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50 Years Ago This Month, Rocky Marciano KOed Muhammad Ali
At the dawn of the year 1970, Rocky Marciano had been dead for five months and 1012 days had elapsed since Muhammad Ali had last stepped into the ring. But before the first calendar month was over, Marciano and Ali would sling leather in a battle witnessed by roughly a million people in theaters and arenas across North America and by millions more on TV in England and Japan.
What they witnessed, of course, was a simulation, a faux fight. But it wasnât as if Marciano and Ali were animated figures. They actually did share the ring, pulling their punches and occasionally landing a real punch by accident, over the course of 75 one-minute rounds filmed against a black backdrop behind locked doors at Chris Dundeeâs Fifth Street Gym in Miami. Dundee, the older brother of the famous trainer Angelo Dundee, served as the third man in the ring.
The âfightâ between the 45-year-old Marciano (49-0, 43 KOs) and the 28-year-old Ali (29-0, 23 KOs) was the brainchild of Murry Woroner. A man in his mid-40s who grew up in the Bronx, Woroner entered the radio field at a station in the coal-mining town of Harlan, Kentucky, and made several other stops before turning up in Miami where he started his own production company.
Three years earlier, the resourceful Woroner had concocted a heavyweight tournament consisting of 15 fantasy fights that he sold to 380 radio stations around the world. There were 16 entrants, seven deceased, and the last man standing became the mythical greatest heavyweight champion of all time.
A large panel of boxing historians rated each fighter on a host of variables, the results were coded onto punch cards that were fed into a bulky contraption called a computer, and the computer determined the winner of each match. (In the finals, Marciano rallied to stop Jack Dempsey in the 13th round.)
Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, was the only active fighter in the tournament. He was eliminated by turn-of-century stalwart James J. Jeffries in the second round.
Ali/Clay was so incensed by the verdict that he sued Woroner for defamation of character. Jack Johnson had run circles around Jeffries when Jeffries came out of retirement in 1910, and in Aliâs eyes it was absurd to think that he wouldnât have conquered Jeffries in a similarly one-sided fashion.
Murry Woroner reportedly gave Ali $10,000 to drop the suit with the proviso that Ali film a simulated match with Marciano if Marciano could be lured out of retirement. Exiled from boxing and with his bankroll slowly dwindling, Ali accepted the offer. He received an unspecified guarantee plus a percentage of the profits.
In the late spring of 1969, when Marciano consented to participate, he had been out of the ring for 13 years. In retirement, his legend grew his larger â he was the only former heavyweight champion to retire undefeated â and so also did his waistline. A proud man, he lost 50 pounds before the first fake punch was thrown.
Marciano was a bleeder. A lot of ketchup was used during the filming, but lore has it that during one segment Marciano was cut between the eyes so severely that it necessitated a three-week recess. But Ali wasnât unscathed either. He was sidelined, however briefly, when the lumps in his arms became too tender — or so it was written.
After the footage was edited and boiled down to a manageable length, it was placed in a vault where it was guarded, said Time magazine, more closely than the gold in Fort Knox. Only a handful of people knew how the âfightâ would turn out and they were sworn to secrecy. Couriers delivered the final cut to exhibitors less than an hour before it was to be shown, an added measure of protection.
This was a first-class production. Every living former heavyweight champion â except Gene Tunney, who declined to participate â and other ring notables such as The Ring magazine founder Nat Fleischer, was interviewed and appeared on camera. Veteran New York sportscaster Guy LeBow, who had narrated the radio tournament, returned as the blow-by-blow guy.
LeBow wasnât as well-known to boxing fans as Don Dunphy, but he was the perfect choice because of his familiarity with recreations. He had previously worked for the New York Giants baseball team whose road games (and all games in 1958, their first season in San Francisco) aired on a New York radio station with the announcer sitting in a studio working off a Western Union ticker.
Marciano vs. Ali ran on Jan. 20, 1970, a Tuesday, with the opening credits appearing at 7:30 PM Pacific time; three hours later, to the very minute, in the East. At a few of the venues, the movie was conjoined with other entertainment. At Boston Garden, it was paired with a six-fight card. The ending of the fight, which saw Marciano win by stoppage at the 57-second mark of round 13, met with the roaring approval of the Beantown crowd, especially the Italians in the audience who venerated Marciano as if he were the Pope.
