Hopkins Was Dominated in Final Fight - GGG vs Danny Jacobs in March - Miguel Cotto Confirms Kirkland Bout

Bernard Hopkins Knocked Out of the Ring 

Bernard Hopkins is without question one of the best boxers in boxing's glorious history, but at age 52 he looked terrible in his final fight. He'd been on a 2 year layoff and it showed very soon after the opening bell. I'm not taking anything away from Joe Smith with my next comment, and he is a very hard puncher with range. There is no way he beats a younger Bernard Hopkins, and I'm not talking that much younger than last night. Joe was following Bernard around the ring. Hopkins took advantage of it as well as he could, but that 52 year old version of Bernard Hopkins was unable to get Smith's respect. There were times when Hopkins landed flush and clean. Anyone watching the fight could see that it drew no respect from the young 27 year old Smith. The task that Hopkins put before himself was too much to overcome at his age and a two year layoff. 

Hopkins confirmed in the post fight interview that this was his final fight. I think we can all agree that it should be. Regardless of how badly it may have ended for the legend it's easy to see that he's done. Could he come back and fight a fighter that he should beat easily? Sure he could, but why comeback to fight some journeyman that has no real value? As bad as it went for him that was the ending he chose. There's no reason to comeback and risk something worse. This is where Hopkins moves on into the second phase of his life. His contribution to the sport is undeniable. I'm sure he'll continue to impact boxing through Golden Boy. However, I think he'd make an incredible trainer. 



Danny Jacobs Will Fight GGG

Gennady Golovkin vs. Danny Jacobs is set for Mach 18th on HBO pay-per-view. This was the time for Jacobs to accept the fight. In fact there are a lot of fight fans that think he has a shot at upsetting GGG. I will agree that the fight could be super competitive, but I don't see Jacobs winning this one. Those who think that Jacobs could win base it off GGG's last fight against Kell Brook. Early in that fight Brook found success, but I think that Golovkin walked into a lot of shots because he knew that he could take them. GGG has done nothing to make me think he couldn't win this fight, but Jacobs has done nothing to make me believe he doesn't have a shot. This should be an incredible fight. We could very well be watching the fight of the year only three months in. Outside of GGG fighting Canelo Alvarez this is the fight they wanted to see. 



Miguel Cotto vs. James Kirkland

Miguel Cotto Confirmed today that he would be fighting James Kirkland on February 25th. The fight will be at a catchweight of 153 lbs on HBO pay-per-view. There are a lot of boxing fans that want to see Cotto fight better opposition, but at this point in his career they want to see if he's still relevant, or is it all over for another one of boxing best fighters. Both fighters lost to Canelo Alvarez and have been inactive since then. Kirkland hasn't been relevant in quite some times, and at the age of 32 now is the time. He's lucky to be getting a shot at such a well named opponent and needs to make the most of the opportunity. Cotto is hoping to get a rematch with Canelo. This might not be the fight that most fight fans wanted to see, but it will be a very telling fight. The loser will probably not get another big fight.  

Ward Wins a Controversial Decision over Kovalev

In my last post leading up to the fight I predicted a decision for Ward. That's what the final result was, but I honestly think they got it wrong just as I did with my prediction. 

As the fight started Kovalev was in total control. He easily won the first two rounds as he dropped Ward in the second. I thought he easily won the first four rounds controlling the fight with his jab. The 5th round was a close round as Andre Ward worked better on the inside, but Kovalev still controlled the distance fairly well. The 5th round was the only round I gave Ward in the first 6. 

This is where the fight got real close and rounds became hard to call, however Kovalev had a 5-1 round advantage at this point with a knockdown in the 2nd. I'll say this...Andre Ward did not win the last six rounds of this fight. There were some close rounds 7-12, but there's now way those were all Ward rounds for a second half shut out. The harder and more effective shots had been all Kovalev through the first half, and that didn't stop in the second half. Even the rounds I scored for Ward, Kovalev was still hitting him with hard effective shots. 

The jab was effective for Kovalev, but late in the fight Ward used better angles than he had before, as he could see that Kovalev would follow him instead of cutting off the ring. Ward was able to out score him at this point. Kovalev was still able to close the distance and did so fairly well, but he really needed to cut the ring off better instead. This is where Andre Ward was able to score on him coming in, and no doubt where the judges scored all the rounds for Ward. 

 

I think the 114-113 Kovalev is as close as you could've had the fight. That's assuming that Ward won all the close rounds. Which I think anyone who watched the fight knows he didn't. When Kovalev wanted to close the distance and hit Ward he could do it at will. There were times he got caught coming in, but he scored himself every time and with harder more effective blows. 

Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev: Live Results And Reaction

Andre Ward was given credit for showing true grit and turning the fight around and making it close. He did not beat Sergey Kovalev in that fight. The American fighter got the decision on American soil in a close fight. I think anyone objectively watching this fight would agree that Sergey Kovalev won this fight. Decisions like this are not good for the sport. Andre lost that fight and should give Kovalev the immediate rematch. 

The Fighters

Kovalev vs. Ward - The Battle of Pound-4-Pound Greats

Pound for Pound


The perception for this fight is that it's power vs. speed, but that's not necessarily true. Both Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev are both skillful in the art of boxing. Kovalev hits extremely hard, however he works well behind the jab and sets his offense up very well. Ward moves well in the ring and counters off his great defense. Fighters hang themselves against Ward when they're too aggressive. 

Both fighters bring undefeated (30-0) records into the ring. Kovalev has more experience at the weight class, but Andre Ward is the more experienced fighter overall. They have both faced elite top level competition. It's my opinion however that they'll be facing the best fighter on their resumes when they fight each other. Going into the fight most fight fans say this could be fight of the year. 



Sergey Kovalev 

Andre Ward

My Prediction for the Fight

I could see Andre Ward dropping the first couple of rounds. He will feel Sergey Kovalev out during the first couple of rounds to see what he has. Ward will find that Kovalev can box well behind the Jab, and he'll find out that the champion hits very hard. There is a chance that Kovalev could catch Ward, but knowing Ward's skill set that wouldn't be easy or likely. However, we do all know that Ward can be caught, and Kovalev has finishing power if he does get sloppy. 

Andre Ward knows how to neutralize the power of Sergey Kovalev. He knows how to move and take the sting off the shots. Whereas he can be caught, it's probably isn't going to happen. We know that Ward is not going to stand toe-2-toe with the naturally stronger fighter. Kovalev has game changing power and Ward knows it, and he will not get careless at any point through the fight. He will stay on point and take all the necessary adjustments against the power hitting Kovalev. 

Andre Ward by Unanimous Decision. 

The Towel Was Thrown on Kell Brook - GGG Still the Middleweight Champion of the World

The Fight Nobody Expected

Kell Brook was an undefeated welterweight champion. He really had nothing to prove by moving up to middleweight and fighting one of the most feared champions in boxing history. The list of guys who've got a reputation and have ducked GGG is almost as large at the list of reputable fighters that he's beaten. Kell accepted the challenge and went for the champion's belts at 160, as he moved up from 147.

There was almost nobody that gave Brook a chance of beating the hard hitting middleweight champ. Most of the doubt came from a recent fight with Canelo Alvarez vs Amir Khan. I had scored that fight in Khan's favor 4-1, before he was viciously knocked out in the 6th round. Everyone figured that GGG could turn Brook's lights out when he wanted to. Similar to what Canelo did when he was done being out boxed by the weaker man.


Fighting the Most Feared Fighter in the Game Today

Kell Brook was buckled by a power shot that clipped him, but other than that I thought he won the opening round. It was close and some might have given it to GGG. The second round was not as close and clearly went to GGG. The 3rd round would be a clear round for Brook, and by this point he'd shown that good fighters with decent footwork could be effective against the middleweight champ.

Had Kell Brook exposed GGG?

I'm not ready to say he was exposed without more evidence to support the claim. However, Kell Brook was out boxing the feared middleweight champion. Those who thought GGG would just walk through Brook's shots were wrong. Kell Brook hit him with several shots that stopped him right there in his tracks. He felt the power that Kell had told everyone GGG would respect. On the other side GGG had hit Brook with power shots that most wondered if he could take, and he did although he felt the power as early as round one.

In the 5th round Kell Brook's corner thought he'd taken enough abuse. They threw in the towel on their fighter when he was taking as much abuse as he had all night long. Personally I didn't think that he was a beaten fighter. He was getting hit by flurries of punches, and he was having trouble getting out of the way of the punishment, but he hadn't been dropped, didn't take a knee to get a break, or show any sign that he couldn't continue to fight.

Golovkin would have probably beat Brook had the towel not been thrown, and that was what most boxing fans expected to happen when the fight was announced. We don't know that he would've but Kell was having trouble escaping GGG, who cuts the ring off as well as anyone. The power of GGG had been hard for the legit middleweight fighters to handle. Brook had absorbed it as well as any of the others had. There would be no reason for a rematch, but based off what I saw I think that Brook would do even better in a rematch. He exposed a few weaknesses in GGG game plan.


