10. Vs. Antonio Inoki (Dawn of MMA): June 26th, 1976
Ali was an inspiration for several things, so are you surprised to learn that he also helped inspire MMA? In 1976, Ali agreed to a fight with Antonio Inoki who was known for his drop-kicks and violent grapples. Roughly a week before the match, Ali was still under the impression that this was going to be an exhibition fight that was rehearsed, but was then informed that Inoki intended to complete as if it was a real fight. As a result, “A list of restrictions was imposed on Inoki. He would not be allowed to throw, grapple or tackle Ali, and could not land any kicks unless he had one knee on the mat.”
Inoki laid on his back and kicked at Ali’s shins throughout the fight. To help picture this, Ali literally only threw 6 punches the entire time. You can understand why the crowd started chanting that they wanted their money back after the fight ended in a draw.
Despite this being a farce of a fight, Ali still suffered an infection from a cut that he suffered during the fight, and two blood clots in his legs that he never completely recovered from.
The two formed a friendship and in 1998 when Inoki retired, Ali went to the match and stated, “Antonio Inoki and I put our best efforts into making world peace through sports, to prove there is only one mankind beyond the sexual, ethnical or cultural differences. It is my pleasure to come here today.”
Clearly both Ali and Inoki were aware that even if their fight was embarrassing, it still helped open doors for their sports.
9. His Family
When it comes to things that people value in their life, you can imagine family is often pretty high on the list. You may then be curious to learn that Ali was not only married 4 times, but he hadseven daughters and two sons. Imagine having the confidence to try and take out the daughter of the greatest boxer of all time…
One of Ali’s daughters, Laila, is also a boxer and is undefeated in her weight class. At least you can take solace in knowing there were plenty of people in Ali’s life that surely loved him.
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