Fixed Championship Fights

No one in the History of Boxing had ever thrown a counter punch up to 1965.

And Ali was standing over Liston telling him to get up knowing it was a zero effect punch.

Of course, after the fight, Ali had to improvise the Comedian Fetchit story.

 

Always thought there was something fishy about Smith v Witherspoon.

 

This is the clincher for me.
Ali's facial expression and body language told the story. He was DISGUSTED that Liston had gone down from that pitiful blow.

 

Bad officiating did indeed play it's part,but Liston was intimidated by Ali jumping around while Sonny was on the canvas.

 

How on earth can the Rumble in the Jungle have been fixed? Foreman hit him with everything but the kitchen sink.

 

"It was n't the African weather. It was the Ali leather"

 

Lewiston, Maine

That is all we need to know.

Not even Portland or Bangor.

Lewiston, Maine - The boxing 'hot bed' of New England.

In 1965, the home of 'New England Make Believe Wrestling'

 

Aren't they all?

 

If only the walls could talk, at the Fireside Inn in Auburn, Maine in 1965.

Muhammad Ali practicing the famous 'anchor punch', that 'Stepin Fetchit'
had only shown to Jack Johnson and 'The Greatest'.

 

Dokes-Weaver I was an obvious fix.As was Everett-Escalera.

 

Hopkins laid back on Taylor the first fight to get more meaningful fights imo.

 

Dempsey beat Willard fair and square. Doc Kearns just wanted to slander dempsey's name after they split. If you watch the tape, before the fight Willard comes over and feels Dempsey's gloves.

 

My father got me interested in boxing as a 5 year old in 1958. He got me interested in all sports by 1960 even having me start a scrapbook on boxing, baseball, football, and basketball stars.
Floyd Patterson remains my hero to this day! Along with Mickey Mantle, Jim Brown, and Oscar Robertson.
Dad was a police officer here in Indy and stopped Stepin Fetchit for drunk driving late one night in 1954 after he did a nite-club gig here in Indy; dad took him in but spoke in his behalf and got him off with a minor fine. God, I miss the old days!!

 

February 20, 1976

Muhammad Ali vs. Jean Pierre Coopman.

Fixed in way, that the Television Audience was led to believe that Jean-Pierre
was a quality fighter, and that Muhammad Ali was 'woefully' out of shape.

CBS-TV fight announcer Brent Musberger 'pathetically ranting' that the
'Lion of Flanders' packed a powerful wallop.

Here is the 'build-up'.

Yes, the 29 year-old, 6' 1" 206 lb. fighter from Ingelmunster, Belgium -
better known as 'The Lion of Flanders' is a tough-brawling Heavyweight.

He has only lost once in his last '17-bouts', and recently defended his
Belgian Heavyweight Title by stopping Lisimo Obutobe, the 'Giant Congo' Heavyweight
living in Luxembourg.

Jean-Pierre has some good wins, including 'British Heavyweight' Rocky Campbell and
'previously undefeated' German Heavyweight Bernd August.
At 24-3-0 (14 KO's), he is as good enough to be in anyone's Top 15 of the Heavyweight Division.

He's a good one, and tonight just might be the night that Muhammad Ali loses his title.