My Final Take on the Fight

I thought the stoppage was premature. That was the trainers of the fighter and part of their job is to protect him. I didn't see enough evidence to justify stopping the fight. He was moving and having trouble escaping GGG who was cutting off the ring. That could have gone Kell's way still, but his corner who knows him better than I do thought he was done. I think Brook had moved well against GGG earlier in the fight when he tried cutting him off. He also proved that a boxer who can move his feet and box well from the outside can have success against Golovkin.

When Kell used his jab, moved his feet, and controlled the range, he was having success against the most feared champion in boxing right now. Golovkin was able to cut the ring off, but Kell countered that with good pivot moves that kept him in punching distance. That's where he found himself catching GGG with counter shots. His movement toward the ropes up and down kept him in good shape, but when he stayed too long in the corners or his back to the ropes it got dangerous. By the time Brook's corner threw the towel into the ring he was having trouble getting away from the pressure Golovkin was applying.

Kell Brook was able to frustrate GGG in a way that none of the other true middleweight fighters had done. The power of Golovkin was on full display, but the elusiveness of Brook rarely offered him a chance to just pound on him. When Golovkin did unload on him the effects were clear that he was hurting Brook. In the 5th round the corner thought he was hurt too bad to continue. His ability to get away from GGG had clearly diminished, but he was still game and appeared to be ready to fight. There's no way to know what might have happened, but Kell Brook made GGG look as bad as I've ever seen him look.


 Note: Kell Brook reportedly went to the hospital with a fractured bone on his face. 

Muhammad Ali - The Life and The Legend

The Greatest of All Time


One small event in life can change everything. What if Cassius Marcellus Clay had never had his bike stolen? 

We'll never know because that bicycle was stolen and Clay turned to boxing. The rest would become history. Ali said he was "The Greatest" long before he knew he really was.


 In the first three years of his career Muhammad Ali fought some of the best competition at the time, and he'd beaten them all. (Doug Jones, Henry Cooper, and 'The Old Mongoose' Archie Moore.) 

After six years he'd shocked the world and become heavyweight champion. He beat the mean, rough, and tough, Sonny Liston. 

"If you want to lose your money...bet it on Sonny." 

Sonny Liston had beaten them all. He'd twice knocked out Cleveland Williams. He knocked out Zora Folley, and twice he knocked out former champion Floyd Patterson. Nobody gave Ali a chance of beating Liston. Nothing said it more than Ali being a 7-1 underdog. Sonny attacked him early and Ali moved and hit him. Keeping a safe distance from the champion. Something got in Ali's eye. Allegedly Sonny tried to blind him so he could go for the knockout. While Ali couldn't see he tried to knock him out. He failed and knew he couldn't beat the challenger. Sonny didn't answer the bell to open the 6th round. 

The rematch brought on more controversy when Sonny Liston allegedly took a dive. Ali caught him with a quick snapping punch. Liston went down and didn't beat the count. Liston had said after the first fight that he didn't answer the bell because his shoulder was hurt, but the second fight he was knocked out. Liston had thought to be unbeatable, and maybe he was because both fights with Ali were full of controversy. History can only tell it one way and Muhammad Ali beat the unbeatable Liston twice. 

  

The New Heavyweight Champion

Muhammad Ali was the champion of the world. In his first defense of the title he beat Floyd Patterson by TKO in the 12th. Ali was accused of toying with Patterson and beating on him for his refusal to acknowledge Ali by his new name. He called him Clay instead of Ali.

Liston had beaten Patterson twice, and now Ali had beaten them both. Two future hall of fame champions had fallen to Muhammad Ali. George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper, Brian London, Carl Mildenberger, 'Big Cat' Cleveland Williams, would all find the same fate. Muhammad Ali had beat the best of an era. 

  

In 1967 Ali took on Ernie Terrell in Houston with back to back fights in the Astrodome. He'd just came off a world tour before doing two fights in Houston, Texas. 

Terrell would go the distance, but did no better against the Champion than anyone else had done. Ali made another good fighter look bad in there. He dominated Terrell who had called him Clay. Ali didn't want to knock him out. He wanted to punish him. 

During the fight he taunted him, "What's my name?" Ali asked him as he'd bloodied and beat Terrell. It was suppose to be Ali's toughest opponent since Liston, but Ali had made easy work out of a fighter who hadn't lost in five years. 

Ali would fight the 74-4 Zora Folley. This would be Muhammad Ali's last fight before he was punished for not accepting his induction into the military. He knocked Folley out in the 7th round of the fight. On 4-28-67 Ali was stripped of his titles. Muhammad Ali had a 29-0 record and hadn't really been tested. 
. 

