Ali - Sparring & Exhibition Stories?

I'll do Page - Ali tomorrow night.

 

Sure. I know a lawyer who had a client that was an older X kick boxer. Having an interesting in boxing I asked if he was famous. He wasn't publically famous ( forget the kick boxer's name ) but the lawyer did say he fought Ali!



When I say asked for details the lawyer said Ali gave kick boxing a try in the gym, and the kick boxer Ali knocked out.


Supposedly, the story is known among gym rats. That was the story. No films or news reads here.

 

boxing illustrated had a few pics of ali getting out of his tour bus and doing some mock sparring with a guy walking on the side walk.by the look on the guys face it sure made his day

 

It was an exhibition. Ali was heavyweight champion at the time, and Dokes was an amateur - all 19-years-old of him. Ali wasn't going to hit Dokes or try to bust him up. He just played with Dokes and let Dokes punch his arms and body. It was not a fight!

 

I was watching and interview with Ali and Holmes and Holmes describes Ali as a father figure and helped him through his boxing career. Holmes said that in his fight with Ali he was trying to get him out of there as quick as possible as he knew ali was no longer the fighter he was and that he could of hurt ali. in their prime ali wins easily although holmes is underated

 

Ali and Roy "Tiger" Williams sparred. The story is in Holmes's book. He said Roy kept bitching about his pay, even though he was learning more from Ali and the rest in 1 day than he would in a year at a normal gym. So Ali decided that it was time for Roy to earn his keep and got in the ring with him. They went toe-toe banging away at eachother for I think it was 10 rounds. At the end Ali payed Roy and Roy left and never came back.

 

In Hauser's biography about Ali there's an interesting story about Ali sparring with Holmes. It's told by Gene Kilroy in Ali's camp. Obviously Holmes had said in interview that Ali was the champ, but that he, Holmes, was the better fighter. Kilroy tells Hauser what happened after that got back to Ali:

"So that day, when Ali went out to spar with Holmes, first round, he moved on him. Pop-pop-pop-pop, backed Holmes into corner and told him, 'Larry my legs are gone'. And Holmes said: 'No, they're not, champ.' Second round, Ali beat on him again, and at the end, shouted across the ring, 'I'm old!' And Holmes said, 'No, champ; no, you're not.' Third round, he beat the **** out of Larry, went back to his corner, and yelled, 'Larry, you're the better fighter. I just got the title.' Holmes was crying, 'No, champ; that's a lie.' Bundini and I laughed our heads off, altough I don't Larry thought it was funny."

 

All I can think of is the motor-mouth amateur, still calling himself Cassius Clay, fresh from the Olympics, who, with Willie Pastrano, drove Angelo Dundee nuts doing more clowning than training at Miami's 5th St. gym.

He showed not a hint of what he was to become -- certainly not work ethic, or anything resembling a punch. It was all slaps in sparring, no fighting inside, no body punches. Certainly not a style geared for the pros.

This may be hard to believe, considering the magnificent specimen he later became, but he didn't look like he had the frame to fill out to a full-size heavyweight -- nothing rugged about him, or any indication of his inner resolve.

Considering it was a gym with Cleveland Williams and Mike DeJohn -- huge bangers who he subsequently beat handily, one shuddered at the notion of them landing soldily at the time.

I'd have bet anything he was gonna be one more Olympic bust.

When I'm wrong, I'm really wrong.

 

I can't believe Kilroy meant "crying" as in weeping, more like calling out. Holmes wouldn't shed actual tears in sparring, no way.

 

I saw Ali give an exhibition in London ,it was after he had kod Foreman ,he wore a rubber top and pulled it up to show his considerable belly,he said he had just had a big peice of pie,and was enjoying life,even so he sparred with the reigning British ,and I beleive European Champ of the time John L Gardner,he made Gardner look a novice.

 

Ali once held an exhibition bout with Football Hero Lyle alzado (? Sorry of not spelt correctly) Ali seemed to be going throught the motions and looked content to coast through, but it looked like Lyle wanted to impress, and as i recall Ali opened up a little on Lyle to keep him in Check, ( i must rewatch the tape if i can find it )

The hightlight of Ali's Sparring with the young dokes, who of course had blazingly quick hands, was when Ali leant against the ropes with his hands down, Dokes tried to hit the Woefully out of Shape Ali's Head, but couldnt do it, Ali could still move that head when he wanted to - too much for young Pup Dokes.

 

There was a video on youtube showing him sparring and his exhibitions with Hearns, Holmes, Page, Dokes, and someone else.

Hearns was in 81 (I think) and Ali just let him punch, Hearns landed a cracking right with nothing off of it and all it did was snap Ali's head to the side, it didn't seem to bother Muhammad at all.

The one with Holmes was around 73, and Ali danced around and they exchanged jabs, Ali flurried and the clip ended.

A lot of people have seen the Dokes footage, and I forget the Page footage. I think he sparred Page in 83.