Why wasn't Ali stopped earlier against Holmes.

I don't have a source on hand, but Holmes said many times that he regrets that fight. Don King was the one who pushed for it and he screwed both Ali and Holmes out of the original purses he promised both. Muhammad was supposed to get a million dollars for that fight and received nowhere near it. As for why it wasn't stopped sooner, I don't blame either of the fighters.. They were doing their jobs. Angelo Dundee finally stopped it in the corner in the tenth, but his call came about four rounds too late.

 

Yeah I don't know. It was a sad day in boxing and frankly Muhammad Ali is just as responsible for that fight coming off as anyone. He knew his abilities had diminished, knew that he had health problems and furthermore he knew that Larry Holmes was no slouch as he had sparred with him before and watched his career develop. Sometimes a fighter has to take ownership of his career and health and know when enough is enough..

 

Funny how that little detail is missed.

 

True but you know what? We can't treat fighters like babies and absolve them of the responsibility they have to themselves.

Ali must have known he had nothing left. He fooled himself and frankly conned the public. He was a grown man and ultimately he had himself to blame. He was irresponsible.

 

He had plenty of opportunities to "find that out in the ring" if he had paid attention. The third Norton fight along with the Jimmy Young and Leon Spinks affairs were certainly clues. Don't get me wrong. I still felt sorry for him and his family. But Larry Holmes was wrongfully vilified for that beating. He was a fighter doing his job. Would you have applauded Holmes for ducking Ali or perhaps gone out there and toyed with him all evening making for a non effort? Boxing is a rough business and has its not so pretty sides to it. The fighters have to know when their time is up. That said I agree that the fight should have been stopped long before it was.

 

Ali basically needed as much money as he could get so fighting holmes was his only logical answer . Think, he is a fighter but he knows deep down he really has nothing left but he also knows he isn't going to make **** outside of the ring . As did no doubt some of those hangers on he had accumulated through the years . So this was never going to end pretty especially when Ali's undoubted massive ego kicked in , this fight certainly to begin with shouldn't of been made but it was by king and others Ali included , even if Dundee or others had said no do you really think Ali would not of taken the fight . Ali was taking this fight no matter what Dundee had advised so to try to blame others and not Ali is ridiculous . As for Holmes what the hell was he supposed to do vacate his belt and hope for a shot at whoever had beaten Ali instead of him . Holmes is probably the least to blame here he's a fighter he's going to fight , I agree it should of been stopped around the 6th by Ali's corner .

 

Was Ali in financial difficulties? If so, it does put a new spin on it. I have always felt bad for fighters who almost had no choice but to soldier on.
I always thought that it was his giant ego that refused to accept that he was past it.

I certainly take no pleasure in waching him suffer in there though. I just feel that ultimaely we are all responsible for our own wellbeing.

 

Folkshave a tremendous capacity to delude themselves.
With anger & greed it is one of the "3 poisons" in Buddhist theory.

I was a kid & recall being excited by all the build up.
Ali was doing kazillion sit ups, training hard & losing weight...Of course he thought he had a good chance & maybe thought he definistely would win!

He had come back a few times before.
Also Ali made his situation WORSE with those injections that mummified him.

He never should have been approved for the fight.
I understand he never passed a PHYSICAL after Manilla.
Or could pass a legitimate one.

Larry Holmes is not remotely to blame.
All he could have done is plead for it to be stopped earlier. but that is not his job. homles was respectful, compassionate, & sorrowful after the fight.

Don King is a Monster.

A True Sociopath, he has robbed not just those great HWs, but endless boxers. A pathological liar, exploiter, bottom-feeder with *no* apparaent ethical principles.
When he came with Frazier & then celebrated & left with Frazier years before that was clear.

Ali bamboozled & charmed everypne...But not least of all, conned himself.
Though without the poisonous injections he actually was BETTER at the end of '81 vs. Berbick.

tThough that fight also never should have been approved.

 

He is responsible for a certain amount of that too. Of course I realize that Don King and plenty of other shady types screwed him out of some of his earnings. But the man was still handsomely paid for his effort and he definitely took home far more than most people. How many wives did he have?? How many children did he sire? How many homes did he own, cars did he drive, etc.. Poor money management is something he needs to take ownership of as do countless men before and after him.