The Thoughts of Muhammad Ali in Exile, c. 196

with Thomas Hauser

"I never thought of myself as great when I refused to go into the Army. All I did was stand up for what I believed. There were people who thought the war in Vietnam was right. And those people, if they went to war, acted just as brave as I did. There were people who tried to put me in jail. Some of them were hypocrites, but others did what they thought was proper and I can't condemn them for following their conscience either. people say I made a sacrifice, risking jail and my whole career. but God told Abraham to kill his son and Abraham was willing to do it, so why shouldn't I follow what I believed? Standing up for my religion made me happy; it wasn't a sacrifice. When people got drafted and sent to Vietnam and didn't understand what the killing was about and came home with one leg and couldn't get jobs, that was a sacrifice. But I believed in what i was doing, so no matter what the government did to me, it wasn't a loss.

"Some people thought I was a hero. Some people said that what I did was wrong. But everything I did was according to my conscience. I wasn't trying to be a leader. I just wanted to be free. And I made a stand all people, not just black people, should have thought about making, because it wasn't just black people being drafted. The government had a system where the rich man's son went to college, and the poor man's son went to war. Then, after the rich man's son got out of college, he did other things to keep him out of the Army until he was too old to be drafted. So what I did was for me, but it was the kind of decision everyone has to make. Freedom means being able to follow your religion, but it also means carrying the responsibility to choose between right and wrong. So when the time came for me to make up my mind about going in the Army, I knew people were dying in Vietnam for nothing and I should live by what I thought was right. I wanted America to be America. And now the whole world knows that, so far as my own beliefs are concerned, I did what was right for me."

Chicago Tribune Muhammad-Ali-Chicago Story

There were those who hated Ali after he refused induction. He was a draft dodger. When the country needed him to fight he wouldn't go. This is how most felt despite the fact that polls showed that we shouldn't even be in the war in the first place. 

Muhammad Ali knew where it had gotten Joe Louis who went to war, and was later robbed by the IRS. They were going to strip Ali down to nothing, but he was going to learn from all of it and stand his ground in the process. This was his biggest fight yet, but he adapted like he'd always done in the ring. Sometimes you win, even when you lose.  

“I Ain't Got No Quarrel With The VietCong...No VietCong Ever Called Me Nigger.” - Muhammad Ali

Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on Brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights? No I’m not going 10,000 miles from home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply to continue the domination of white slave masters of the darker people the world over. This is the day when such evils must come to an end. I have been warned that to take such a stand would cost me millions of dollars. But I have said it once and I will say it again. The real enemy of my people is here. I will not disgrace my religion, my people or myself by becoming a tool to enslave those who are fighting for their own justice, freedom and equality. If I thought the war was going to bring freedom and equality to 22 million of my people they wouldn’t have to draft me, I’d join tomorrow. I have nothing to lose by standing up for my beliefs. So I’ll go to jail, so what? We’ve been in jail for 400 years. - Muhammad Ali on the Vietnam War. 

The Return From Exile

The Comeback: October 26, 1970 - Atlanta, Georgia

Ali vs. Jerry Quarry

Muhammad Ali got a 3rd round TKO victory in his comeback fight. Jerry Quarry (37-4-4) was not the fight the fans wanted to see, but Ali needed a couple of fights before the biggest fight in boxing history. The Fight of the Century was a year away. 

Ali's next opponent would be Oscar 'Ringo' Bonavina. He would stop Ringo in his 2nd comeback fight, but it took him 15 rounds before he finally stopped him by TKO. Bonavina made it a tough fight. He looked better than Quarry had looked. 


Smokin' Joe Frazier 

While Ali was in exile there was another heavyweight cleaning out the division. Joe Frazier was destroying the competition. Muhammad let the fans know that regardless of title belts he was the real champion. He never lost the title in the ring and he let Joe Frazier and everyone else know that. Ali knew the fight was going to be huge, because both were undefeated. Ali chastised Joe in efforts to make the fight even bigger. Frazier didn't understand why a fight that big had to be made any bigger, and he was greatly offended by the things that Ali said about him. Joe had been there for Ali when he was trying to get reinstated in boxing. He could not believe Muhammad would say the things he did about him. 

March 8, 1971: Ali vs Frazier I  - "The Fight of the Century"

There were those who'd did not like Ali and had not forgiven him for draft dodging. Joe Frazier was no Uncle Tom as Ali has called him, but a lot of white boxing fans wanted to see Joe beat Ali and shut him up. 

Both fighters looked good through the first couple of rounds, but anyone watching could see that Ali was not the Ali of old. He was not the fighter he'd been before they stripped him. Later Muhammad would adapt to the fighter he'd become. He was so much better than the competition before that when he lost a little it just brought him a little closer to the field. It didn't help him in that particular fight. 

