Ali vs. Inoki video
Info about "Ali vs. Inoki video"
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.
The fight itself was contested under specific rules. Due to varying claims over the years, it is difficult to know the reasons behind their implementation. It has been alleged that the fight was originally to have been a worked match. According to boxing journalist Jim Murphy, the original plan was for Ali to accidentally punch the referee and knock him out. While standing over the referee, looking concerned, Inoki would knock him out with a kick to the head. The referee would then come around and count Ali out, giving Inoki the win in front of his fellow countrymen, and allowing Ali to save face because of his noble instincts. However, when Ali found out he had to lose, he refused, turning the fixed fight into a real one.
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