Ali, who watched the movie at a theater in Philadelphia, was foiled once again, and once again by a dead man. Three weeks after the final day of filming at the Main Street Gym, and not quite five months before the film appeared on the big screen, Marciano died when the small airplane in which he was an occupant, crashed in an Iowa cornfield.
Of course, Ali held no grudge against Marciano. The two reportedly came to like and respect each other during the course of their Miami adventure. Aliâs beef was with the computer which he characterized as a Mississippi redneck.
Seven different endings were filmed. Itâs widely assumed that the version shown on TV in England was different than the version shown in the United States. Thatâs partly true.
Rocky Marciano wasnât as venerated in England as he was in his native country. Conversely, Muhammad Ali was a far less controversial personality. A much smaller percentage of the British population were inclined to root against him.
When the fantasy fight aired in England, there was a great outcry that Ali had gotten a raw deal. To appease their viewers, a different version was acquired by the TV network. The revision, which aired three days after the original broadcast, showed Ali winning the fight on cuts. However, the round in which the fight was halted wasnât perfectly clear.
Theater owners were forbidden to show the film more than once. If you missed it, you missed it, but eventually a surviving print was located and turned into a DVD. Released in 2005, it was re-titled âThe Superfight: Marciano vs. Ali.â The posters for the original included both names under which Ali was known, but the words âCassius Clayâ were dropped from the promotional materials for the DVD.
Murry Woronerâs fantasy fight hardly settled the argument as to who would have won if Ali and Marciano had met in their respective primes. Many that favor Ali believe he would have won in a cakewalk (similar to Jack Johnson over the aforementioned Jeffries), whereas those favoring Marciano invariably see him taking a lot of punishment before he wears down Ali with his relentless pressure (similar to the first Ali-Frazier fight with Marciano assuming the role of Joe Frazier).
Where do you stand?
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It was just a numbers game for Gabriela Fundora and despite Mexicoâs Marilyn Badilloâselusive tactics it took the champion one punch to end the fight and retain her undisputed flyweight world title by knockout on Saturday.
Will it be her last flyweight defense?
Though Fundora (16-0, 8 KOs) fired dozens of misses, a single punch found Badillo (19-1-1, 3 KOs) and ended her undefeated career and first attempt at a world title at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California.
Fundora, however, proves unbeatable at flyweight.
The champion entered the arena as the headliner for the Golden Boy Promotion show and stepped through the ropes with every physical advantage possible, including power.
Mexicoâs Badillo was a midget compared to Fundora but proved to be as elusive as a butterfly in a menagerie for the first six rounds. As the six-inch taller Fundora connected on one punch for every dozen thrown, that single punch was a deadly reminder.
Badillo tried ducking low and slipping to the left while countering with slashing uppercuts, she found little success. She did find the body a solid target but the blows proved to be useless. And when Badillo clinched, that proved more erroneous as Fundora belted her rapidly during the tie-ups.
âShe was kind of doing her ducking thing,â said Fundora describing Badilloâs defensive tactics. âI just put the pressure on. It was just like a train. We didnât give her that break.â
The Mexican fighter tried valiantly with various maneuvers. None proved even slightly successful. Fundora remained poised and under control as she stalked the challenger.
In the seventh round Badillo seemed to take a stand and try to slug it out with Fundora. She quickly was lit up by rapid left crosses and down she went at 1:44 of the seventh round. The Mexican fighterâs corner wisely waved off the fight and referee Rudy Barragan stopped the fight and held the dazed Badillo upright.
Once again Fundora remained champion by knockout. The only question now is will she move up to super flyweight or bantamweight to challenge the bigger girls.
Perez Beats Conwell.
Mexicoâs Jorge âChinoâ Perez (33-4, 26 KOs) upset Charles Conwell (21-1, 15 KOs) to win by split decision after 12 rounds in their super welterweight showdown.
It was a match that paired two hard-hitting fighters whose ledgers brimmed with knockouts, but neither was able to score a knockdown against each other.
Neither fighter moved backward. It was full steam ahead with Conwell proving successful to the body and head with left hooks and Perez connecting with rights to the head and body. It was difficult to differentiate the winner.
Though Conwell seemed to be the superior defensive fighter and more accurate, two judges preferred Perezâs busier style. They gave the fight to Perez by 115-113 scores with the dissenter favoring Conwell by the same margin.
It was Conwellâs first pro loss. Maybe it will open doors for more opportunities.
Other Bouts
Tristan Kalkreuth (15-1) managed to pass a serious heat check by unanimous decision against former contender Felix Valera (24-8) after a 10-round back-and-forth heavyweight fight.