Ali had taken a couple of tune up fights, but he was not ready for Joe Frazier. He hit Ali with shots in that fight that he'd never been hit by before. He could go to the gym and work his ass off, but something was gone that had been there before.

Joe Frazier dropped Ali early in the 15th round with what Bert Sugar describes as a 'left hook from hell'. Like the champion everyone knew he was, Ali got up off the floor. Joe Frazier had beat him by decision. 

Things had changed for Ali. He was not the same fighter he'd been. Joe Frazier was the champion. Ali would win his next 10 fights in a row. Frazier would only successfully defend his title two more times. Then he would run into the new big boy on the block. 



Big George Foreman

George Foreman was 37-0 (34 KO) against Joe Frazier 29-0 (25 KO)

Joe Frazier was a 7 to 1 favorite, but when the opening bell rang Joe Frazier was knocked three times in the first, and another three times in the 2nd, before the fight was stopped to save Smokin' Joe from anymore punishment. George Foreman had destroyed the only man to beat Muhammad Ali. 


Frazier vs Ali 2

Joe Frazier had lost his title to George Foreman, and Muhammad Ali had lost his first fight with Ken Norton. There are those who thought Ali lost both fights against Norton, but Ali was awarded the Split Decision victory in the 2nd Norton fight. Leading up to the fights with Ken Norton Muhammad Ali had defeated some quality fighters. (Jimmy Ellis, Buster Mathis, Jurgen Blin, Mac Foster, George Chuvalo and Jerry Quarry rematches, Patterson 2, and Joe Bugner)   

Ali would win the second fight with Joe Frazier. Ali won the early rounds, Frazier took the middle rounds, and Ali closed the fight out winning the later rounds. Ali and Frazier were now even with a win and a loss against each other. Most fight fans saw the two rivals as even to each other. 



Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman
-The Rumble in the Jungle-

Ali had beat Joe Frazier in their rematch. Big George had destroyed Joe Frazier and had his title belt. Big George was the champion and nobody believed Ali could do anything about that. 

Not Muhammad Ali...he believed he would win and ordered anyone who didn't think so out of his camp. Foreman had destroyed Frazier and Norton, and both guys had troubled and beaten Ali

There was no reason for anyone to believe that Muhammad Ali had a real shot at the heavyweight champion. Ali believed it and he convinced the rest of Zaire that he did too. 

George Foreman was a stone cold killer. There wasn't a boxer in the game at that point that would've been favored against George Foreman. Nobody gave Muhammad Ali a chance against Liston who'd mentored Foreman. He defied the odds and beat Liston, but this time the deck was stacked against him even more. 

Muhammad Ali had shown signs of slowing down. He avenged the loss to Frazier, and he'd avenged the loss to Ken Norton, but he wasn't the fighter he'd been when he owned the 1960's. He was a shadow of the kid who'd upset Sonny Liston. Nobody even Ali fans thought he could beat George Foreman.

George Foreman vs Muhammad Ali - Oct. 30, 1974

Muhammad Ali would once again shock the world. Nobody gave him a shot and just like he'd done with Liston, he proved them wrong. His trainer Angelo Dundee didn't understand his rope-a-dope strategy, and told him to get off the ropes. George continued from the opening bell until the 8th round knockout to apply pressure. Muhammad took his best shots and was still there when George had nothing left in the tank. 

"Is that all you got?" Ali asked 

That was all he had. George had punched himself out. When Ali saw the opening he hit Foreman like he'd never been hit. The spent champion fell to the floor and could not beat the count. Muhammad Ali defied the odds and regained his title for a 3rd time. Nobody could ever doubt his being the best. Ali had become the champion again, and the best heavyweight champion ever in the process. 

He should have retired following that unbelievable victory over Foreman, but he didn't. He defended his title against Chuck Wepner. This fight is where Sylvester Stallone says he got the idea for the characters Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed. Ali beat Wepner by TKO in the 15th round. 

Next up was the hard hitting Ron Lyle (30-2-1 25 KO)

Ron Lyle got a late start as a professional boxer. He was 30 years old when he turned pro. Lyle was a strong heavyweight and could box on the inside or the outside. George Foreman said Lyle was the toughest guy he ever fought. 

Ron Lyle was out boxing Ali early on. Ali had not been the fighter he was in the 60's, but he adapted and was still among the best. Against Lyle you could see he'd slipped a little more. This was not the fighter he'd been when he'd beat Frazier in the rematch or when he shocked the world, again, when he beat Foreman. 
  

Ali knew he'd lost some early rounds to Lyle. The middle rounds he picked up the pace and cut into Lyle's lead. In the 11th round the referee jumped in and stopped the fight when Ali was pouring it on. Ron Lyle's corner was not happy with the stoppage.




