Literary Squared Circle #6 – ALI VS. INOKI
On June 26, 1976, Muhammad Ali faced off against Antonio Inoki in a boxer vs. wrestler match in Tokyo. This Saturday marks the 45th Anniversary of that strange encounter. The Literary Squared Circle blog revisits the infamous bout by reviewing the book, Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment by Josh Gross (BenBella Books, 2016).
The bout between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki was not the typical case of a washed up fighter, in need of money, stepping into the wrestling ring for a worked match. On the contrary, at the time Ali was the Undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, holding the both the WBC and the WBA titles. His opponent, Antonio Inoki, was the reigning NWF Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. These were two athletes at the top of their game facing off in an international mega-event.
The major sticking point encountered during the planning of the event concerned the rules for the bout. Ali, naturally, did not want to wrestle Inoki; nor did Inoki want to stand toe-to-toe with and box the best boxer in the world. After much debate, the result was a mixed-style fight featuring rules agreed upon by both fighters. In hindsight, many look back at the Ali vs. Inoki fight as being the birth of Mixed Martial Arts. Today, MMA is thriving with promotions such as UFC, Bellator, and Pancrase, but 45 years ago the concept was unheard of.
What was agreed to was somewhat confusing. The fight would be comprised of fifteen, three-minute rounds that would be scored by two ringside judges and the referee (“Judo” Gene LeBell). Ali would abide by customary boxing rules while standing. Inoki would observer customary wrestling rules while on the canvas. Both fighters could use karate and wrestling moves, and could punch if both combatants were standing.
The match took place live in front of a sold out crowd at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan. It is estimated that over one billion people worldwide watched the fight, including over two million people in the United States who watched the event on closed-circuit television at theaters and arenas throughout the country. The World Wide Wrestling Federation used the closed-circuit feed of Ali vs. Inoki to headline its Showdown at Shea show at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Shea Stadium show drew a crowd of 32,000 fans, and featured live matches on the undercard including WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino defeating Stan Hansen by countout. Sammartino was returning to the ring just two months after suffering a broken neck at the hands of Hansen. There was also another boxer vs. wrestler match on the card (albeit a worked match) which saw André the Giant defeat Chuck Wepner by countout in the third round.
Based on the interest in the fight, the anticipation, and the huge audience watching, one would have expected this match to be one of the more memorable matches of all-time. Unfortunately, the bout ended up being easily forgettable. Under the hybrid rules, the combatants styles clashed, and fans were forced to endure a fifteen round draw featuring very little action. While Ali remained on his feet, trying to goad Inoki into boxing him; Inoki opted to lie down on the mat in a crab-like position, from which he proceeded to kick Ali’s legs repeatedly.
The anticlimactic bout was declared a draw. Despite the disappointment of the fight itself, the Ali vs. Inoki encounter is looked back upon by many as the inspiration for modern MMA. In addition to the influence it had on modern combat sports, author Josh Gross also presented an interesting theory that I had never heard before, regarding the lasting effects the match may have had on Muhammad Ali. It is believed that the damage Ali sustained to his legs from Inoki’s repeated kicks, made him less mobile in the remaining seven fights over the last five years of his boxing career (1976 to 1981). Ali never again knocked out an opponent, with six of those seven fights going the full distance of fifteen rounds. The increased time in the ring combined with punches he endured due to his lack of mobility may have exacerbated Ali’s Parkinson’s disease.
With Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment, Josh Gross has written a unique book. If there is another book about this particular subject, I am not aware of it. He exhaustively researched all aspects surrounding the fight. Readers are introduced to Inoki (of course) as well as other professional wrestling personalities. including “Classy” Freddie Blassie (who managed Ali) and “Judo” Gene LeBell (who served as referee for the match). Gross also examines the history of Japanese wrestling, as well as the involvement of other boxers in professional wrestling throughout the years, both as special attraction wrestlers and as referees. Ali and other boxing personalities are presented as well, and the author looks at how the fight came to be, the politics behind the rules of the bout, as well as the media hype leading up to the event.
Gross, whose background is as an MMA writer, admittedly was not a pro wrestling fan going into the project. There were a couple of factual errors I noted, however, his exhaustive research and detailed description of the bout made the reader feel like they were there, whether that was a good thing or not.
