Ali's Series of Bouts V.S. Wrestlers ...

Inoki was not allowed to take Ali down, so as you rightly point out, choose that lying down tactic to avoid getting KO'd.

 

Muhammad wrestled the wrong people.Ernie Ladd is the most natural opponent.

 

Ladd was not a jobber...

 

Quite the contrary, Ali being the loud mouth that he was said something like "When are one of these orientals gonna challange me to a fight?!" probably directed towards martial artists, Inoki stepped up and took him on. Ali thought he was a pretend wrestler who couldnt fight but in actuality Inoki was a real threat versed in submissions and Karate early on as well as 'shoot wrestling' Ali visited his training camp and got nervous and said so what are the rules to the match? and Inoki said its a real fight, Ali got nervous and his camp made all kinds of crazy rules that the only way inoki could ATTACK ali was kicking with one knee on the canvas...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/nov/11/the-forgotten-story-of-ali-inoki

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnHmKPSYxPo[/ame] Inoki wasnt a joke and when Ali found that out he wussed out

 

True, but they had similair traits, to hear them shoot barbs back and forth before and during the match would be great.:good

 

Ali has a black belt in Karate ,and trained with Joe Hess.

Wussed out my bollocks!

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so it was nothing to do with the fact he was getting paid more than double what he got for FOTC 5yrs earlier and more again than what he got for Zaire? I think this, rather than anything else, is the reason for the 'fight'

 

No, Ali imposed them rules on Inoki. No grappling and Inoki could only kick him if he had a hand on the floor or summat stupid like that.

 

Hear say has it that Saensak Muangsurin offered to fight Ali in Japan. There is a photo of the two 'squaring off'

 

And he would've been aware how Inoki's grappling would totally negate all of that.