Joe Bugner 2

The Thrilla in Manila - Ali vs. Frazier 3

October 1, 1975

These were not the two fighters that had fought in the 'Fight of the Century'. Ali had won the rematch, but he was far from being the fighter he'd been at that point. Joe Frazier didn't think he was the fighter that had beat Foreman. Joe wasn't what he'd been, but he believed the slip had been farther for Ali. On the other hand Muhammad Ali didn't think Frazier was what he had been and could rack up another victory over him. Neither man was what he had been, and it made for a great fight.  

Ali was in control early and his hands looked better against Frazier than they had in his previous two fights. Frazier was bobbing and weaving, but Ali was finding him with thunderous jabs and straights. 

Ali had outworked Joe early, but in the middle rounds Frazier found his groove. Ali wasn't connecting like he had been and Frazier was getting to the target. He'd closed the gap and was landing. 

Ali had said during the fight, "This is as close as I've ever been to dying." 


 British sports writer Frank McGhee ringside for the Daily Mirror describes the final rounds:

The main turning point of the fight came very late. It came midway through the thirteenth round when one of two tremendous right-hand smashes sent the gum shield sailing out of Frazier's mouth. The sight of this man actually moving backwards seemed to inspire Ali. I swear he hit Frazier with thirty tremendous punches—each one as hard as those which knocked out George Foreman in Zaire—during the fourteenth round. He was dredging up all his own last reserves of power to make sure there wouldn't have to be a fifteenth round.

Seeing the results of round 14, Eddie Futch decided to stop the fight between rounds rather than risk a similar or worse fate for Frazier in the 15th. Frazier protested stopping the fight, shouting "I want him, boss," and trying to get Futch to change his mind. Futch replied, "It's all over. No one will forget what you did here today", and signaled to referee Carlos Padilla, Jr. to end the bout. Ali would later claim that this was the closest to dying he had ever been. Unbeknownst to Frazier's corner, at the end of the 14th round Ali instructed his corner men to cut his gloves off, but Dundee ignored him. Ali later told his biographer Thomas Hauser, "Frazier quit just before I did. I didn't think I could fight any more."

Both fighters had diminished. That made for a more brutal fight than the first two had been. Ali wasn't sure he could've answered the bell to start the 15th, but when Frazier didn't it left that a mystery. It was a brutal battle in the extreme heat. When the gloves would hit the face there would be an imprint left behind. 

I have no doubt when I look back at this fight that they were exhausted and beaten to the point of death. Muhammad Ali was as fast and sharp as he'd been, but Frazier was unable to take advantage. Ali was the better fighter and the gap might have closed, but not that much.  



In 1976 Muhammad Ali continued to fight...

Ali vs Jean-Pierre Coopman
The fact that Ali was still fighting was somewhat surprising. The fact that he would still compete for championships was what the shocking part. Ali destroyed Coopman who never appeared to have a shot. Was Muhammad still that good?  

Ali vs Jimmy Young

Muhammad Ali would retain his heavyweight title, but he came in the fight much heavier than usual, and he was not the more agile fighter. There were many times that the 17-4-1 Jimmy Young out boxed the great champion. This was not the same Ali that had Coopman. He's slowed down drastically since his last fight. The extra weight no doubt had something to do with the loss of speed, but the Greatest of All Time was just slowing down. 

Ali was clearly not the fighter he'd been, but he was still the heavyweight champion of the world. He defeated Jimmy Young. Even though he was no longer what he had been, he was still better than most. Most wondered what would happen when Ali fought a real contender. That didn't happen next. Ali went to Germany to fight Richard Dunn. 

Ali was not over weight against Dunn. He came out moving and appeared to be in great shape for the fight. Muhammad Ali destroyed Dunn just as he should have. One fight after not looking real good he bounced back. Fight fans had no idea what to expect from the champion. 



Ken Norton

The number one contender would get his 3rd shot at the champion. 

This was the rubber match. Both fighters had gotten a decision victory over the other. Ali wanted to get a knockout against Ken Norton. I think Ali truly believed he could knock Norton out. He was unable to KO Norton.There were those who thought Norton won the fight, but Muhammad Ali was awarded a UD victory. 

• Norton said after the fight: "I won at least nine or ten rounds. I was robbed."

This was in no way the best performance of Ali's career. Years later Ali would say he was awarded the decision over Norton and grateful that the judges gave it to him. He said Norton had a style that was too difficult for him. Norton was a really good fighter, but he was not great and wouldn't have stood a chance with Ali in his prime. I don't think Ali would've had trouble with him in his prime. However, the older version of Ali had trouble with Norton. 