When I picked up Ali vs. Inoki, I knew OF the fight, but admittedly very little ABOUT the fight. After reading the book, I felt like I was there. I did not realize that it is looked upon as the beginning of Mixed Martial Arts. Overall, Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment is a very interesting, informative, and highly recommended read.
5 Stars out of 5
The bout between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki was not the typical case of a washed up fighter, in need of money, stepping into the wrestling ring for a worked match. On the contrary, at the time Ali was the Undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, holding the both the WBC and the WBA titles. His opponent, Antonio Inoki, was the reigning NWF Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. These were two athletes at the top of their game facing off in an international mega-event.
The major sticking point encountered during the planning of the event concerned the rules for the bout. Ali, naturally, did not want to wrestle Inoki; nor did Inoki want to stand toe-to-toe with and box the best boxer in the world. After much debate, the result was a mixed-style fight featuring rules agreed upon by both fighters. In hindsight, many look back at the Ali vs. Inoki fight as being the birth of Mixed Martial Arts. Today, MMA is thriving with promotions such as UFC, Bellator, and Pancrase, but 45 years ago the concept was unheard of.
What was agreed to was somewhat confusing. The fight would be comprised of fifteen, three-minute rounds that would be scored by two ringside judges and the referee (“Judo” Gene LeBell). Ali would abide by customary boxing rules while standing. Inoki would observer customary wrestling rules while on the canvas. Both fighters could use karate and wrestling moves, and could punch if both combatants were standing.
The match took place live in front of a sold out crowd at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan. It is estimated that over one billion people worldwide watched the fight, including over two million people in the United States who watched the event on closed-circuit television at theaters and arenas throughout the country. The World Wide Wrestling Federation used the closed-circuit feed of Ali vs. Inoki to headline its Showdown at Shea show at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Shea Stadium show drew a crowd of 32,000 fans, and featured live matches on the undercard including WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino defeating Stan Hansen by countout. Sammartino was returning to the ring just two months after suffering a broken neck at the hands of Hansen. There was also another boxer vs. wrestler match on the card (albeit a worked match) which saw André the Giant defeat Chuck Wepner by countout in the third round.
Based on the interest in the fight, the anticipation, and the huge audience watching, one would have expected this match to be one of the more memorable matches of all-time. Unfortunately, the bout ended up being easily forgettable. Under the hybrid rules, the combatants styles clashed, and fans were forced to endure a fifteen round draw featuring very little action. While Ali remained on his feet, trying to goad Inoki into boxing him; Inoki opted to lie down on the mat in a crab-like position, from which he proceeded to kick Ali’s legs repeatedly.
The anticlimactic bout was declared a draw. Despite the disappointment of the fight itself, the Ali vs. Inoki encounter is looked back upon by many as the inspiration for modern MMA. In addition to the influence it had on modern combat sports, author Josh Gross also presented an interesting theory that I had never heard before, regarding the lasting effects the match may have had on Muhammad Ali. It is believed that the damage Ali sustained to his legs from Inoki’s repeated kicks, made him less mobile in the remaining seven fights over the last five years of his boxing career (1976 to 1981). Ali never again knocked out an opponent, with six of those seven fights going the full distance of fifteen rounds. The increased time in the ring combined with punches he endured due to his lack of mobility may have exacerbated Ali’s Parkinson’s disease.
With Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment, Josh Gross has written a unique book. If there is another book about this particular subject, I am not aware of it. He exhaustively researched all aspects surrounding the fight. Readers are introduced to Inoki (of course) as well as other professional wrestling personalities. including “Classy” Freddie Blassie (who managed Ali) and “Judo” Gene LeBell (who served as referee for the match). Gross also examines the history of Japanese wrestling, as well as the involvement of other boxers in professional wrestling throughout the years, both as special attraction wrestlers and as referees. Ali and other boxing personalities are presented as well, and the author looks at how the fight came to be, the politics behind the rules of the bout, as well as the media hype leading up to the event.
Gross, whose background is as an MMA writer, admittedly was not a pro wrestling fan going into the project. There were a couple of factual errors I noted, however, his exhaustive research and detailed description of the bout made the reader feel like they were there, whether that was a good thing or not.
When I picked up Ali vs. Inoki, I knew OF the fight, but admittedly very little ABOUT the fight. After reading the book, I felt like I was there. I did not realize that it is looked upon as the beginning of Mixed Martial Arts. Overall, Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment is a very interesting, informative, and highly recommended read.
5 Stars out of 5
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