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On January 20, 1970, the "Fight
of the Century - Ali vs. Marciano" was shown one time
in 1500 theatres across the United States and Europe. After
the one (and only) screening all prints were destroyed, except
for one sent to the U.S. Copyright Office. Since then, "The
Fight of the Century" was seen only once - on ABC's Wide
World of Sports in the early 70s.
Was this fight fact or fantasy... science fiction or a novelty?
Why did these two undefeated champions fight, and who won?
ROCKY
MARCIANO: UNDEFEATED CHAMPION - RETIRED
Rocco Francis Marchegiano
is better known as Rocky Marciano, the only Heavyweight Champion
of the World to retire undefeated. Marciano was born into
a very poor family September 21, 1923 in Brockton, Massachusetts.
He was once asked if it was the memories of coal dust and
the putrid smell of factory shoe leather that fired him up
with unrelenting determination to succeed as a boxer, especially
after he had been knocked down, was badly cut or was losing
a fight. "The one thing I thought about most," he
said, "was the hardship my father and mother faced throughout
their lives. I knew that if I didn't overcome the challenge
at hand, I and they would surely never get another chance
to escape poverty and oblivion."
On September 23, 1952, after a momentous victory over Joe
Louis, Rocky fought Jersey Joe Walcott for the heavyweight
title. Although Rocky was knocked down in the final round
and was behind in the scoring for the first seven rounds,
he knocked out Walcott in the 13th with a powerful and strategically
placed right.
Marciano won an unprecedented 49 straight fights, 43 by knockout.
In 1956, he retired undefeated at age 33.
In 1969, 13 years after retiring, the 46-year-old Marciano
was bald, depressed and had grown to over 300 pounds. Although
he had made enough money to support himself and his family,
he desperately missed the challenge, glory and the excitement
of the ring. Life without a challenge did not mean much to
Rocky; he needed a reason to live.
MUHAMMAD
ALI: UNDEFEATED CHAMPION - TITLE REVOKED
As an amateur, Cassius
Clay appeared in 108 bouts between 1955 and 1960. He won six
Kentucky Golden Glove titles, two national Amateur Athletic
Union (AAU) championships, two National Golden Glove crowns
and the Gold Medal in the light heavyweight division in the
1960 Summer Olympic games in Rome, Italy. He was only 18 years
old.
On February 25, 1964, in Miami Beach, Florida, Clay waged
his first challenge for the heavyweight championship in a
match against Sonny Liston. Though Liston was thought by many
to be invincible, the brass 22-year-old Clay spent the weeks
leading up to the fight entertaining reporters and fans with
colorfully worded promises of his impending victory. In one
of the most stunning upsets in boxing history, Clay delivered
on his promise, knocking Liston out in the seventh round.
Clay won his next 29 fights, 23 by knockout.
After defeating Liston, Clay startled the nation by announcing
that he had joined the Nation of Islam and had changed his
name to Muhammad Ali. His affiliation with the Nation of Islam
came at a time when many Americans and many of his fans considered
the Black Muslims a subversive and dangerous organization.
In 1967, the Vietnam War was raging. The U.S. Government sent
Ali a draft notice; citing his Islamic faith, Ali refused
induction into the military. He was stripped of his heavyweight
title and his boxing license was revoked. The government gave
him a five-year jail sentence for defying military induction.
At 27, in the peak of his career, the only opponent Ali was
allowed to fight was the federal government.
With his bold assertions of black pride, Ali became a "Black
Power" symbol. He was controversial, polarizing and nobody
wanted to hire him. With mounting bills from his legal appeals
and no income, he needed to make some money quickly.
The Offer
Murry Woroner was a Miami
boxing promoter who had a radio series of fantasy boxing bouts
between champs of years past (i.e. John L. Sullivan vs. Jim
“Cinderella Man” Braddock). A state-of-the-art
computer (for the time) was fed statistics about the fighters.
The computer predicted what would have happened had the fighters
met at the peak of their careers. Announcers would read punch-by-punch
commentary. Marciano was the winner of the series, beating
Jack Dempsey. Ali, who lost early in the series, felt slighted
and sued Woroner.
Woroner, sensing a business opportunity, made Ali an offer.
Would he drop the lawsuit and for $10,000 fight Marciano on
film, and let the computer decide the outcome? Willing to
do just about anything to earn a buck, Ali had lectured on
the college circuit and even appeared on Broadway in the play
"Buck White". Fighting, of course, was what he really
wanted to do, and Woroner¹s offer was the next best thing.
And though suspicious of Woroner, he simply couldn't afford
to turn down his offer.
As for Marciano, who fought long before the age of inflated
purses, his post-boxing career as a businessman had been less
than a success. As a fighter he couldn't lose, but as an entrepreneur
he was snakebit. Whether it was a restaurant in New Jersey
or a potato field in Iowa, one deal after another went down
the tubes. When Marciano received Woroner's offer to fight
Ali, he agreed immediately. His prayers were answered. He
had a challenge again.
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