Just saw George vs the 5 guys for the first time

I love the fact that he did this.

There some circus like aspects to it, but he straight up beat 5 guys in one night.

 

If I remember, One of those guys hurt George with a right hand. Thin white guy with a tash.

 

Foreman had a quote from his book, I believe, something along the lines of:

"Boxing has always had an element of 'Come see the bearded lady.'"

He understood the circus aspect of it all, and in his comeback really embraced it.

 

In 1893 Bob Fitzsimmons once beat 7 guy guys in 19 rounds!

All men weighed over 200 pounds. One stood 6-7 and weighed in at 240 pounds.

 

What a bloody farce,eh ? Apparently George was inspired to do this from a conversation he had with Marvin Gaye. Probably the only bum note Marvin ever hit !

 

I saw this when it happened, on my little b&w Philco back in the good old days of boxing...my good old days anyway..

 

I forget where I picked this info up from. I guess I just heard it through the grapevine somewhere. Mind you if I'd met Marvin and we talked about this,I'd have asked him simply "What's going on" ?

 

Ali held exhibitions like these all the time. On Aug. 28, 1972, Ali fought five guys in Ohio in Don King's first promotion to raise money for a hospital in Ohio. A couple of the same guys - Alonzo Johnson and Terry Daniels - took part in the Toronto Five.

A week before Ali fought those guys in Ohio, he fought four guys on the same night in an exhibition - Obie English, Ray Anderson, Alonzo Johnson and George Hill in Baltimore.

A month before that, on July 1, 1972, Ali fought five guys on one night in Los Angeles (including his brother) - Rudy Clay, Lonnie Bennett, Billy Ryan, Eddie Jones and Charlie James.

On Jan. 29, 1977, Ali fought six guys in one day in Boston - Peter Fuller, Walter Haines, Jerry Houston, Ron Drinkwater, Matt Ross and Frank Smith.

On March 2, 1979, Ali fought three guys in one night - Dino Denis, Alonzo Johnson and Jimmy Ellis.

For some reason, though, when Foreman did it, it was considered a TERRIBLE thing. But Ali did it routinely, and everyone thought it was great.

The Toronto Five was just an exhibition. None of those fights counted, just like none of exhibitions Ali took part in counted.

Hell, Ali would usually lose every round in his exhibitions. Or he'd fall down. Or he wouldn't throw any punches at all. Or, like in his exhibition with Dokes, he'd just stand in a corner and try to make the guy miss.

Maybe the reason people ridiculed George was he didn't just let the other guys win. Or he too it too seriously.

I don't know. But Ali and Cosell at ringside really badgered George and made fun of him, and Ali usually looked like complete cr@p when he took part in shows like this ... and nobody acted like he was ruining the sport by doing it.

 

George attracted ridicule because he took it so seriously. He was stung by what happened to him in Zaire and he felt that beating 5 guys in a night might prove something. He couldnt see it looked silly. He was so wraped up in his macho image . He was still very young and later however he started to understand his image better.

 

Anyone else remember Charlie Polite kissing him during the pre-fight instructions? LOL

 

I also watched these bouts live. It was a farce. George was hurt several times.

Ali's exhibitions were just that......sparring/playing/entertainment. No ill intentions.

Foreman took these bouts against low level opposition seriously looking to knock each one out. They were using fight gloves mind you. Not sparring gloves. George's seriousness combined with the low talent level he was facing and Ali screaming from ringside made the night a bad one for Foreman. It did nothing to enhance his soiled reputation.

 

George was headcase at this point. It wasnt a debacle because it took place. It was a debacle, as someone else mentioned, because he took it so seriously despite it accomplishing absolutely nothing and actually knocking him down a couple pegs in the publics estimation. It was embarrassing. He acted throughout as if he was fighting all of these killers and that somehow it was going to elevate him. Boone Kirkman had lost his last three fights by KO, Jerry Judge had had three fights in the last four years, six rounders, and managed to lose one to a five fight veteran Larry Holmes. Hed been 10 rounds once in his entire career. Charlie Polite had won something like 5 of his last 30 fights. Alonzo Johnson hadnt fought in 3 years and won just 1 of his last 7 fights. Hed only fought once in the past 9 year. Terry Daniels had only won 1 of his last 7 and his record included losses to middleweights and light heavyweights. Had George actually treated this as the circus sideshow it really was and tried to have a little fun with it we might think of it differently but everyone then and now is pretty much in agreement that George was the only one who didnt quite get that it was a farce.