looking for ali v mathis

hey doug PM me... although i dont know why you would want to watch this ****...

 

It was an ABC-TV tape-delay fight.

On closed circuit TV, Wednesay 11/17/71 out of the Houston Astrodome.

ABC-TV bought the television rights, and in several locales in New York, you could
see the fight later that night (via tape-delay) with Howard Cosell announcing.

But the fight was so bad, ABC-TV only broadcasted several rounds.

Muhammad Ali's fight purse $300,000. The fight was promoted by Top Rank, Inc.

Peers Promoters were the local promoters who put up $200,000 as a guarantee
to insure Muhammad Ali's purse.

Buster Mathis got 15% of the 'live gate'.

You may get a copy of the Wide World of Sports Episode. Which may have been broadcasted
on Saturday, November 20, 1971.
Rounds 1 thru 4 were shown. Part of Round 8. Part of round 10. Rounds 11 and 12.

Rounds 5, 6, 7 and half of Round 8. Round 9 and half of Round 10 were not shown.

 

as ali put it,its buster's last stand.
george chuvalo/cleveland williams was on the undercard

 

BIG JAKE,

Was the George Chuvalo vs. Cleveland Williams fight shown in Canada.

Only a handful of theaters broadcast the closed circuit event.

 

it was shown on wild world of sports,i have a copy with a few bits removed if your interested also on the same cd are chuvalo/jones,chuvalo/bonavena

 

The only notable thing about the Mathis fight was Muhammad getting criticised for being too soft on Buster. Probably the same people who slagged him off for his 'cruelty' to Patterson and Terrel.

 

The ABC-TV tape-delay came on sometime around 1:30 AM in New York, that night.

If I remember correctly, Rounds 1 ,2 and 3 were horrible.
And mid-way through Round 4, Howard Cosell apologized to the viewers for the
lack of action.

It was labeled as, 'The Battle of the Bellies'.

Cosell, made an announcement after Round 4, saying that ABC was leaving the fight,
to show another sporting event, that had some excitement in it.

He stated, 'that if something of any excitment happened, we will return to the fight'.

It came back on mid-way through Round 8, and Cosell was in perfect form,
when he said........'you've missed nothing, other than me sipping a Pepsi'

 

i do miss howard cosell

 

you got Chuvalo-Bonavena? would like to see that myself

 

I give Howard alot of credit, though he did shill for Muhammad Ali,
he was one of his biggest critics when he performed badly.

After the Ali vs. Mathis fight, he boldly stated, it would be a long
time before ABC-TV broadcasts another one of his fights, unless
he could prove he was a worthy fighter who took his craft seriously.

ABC-TV paid for the tape-delay and re-broadcast rights.

 

For a long time, Ali-Mathis was on youtube. This thread alerted me to the fact it's been removed. I expect it to eventually return.

Strange ending. First of all, Mathis was dropping from exhaustion in round 11. To Cosell he didn't "look right," and Howard was surprised Buster's corner let him out to touch gloves for the final round. Again, he was dropping from exhaustion. After one of those knockdowns, Muhammad's eyes met Cosell's, and Howard winked at him, but Ali shook his head in response. Dundee could be heard screaming from ringside to "knock him out," but Muhammad held back as he had with Ellis. His demeanor during his 1971 wins against Ellis, Mathis and Blin was rather subdued.

 

It was an act of allowing a friend to complete the bout.

Buster was terribly out-of-shape 250+ lbs., and had not fought in 2 3/4 years.

Those knock-downs were really fall-downs, as those punches were almost
'love-taps'..........Buster was running on 'fumes'.

 

In 1968, he came in at 220 for Big Train Lincoln, and was reportedly very good when coming in at lighter weights. I wonder what he might have done with his career and life if he somehow stayed around 220. He might even be alive today.

 

Buster was a very-nimble guy.
Despite his size, he had very good foot-work.
Not big on the punch, but he was quick-handed, when in shape.

Hung with Smokin Joe on even terms through 9 rounds in the NYS Heavyweight
Championship.

Buster versus Sonny Liston was on the table for 1969.