Alfredo Evangelista

This was a fight that Alffredo Evangelista could've only dreamed of getting a shot at the title so early in his career. Muhammad Ali should've taken the inexperienced kid to school, but despite getting the win, Ali did not take him to school or even look very impressive in victory. 

ABC only aired the fight because it was Muhammad Ali. He was at the point where any fight could be his last. 

Muhammad Ali vs. Earnie Shavers

Ali would say later after his career was over that Earnie Shavers hit harder than any fighter he'd ever been hit by. There was little doubt that Ali was shot. Ferdie Pacheco had just left the entourage because he didn't want to be a part of running Muhammad out there anymore. 

Everything they suspected was true. Muhammad Ali was damaged and had slowed down. His style and form kept him in there with a chance to win, but making no mistakes about it Ali was shot as a fighter when he stepped into the ring with Shavers. 

Muhammad took a shot in the second round that would've dropped most fighters. It proved he still had an iron chin. Though his skills were limited at this point he could still throw a little and he could still absorb a hard shot. The NY Times had it 7-7-1 draw. I personally don't think that's an accurate score.  

An old Ali could still box better than Shavers. The real challenge was not getting dropped by such a powerful puncher. Earnie had incredible power, but he would not catch Ali and he would not out box the great champion. Muhammad would get the UD victory over another Hall of Fame fighter. 



Leon Spinks


For the first time in his career Ali was silent. He was not trash-talking the 6-0-1 Leon Spinks. Nobody knew who he was and there was no reason for Ali to talk down to or try to intimidate such an inferior opponent. Ali went into silence and this didn't help promote a fight that needed all the help it could get.  

Like the other unknowns that Muhammad Ali fought, Spinks trained like hell for the fight with the great champion. Those close to Leon say training wasn't something Spinks wanted to do. For the Ali fight his trainers didn't have to convince him to workout. Leon knew this was his big shot. He wanted to make the most of the opportunity. 

Ali on the other hand was taking on another unknown opponent like, Coopman, Dunn, and Evangalista had all been. Ali had not only been on the decline, but he'd been completely shot during his fights with these guys. Some Ali fans wondered why it had to come to this, but like those around him would say, Ali was still winning and defending his titles. He still wanted to fight. 

Angelo Dundee once said that the fighter would know when it was time to quit. It's safe to say the Muhammad didn't know when that time was. Nobody around him was telling him it's over, and one can only assume he didn't notice there were physical changes in himself. He was shaking and his speech was not clear anymore. This was a busted and broken Muhammad Ali. 

Ali vs Spinks 2

Leon Spinks had taken Ali's title. Muhammad said, he was borrowing the titles and that he'd be taking them back. Ali also said that upon retaining his titles he would retire. Sadly that would not be the case, but Ali would train and come into the rematch in the best shape he could get his worn out body into. 

This debilitated Ali actually thought Spinks was a great fighter. He didn't understand that average heavyweights were hanging around with him. Had the real number one contender Ken Norton got a fourth fight he'd have more than likely beat Muhammad Ali.  

Muhammad Ali would once again become champion. At this point it would be for a record third time. Leon's final boxing record of (26-17-3) would prove he was not the great champion that Ali had proclaimed him to be. This was a shot version of Muhammad Ali. He should not have still been boxing. 

It was said after the fight that it was fixed. I absolutely do not believe the was a fix. Ali struggled to reclaim the title against a guy who never should have won it to begin with. Muhammad Ali said almost a year following the fight that he would not defend the titles and would retire from boxing. Knowing what was to come I think we all wish he would've stayed retired at this point. 



Larry Holmes

In 1980 Muhammad Ali would return to the boxing ring. That's right...they allowed this man with the slurring of his speech to go back into the boxing ring. He'd sparred Larry Holmes when the youngster was coming up. Larry was a big strong heavyweight, but I'm sure Ali had bested him in the sparring sessions. That had been years earlier and now Larry Holmes was the new face of the heavyweight division. 

Ali wanted to shock the world again and become a four time champion. He also admits that he took the fight because it was there. To beat Larry Holmes would've been shocking to say the least. Considering everyone had watch the decline of Muhammad Ali he was given little chance to win. He'd struggled with Coopman, Young, Dunn, Evangalista, and Leon Spinks. None of those were close to the caliber fighter he'd face in Holmes. 

Ken Norton had been awarded the belt in 1978 when Spinks gave Ali a rematch instead of fighting him. Norton's first defense of the title was to Larry Holmes. He lost the belt that he'd never officially won in the ring. Holmes was the champion and was at his best when he met Ali in 1980. Muhammad Ali was not anywhere close to his best. Right the opposite. Ali failed test conducted by the boxing commission and was ordered to undergo further testing. 

