After making his last hurrah twice in 1980 and in 1981, it seems that the world isn’t ready for Ali to quit. Not even Larry Holmes, who was his opponent during his first last bow. Though of course Larry won the fight, it was clear Larry Holmes was as much holding back out of sheer respect. Ali was, after all, everyone’s favorite including Holmes himself. And showing the greatest respect, he allowed Ali to back out. It was seen by many as the “passing of the torch”; an aging veteran passing the reigns of rule to a younger and equally stronger successor in a symbolic match.
Throughout his career, Muhammad Ali was truly the greatest as he self proclaimed. He was a rare breed of showmanship, sportsman, and a dirty tactician. His tricks include lashing out with insults and pranks on the opposition before the match, making them very furious and angry to mount an exact offensive on his defense. And Ali’s boxing record speaks all too clearly.
Ali retired permanently in 1981, and Ali’s boxing record was 56 wins on 37 knockouts, and 5 losses. He was a three time World Heavyweight Champion.
Ali was considered an unorthodox boxer, especially during his time. Especially on the level he is playing, boxers on this level rarely used agility and rarer still would they put down their guard while relying only on agility to evade by bobbing and weaving. Many boxing pundits disapprove of this tactic, even though Ali’s boxing record provided substance to his approach. He became the unlikely hero who won, much to fans approval and he began to rack up successes on the lower circuit, building up Ali’s boxing record.
His first slice of fame was against the heavily favored champ Sonny Liston. His tactics of agile and quick shots quickly disabled the veteran slugger and by the seventh round, Liston had contributed to Ali’s boxing record by backing out due to injuries.
One of the major upsets in Ali’s boxing record was during the highly anticipated “The Fight of the Century”. He was fighting against Joe Frazier, a powerful boxer known for his explosive punches and incredibly strong chin. In short, it was a battle against two undefeated champions where Frazier won by landing a hard left hook. It was Ali’s first professional loss, and maybe Ali’s fairest fight since there was no taunting pre-fight that Ali would so often use to off balance opponents.
Ali’s boxing record is marred with 5 losses, first from Frazier, the next to a newcomer Leon Spinks. His second defeat made history, because by then, Ali became the first heavyweight champion in history to lose to a novice who had seen only 7 professional fights.
Even with today’s standards, Ali’s boxing record was already a considerable measure. As opposed to Larry Holmes perfect boxing career run, Ali rose on a time when considerable foes had also surfaced. Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, are among the boxing greats that had surfaced during his era, and once or twice had Ali defending his title in earnest.
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