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Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmy Ellis
Boxing competition From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmy Ellis, billed as The Inevitable Fight, was a professional boxing match contested on July 26, 1971, for the NABF heavyweight championship.[1]
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Background
This was Ali's first boxing match after Fight of the Century,[2][3][4][5][6] and had originally been scheduled as a bout between Wilt Chamberlain, who had challenged him, then trained for the bout with Cus D'Amato, but later withdrew from the fight. [7]
A problem arose before the fight when it was realized that both Ali and Ellis shared the same trainer, Angelo Dundee. Dundee had been Ali's trainer since he began professionally fighting, and had been Ellis' manager and trainer, as well. It would be decided that Dundee would be in Ellis' corner, since Dundee's purse would be bigger. Ali, understanding the circumstances, got Harry Wiley, who had helped train and manage Sugar Ray Robinson. Also of note is that Ali's assistant trainer, Drew "Bundeni" Brown, had forgotten to pack Ali's trunks, as such, Ali would wear a pair of over-sized white trunks for the bout.
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The fight
Ellis made a good account of himself for the first three rounds, but in the fourth, a straight right by Ali buckled Ellis' legs. From there-on, Ellis would begin to take a beating, with Ali circling, jabbing, and occasionally planting his feet and throwing combinations to Ellis' head. Another straight right from Ali wobbled Ellis in the twelfth, Ali took his opportunity to pound on Ellis, and eventually won the bout through a technical knockout when the referee stopped the fight.
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Undercard
Confirmed bouts:[8]
Broadcasting
References
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