Muhammad
Ali versus Antonio Inoki - the Pioneers of MMA (35
years after)
On
June 26, 1976, a fight was held at the Nippon Budokan
arena in Tokyo, Japan between American boxer Muhammad
Ali and Japanese Professional Wrestler Antonio Inoki.
At the time, Ali had come off a knockout victory over
Richard Dunn in May and was the reigning WBC/WBA Heavyweight
Champion. Inoki had been taught the art of hooking
and shooting by legendary wrestler Karl Gotch and
had been staging exhibition fights against champions
from other martial art backgrounds, in an attempt
to show that pro wrestling was the dominant fighting
discipline. The fight itself, which was fought under
special rules (and the result of which has been long
debated), is seen as being a precursor to modern mixed
martial arts.
=============================================
Following that fight, he staged an exhibition match
with professional wrestler and Mixed Martial Artist
Antonio Inoki. Although widely perceived as a publicity
stunt, the match against Inoki would have a long-term
detrimental affect on Ali's mobility. Inoki spent
much of the fight on the ground trying to damage Alis
legs, while Ali spent most of the fight dodging the
kicks or staying on the ropes. At the end of 15 rounds,
the bout was called a draw. Ali's legs, however, were
bleeding, leading to an infection. He suffered two
blood clots in his legs as well.
The
bout ended in a draw with both men declaring themselves
satisfied.
Foreword
by Angelo Dundee (born Angelo Mirena) is an American
boxing cornerman. He is best known for his work with
Muhammad Ali, and has worked with 15 world boxing
champions, including Sugar Ray Leonard, José
Nápoles, George Foreman, Jimmy Ellis, Carmen
Basilio and Luis Rodriguez.
The
Manga Slides are from New Grappler Baki by Keisuke
Itagaki
The
Scanlation(Scan and translations) are from Wild Fang
Production.
