in Deer Lake were paying off. Two judges saw Ali as the winner and one for Norton.
Ali was realistic after the fight. Though he had paid the price in training, resembling his old self in the ring, the end results were different. “I’m in good condition, but I’m tireder than usual because of my age,” Ali said.
Third Fight – September 28, 1976
Since defeating Ken Norton, Muhammad Ali had “shook up the world” (again) by stopping George Foreman and regaining the heavyweight title. Ali had made seven successful title defences, fighting like a man in a perpetual hurry.
Father time was picking at Ali’s skills. He had lost a step and left a part of himself in the ring during this third fight with Frazier. Ken Norton wanted another shot. Rebounding after being brutally knocked out by Foreman, Norton defeated Jerry Quarry. He also avenged an earlier loss to Jose Luis Garcia.
Each fighter had won a fight. The best way to settle it would be in the ring. The setting was the hallowed Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. Ali talked about winning by a knockout. That seemed unlikely. Norton knew what he had to do.
Ali tried everything from moving to the rope-a-dope, but Norton maintained his edge. He outlanded Ali by a 286-199 margin, but the judges saw Ali as the winner by unanimous decision.
It’s interesting to note that referee Arthur Mercante, who had the best seat in the house, saw Ali winning the fight eight rounds to six. Ali said, “I honestly thought he (Norton) beat me.’
Joe Frazier – March 8, 1971
They were opposites in so many ways. The charismatic Muhammad Ali – Jaquar-like. Sleek and swift. Smokin” Joe Frazier, the relentless tank. Ali could be blasphemous. Frazier was quiet.Their genuine uniqueness created animosity inside and outside the ring.
Frazier had used boxing to escape poverty. One of thirteen children, Frazier, grew up in South Carolina. He moved to Philadelphia in his teens and worked nights at a slaughterhouse. He went to a gym to lose weight and learn to box.
Trainer Yancey “Yank” Durham was told about Frazier. He watched the determined youngster and became his trainer – teaching “bob and weave” like Jack Dempsey.
Frazier needed to get close to work successfully. His grit and determination, coupled with a powerful left hook, propelled him to a gold medal at the 1964 Olympic Games.
Frazier was 26-0, scoring 23 knockouts when he met Ali for the first time. He held victories over Oscar Bonavena, Buster Mathis, Jerry Quarry, and Jimmy Ellis.
Ali was undefeated in 31 fights. The buildup had been acrimonious. The onetime friends had turned into enemies. Frazier raged after Ali called him an “Uncle Tom.”
Called The Fight of the Century or simply The Fight, the rivals met on March 8, 1971, in New York City. Ali banked the early rounds, but Frazier was only beginning to smoke. He made Ali work, cutting off the ring and applying relentless pressure. Frazier tagged Ali with multitudes of left hooks. Ali rallied but was staggered by a thunderous left hook in round 11. Frazier punished him for two more rounds. Ali found his fortitude in round 14, but Frazier cemented his win by flooring Ali in the last round with a perfect left hook.
The final scores were all for Frazier—8-6-1, 11-4, and 9-6. During the fight, Ali said, “Don’t you know I’m God” Frazier replied, “God, you in the wrong place tonight.”
The Rematch – January 28, 1974
It had been almost three years since Frazier had defeated Ali. Many felt both fighters were over the hill. Their records showed losses nobody expected. Ali to Ken Norton, and Frazier, brutalized by George Foreman.
Still, this was Ali and Frazier. The venue was again the hallowed Madison Square Garden in New York City. Ali was in great shape and favored to win.
He wouldn’t make the same mistakes he had during the first fight. There would be no clowning or laying on the ropes. He would dance. He would box.
And he did. For 12 rounds, he circled and fired jabs and one-twos—even wobbling Frazier in round two. Frazier chased a step behind. He began to smoke in the middle rounds, but Ali grabbed him and held on.
Frazier’s vaunted left hook, the same one that had knocked Ali down in the first fight and caused his jaw to swell like a lopsided tomato, was finding pay dirt. He was landing more consistently. A Frazier right bloodied Ali’s nose. Ali did better in round nine, keeping the bull at bay with his stinging lefts and rights.
Frazier connected with a few more left hooks in the next heat, but Ali was unhurt. They swapped blows in the eleventh as the Garden crowd roared.
Ali was leading on the scorecards heading into the 12th and final round. He danced some more. The scores were 8-4, 7-4-1, and 6-5-1. Ali had earned a crack at the indescribable Foreman.
Thrilla in Manilla – October 1, 1975
Muhammad Ali and his team considered Joe Frazier a shell of his old self. Frazier was 31. He had fought twice since Ali beat him in 1974, stopping Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Ellis. The smoke just wasn’t there anymore.
Ali, 33, was sitting on top of the world. His stunning victory over Foreman had shocked everyone, even some in his inner circle. The Frazier fight would be easy money. Ali accepted this. He trained, but not with much intensity. Ali weighed 12 more pounds than in his second fight with Frazier.
Smokin’ Joe Frazier trained with grim determination. His hatred of Ali was at its highest point. He’d had enough of the name-calling and such. His resolve was at its deepest.
“I’m going to cut that half–breed’s heart out and eat it off his chest,” Frazier told his trainer. Ali tried to knock out Frazier in the opening round. He landed some stunning shots that buckled Frazier’s knees. But the so-called washed-up fighter kept coming.
Ali said, “They told me you were washed up,” Frazier shot back, “They told you wrong, pretty boy.”
‘Smokin Joe’ caught fire in round six in what some say is the best heavyweight fight in history. He worked Ali’s body. The champion fought back with flurries but was exhausted by Frazier’s relentlessness, the extreme heat, and his lack of serious training. Frazier continued to land his patented left hook as the fight wore on.
With five rounds to go, the fight was even. Ali, from somewhere, found his deep reservoir of guts and resolve in round 12, seizing control and cracking Frazier, who could barely see, with right hands shots to the chin. One sent Frazier’s mouth guard flying into the crowd and staggered him in round 14.
Trainer Eddie Futch had seen enough – stopping the fight at the end of the 14th round. “No, no, Eddie, ya can’t do that to me,” Frazier said. “You couldn’t see in the last two rounds,” said Futch. “I want him, boss,” said Frazier. “Sit down, son,” said Futch. “It’s all over. No one will ever forget what you did here today.”
Ali got up from his stool, waved his arm, and collapsed. After the fight, he said, “It was like death. Closest thing to dyin’ that I know of.”
