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Getting in the Ring with the Boxing Greats
Walking back through time, boxing has seen a fair share of legends, whose
stories are as varied and colorful as they come. Some, just like any
fairytale rose of humble beginnings to take up the world. Some, through
gritty determination, will continuously stand even when felled a couple of
times. Some are born and made, having the strength of 10 men. These
characters, these boxing greats have once a time walked in the aisle where
only the greatest had walk.
He was undoubtedly the best face of boxing, but Muhammad Ali was fortunate
to rise up when the films and reels of television were first commercially
used. And because of that, the masses have seen the not so humble (and
overly cocky) beginnings of Cassius Clay, when he scored his first
professional victory over the reigning champion Sonny Liston. And they have
witnessed when he changed his name to Muhammad Ali, and took further time in
the limelight. They saw his ignoble defeat against Joe Frazier, his dazzling
comeback fight against George Foreman, and his ultimate revenge against
Frazier in Manila.
Muhammad Ali was not ‘the greatest’ in boxing (his self appointed nickname
was ‘the greatest’); he was also the best man for the spotlight. Not only
his brash, egoistic, and abusive nature appealing to the fans, he also
matched his words with superb career prowess, 56 wins with 37 KOs and 5
losses, 2 of them were made when his health was severely degraded.
On October 1980, many saw Ali’s legacy handed down to Larry Holmes on a
boxing match, symbolically as a ‘Passing of Torch’. The Ali that fought the
match against one of the rising boxing greats was suffering severely from
Parkinson’s disease, and many had viewed the controversial match with
disdain. But still, it had started the career of one of the greatest boxers
of history, who would then make the most spectacular title defenses of 20
times.
Larry Holmes, who previously trained as Ali’s sparring partner was best
suited as the world’s greatest contender. He was the opposite of Ali in
character, and wasn’t flamboyant.
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