The following are real excerpts from a letter written someone named Donn Draeger about the Ali vs Inoki bout that had yet to take place.
"If the Ali-Inoki thing comes off, it will be a fix. Inoki is a protégé of Riki Dozan, who found him in Brazil farm fields. Inoki can't wrestle, but looked fierce and could be taught to roll around."
"Inoki learned his craft here with Riki, never did sumo formally, though he has learned a bit to spice up his performance. He is a leader of different wrestling organization than the one that lists Giant Baba (another glandular freak who can't wrestle) as world champion. Inoki, like Baba, is not world champ except in his own billing."
"Of course Ali will win the match; he can't be allowed to lose. But do you think Ali, or at least his handlers, are unaware of the fact that a good wrestler is advantaged over a boxer? [Former boxing champion Jack] Dempsey and others can attest to that as you well know."
"Frankly, if Ali sticks to boxing, I feel that I could get him: if I could avoid his blow and make a clinch I am sure that I could win on the ground, just like any other good grappler. (Hell, I'd try it for less money, too!)"
LMAO!! Sounds like a standard UG thread, doesn't it?
after watching that on subfighter... ali got owned. not surprizing though. No draw about it. He didn't even land a punch, took a lot of weird looking, but hard leg kicks, and if the ref wouldn't have stepped int, he would have been leg locked a few seconds later at one point. Interesting still to watch.
Ali got owned, but what was he supposed to do? He even started kicking Inoki legs while Inoki butt scooted.
You can't hit what's already on the floor.
tell that to bang ludwig.
First the match was a joke. Ali thought it would be a fixed, funny wrestling match, but Inoki was serious. Ali got an infection from a cut Inoki opened on his leg and almost had to have his leg amputated!
More to the point, I love the "post". You're totally right, it reads very much like a UG thread!
Great job Zimmerman! Interesting, pertenent and funny. Everything a good UG thread should be.
"You can't hit what's already on the floor."
WHAAAAAAT?!
With your hands. Ali was wearing boxing gloves.
I wanted to TTT this because I think it's really interesting.
See boys, speculation about MMA's been around a while, and it's always been interesting.
LMAO !
Great thread.
I would love to see a video of the fiight? Poster above mentioned it's on subfighter - where is it there? Do I have to be a registered user to view it?
I liked the fight and I really dont think Ali got owned. Yes he could have been in trouble when it went to the ground but what was with the rules to cause LeBelle to jump in and stand them back up? That was very odd.
Everyone makes a big deal out of the special rules that Ali allegedly demanded but if you watch the fight it was obvious that Inoki was as scared to stand with Ali as Ali was of going to the ground. Clearly Inoki was allowed to throw kicks, punches, slaps and anything else he wanted to when standing, if he was such a great fighter why did he continually butt scoot? He actually throws one front kick while standing which Ali avoided but why didnt he try more? Why didnt he chop ali down with leg kicks while standing instead of doing it all while sitting on his ass?
I know this forum tends to be more pro grappling than it is pro boxing but the rules to that fight were not as restrictive as people make out. Inoki could have done lots more than just butt scoot for the majority of the fight.
"I would love to see a video of the fiight?"
Ferox13 posted a great highlight clip here about a week ago.
If you do a search under his name you might still find the thread.
Draeger would have beaten Ali and Inoki in the same night. His book "Judo Training Methods" shows how hard guys trained back in his day.
Thanks Ferox,great clip.
After just reading the revised and final rules for this fight it seems that I was wrong, Inoki was very restricted in what he could do. Some of the moves I saw him do in ferox's clip were technically against the rules in that case.
i read somewhere that it was a work which ali was supposed to win.once the match started inoki went back on his word.
"i read somewhere that it was a work which ali was supposed to win.once the match started inoki went back on his word."
Inoki was training for the match to be a full MMA match. With takedowns, submissions, etc. When Ali's camp (without Ali, I believe) went to view Inoki's training and saw him doing takedowns, submissions, high kicks, etc. they changed the rules. Inoki could not perform takedowns or submissions. Standing with Ali was obviously out of the question so Inoki had no choice but to butt scoot and kick the hell out of Ali's legs.
SA