It’s said that Muhammad Ali fought his biggest bout against a government that tried to take his freedom and stunt his career. Others believe his elegant battle against Parkinson’s was even greater, since it was a war he fought longer — and with diminished strength. In both these fights Ali brought courage to people who had never seen a boxing match, never seen Ali play “rope-a-dope”, never watched him dance in the ring or stand above Sonny Liston with triumphant swagger.
But people wouldn’t have cared as much — and Ali would not have been in such a position to inspire — had it not been for the ten battles below. Notably they took place over a long stretch of 14 years. Muhammad Ali was a fighter all his life, but from the early 1960s to the late 1970s he was among the greatest athletes in the world. RIP Muhammad Ali. Fight’s over.
- Foreman, 1974
- Frazier, Manila, 1975
- Liston, 1964
- Frazier, New York, 1971
- Foley, 1967
- Shavers, 1977
- Norton, 1973
- Bobavena, 1970
- Spinks, New Orleans, 1978
- Wepner, 1975