Muhammad Ali would come into the fight at the lightest weight he'd been at since George Foreman. Although he was talking slower...he was still talking trash to Holmes. Larry responded to the taunting. He didn't want to engage in that kind of banter with a man who'd become legendary. He knew he was going to destroy Muhammad Ali, and he knew it wasn't the best Ali, despite the fact that Ali did appear to be in good physical shape. Larry was the best heavyweight in 1980 and he believed he would have beat any version of Muhammad Ali. 

Larry Holmes had beaten Ken Norton who was thought to be the next great champion to follow Muhammad Ali. He'd twice defeated the hard hitting Earnie Shavers. Holmes felt he had to go through Ali. The challenge was made and had to be accepted. It was the passing of the torch. Larry knew he couldn't win though, if he beat Ali they'd just say he beat up an old Muhammad Ali. In retrospect he beat an Ali that shouldn't have even been in a boxing ring. 



                          The Last Hurrah

Muhammad Ali was completely dominated by Larry Holmes. If Ali thought Spinks was a great fighter, then he must have thought Larry Holmes was the best fighter that ever lived. Holmes took it easy once he figured out how far gone the champ really was. Ali might have looked like he could fight, but Holmes could see he was no challenge, and just peppered him with scoring blows. Ali stood in the pocket and threw shots with him early, but it was obvious that there was a mismatch in talent. 

Larry Holmes dominated the great champion. There were times late in the fight when Holmes asked, "are you going to stop this fight?" The Greatest of All Time was battered and beaten. By the 12th round his corner led by Angelo Dundee had seen enough. The finally stopped the massacre of a great but defeated champion. Ali had given all he had to give. He was not going to regain the title, shock the world, or defeat Larry Holmes. If anything his corner let him take too much of a beating before they stopped it in the 10th. 


The End of Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali's final fights

After the loss to Larry Holmes, Muhammad Ali vowed to comeback and fight again. He blamed the loss on medication he was taking for a thyroid problem. His thyroid was fine. Ali was punch drunk and the early stages of hypertension were setting in. He was shaking and mumbling telling everyone he'd fight again. Those closest to him should have told him he was done, but nobody did.

Ali had defied the odds before. Those situations were much different from the circumstances he found himself in. The fighter is always the last one to know it's over, it was over, and Ali didn't know that it was. The beating he'd taken from Larry had been excused away. He could beat a lesser opponent. He wanted to return to the ring. He didn't want to end it on the sad note he'd experienced in the Holmes fight. 




Muhammad Ali vs Trevor Berbick

Most boxing fans didn't want to see Muhammad Ali enter the ring again. The last time was an embarrassing effort against the heavyweight champion Larry Holmes. Several different venues had refused to host the fight. Muhammad Ali had always been able to fill the seats, but this fight would take place without drawing real interest. It would be held in Nassau, and titled 'The Drama in Bahama'. 

It was a fight Ali should have never been involved in. The fans were nervous about his return to the ring. Even those who never really liked Ali didn't want to see what could potentially happen to the once great champion. He hadn't knocked anyone out in over five years and it was questionable whether or not he could even hold his own. Ali looked pretty good early on, but up and coming Berbick was too much.    

Ali lost a ten round UD to a fighter that would one day become champion. The scores were 99-94, 97-94, and 96-94. Father Time had caught up with Ali, and he said so after the fight. He knew in his heart that it was over. 

I don't think Berbick could have handled Ali if he'd fought him four or five years earlier. He was an easier opponent than Holmes had been, but Ali was still too far gone to hold his own with a lesser fighter. 

• Muhammad Ali: "I think I'm too old. I was slow. I was weak. Nothing but Father Time. The things I wanted to do, I couldn't do. I was doing my best. I did good for a 39-year-old. I think I'm finished. I know it's the end. I'm not crazy. After Holmes, I had excuses. I was too light. Didn't breathe right. No excuses this time. I'm happy. I'm still pretty. I could have a black eye. Broken teeth. Split lips. I think I came out all right for an old man."

The Legendary Muhammad Ali 

Muhammad Ali ended his career with a record of 56-5. If he'd not lost valuable years in the prime of his career we can't even imagine how things might have been. The Ali we got upon his return was nothing like the Ali from the 1960's. He didn't have the speed and for the first time we got to see that he had an iron chin. Ali adapted to the competition of the 1970's and would best them all. Even when his skills were depleted in the late 70's into the early 80's, and he shouldn't have been in the ring, he adapted to the competition and competed with them. 

They said he couldn't beat Sonny Liston...and he shocked the world. 

They said he couldn't beat George Foreman...again he shocked the world. 

Muhammad Ali proved that nothing is impossible.