Muhammad Ali by Margueritte Shelton

Author:Margueritte Shelton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2022-12-12T00:00:00+00:00

9

DANGEROUS CROSSROADS Signs of Diminishing Returns

Ali at the Miami 5th Street Gym after Ali vs. Spinks I in 1978.

Photograph by Michael Gaffney © Michael Gaffney Photo

After the Frazier fight in Manila, Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, who had been Ali’s fight doctor since 1962, said he discovered that the champion reached “the dangerous mental point where his heart and mind are no longer in it. It’s just a payday. It’s almost as if an actor had played his role too long. He’s just mouthing the words.” Ali admitted, “It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.” Toward the end of his career, Ali still floated on air throwing his signature stinging jabs at the beginning of fights, but then the performance faded in late rounds when the dance was over, leaving him brutally outdistanced by the final bell. Champion Sugar Ray Robinson knew: “Rhythm is everything in boxing. Every move you make starts with your heart, and that’s in rhythm or you’re in trouble.”

After the epic 1975 battle when the champion danced his way to victory against Joe Frazier in Manila, pleas for Ali to retire over health worries failed to stop the music, even when it seemed there were no other worlds to conquer. When Frazier retired in 1976 before a comeback match in 1981, Ali continued to fight many contenders, including Jean-Pierre Coopman, Jimmy Young, Richard Dunn, and a third matchup with former champion Ken Norton. After facing every top heavyweight on the scene throughout two decades of a golden age, he was moving into the last phase of his reign. An aging champion with fading skills would prove less often he could score in the final rounds to keep his crown. The once untouchable champion who danced under the bright lights to victory made many people wonder about the physical risks from repeated heavy blows at this dangerous crossroads in his career.

In 1976, aspiring to add more wins to his legendary record kept the 34-year-old Ali coming back into the ring, where he adapted his style to slowing reflexes. His desire to leave an unrivaled enduring impact on the sport was perhaps due to the sacrifice of his prime fighting years when he was unjustly banned from the ring. On February 20, Ali faced Jean-Pierre Coopman, who was knocked out in five when facing his idol. Then Ali went on to fight Jimmy Young, who tried to escape the line of fire by bending through the middle of the ropes to avoid stinging jabs during their April 30 bout. The third match that year, against Richard Dunn in May, would mark the last win by a technical knockout at this stage of Ali’s career. In June, there was an odd match against martial-arts wrestler Antonio Inoki in Japan to prove who had the best fighting technique in the world. Ali suffered from serious leg injuries after the decided draw.

Ali trained hard, reaching top shape to fight tough contender Ken Norton for the third time in September.

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