It was very close.
Kalkreuth is one of those fighters that possess all the physical tools including youth and size but never seems to be able to show it. Once again he edged past another foe but at least this time he faced an experienced fighter in Valera.
Valera had his moments especially in the middle of the 10-round fight but slowed down during the last three rounds.
One major asset for Kalkreuth was his chin. He got caught but still motored past the clever Valera. After 10 rounds two judges saw it 99-91 and one other judge 97-93 all for Kalkreuth.
Highly-rated prospect Ruslan Abdullaev (2-0) blasted past dangerous Jino Rodrigo (13- 5-2) in an eight round super lightweight fight. He nearly stopped the very tough Rodrigo in the last two rounds and won by unanimous decision.
Abdullaev is trained by Joel and Antonio Diaz in Indio.
Bakersfield prospect Joel Iriarte (7-0, 7 KOs) needed only 1:44 to knock out Puerto Ricoâs Marcos Jimenez (25-12) in a welterweight bout.
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âKrusherâ Kovalev Exits on a Winning Note: TKOs Artur Mann in his âFarewell Fightâ
At his peak, former three-time world light heavyweight champion Sergey âKrusherâ Kovalev ranked high on everyoneâs pound-for-pound list. Now 42 years old â he turned 42 earlier this month â Kovalev has been largely inactive in recent years, but last night he returned to the ring in his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia, and rose to the occasion in what was billed as his farewell fight, stopping Artur Mann in the seventh frame.
Kovalev hit his peak during his first run as a world title-holder. He was 30-0-1 (26 KOs) entering first match with Andre Ward, a mark that included a 9-0 mark in world title fights. The only blemish on his record was a draw that could have been ruled a no-contest (journeyman Grover Young was unfit to continue after Kovalev knocked down in the second round what with was deemed an illegal rabbit punch). Among those nine wins were two stoppages of dangerous Haitian-Canadian campaigner Jean Pascal and a 12-round shutout over Bernard Hopkins.
Kovalevâs stature was not diminished by his loss to the undefeated Ward. All three judges had it 114-113, but the general feeling among the ringside press was that Sergey nicked it.
The rematch was also somewhat controversial. Referee Tony Weeks, who halted the match in the eighth stanza with Kovalev sitting on the lower strand of ropes, was accused of letting Ward get away with a series of low blows, including the first punch of a three-punch series of body shots that culminated in the stoppage. Sergey was wobbled by a punch to the head earlier in the round and was showing signs of fatigue, but he was still in the fight. Respected judge Steve Weisfeld had him up by three points through the completed rounds.
Sergey Kovalev was never the same after his second loss to Andre Ward, albeit he recaptured a piece of the 175-pound title twice, demolishing Vyacheslav Shabranskyy for the vacant WBO belt after Ward announced his retirement and then avenging a loss to Eleider Alvarez (TKO by 7) with a comprehensive win on points in their rematch.
Kovalevâs days as a title-holder ended on Nov. 2, 2019 when Canelo Alvarez, moving up two weight classes to pursue a title in a fourth weight division, stopped him in the 11th round, terminating what had been a relatively even fight with a hellacious left-right combination that left Krusher so discombobulated that a count was superfluous.
That fight went head-to-head with a UFC fight in New York City. DAZN, to their everlasting discredit, opted to delay the start of Canelo-Kovalev until the main event of the UFC fight was finished. The delay lasted more than an hour and Kovalev would say that he lost his psychological edge during the wait.
Kovalev had two fights in the cruiserweight class between his setback to Canelo and last nightâs presumptive swan song. He outpointed Tervel Pulev in Los Angeles and lost a 10-round decision to unheralded Robin Sirwan Safar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Artur Mann, a former world title challenger â he was stopped in three rounds by Mairis Briedis in 2021 when Briedis was recognized as the top cruiserweight in the world â was unexceptional, but the 34-year-old German, born in Kazakhstan, wasnât chopped liver either, and Kovalevâs stoppage of him will redound well to the Russian when he becomes eligible for the Boxing Hall of Fame.
Krusher almost ended the fight in the second round. He knocked Mann down hard with a short left hand and seemingly scored another knockdown before the round was over (but it was ruled a slip). Mann barely survived the round.
In the next round, a punch left Mann with a bad cut on his right eyelid, but the German came to fight and rounds three, four and five were competitive.
Kovalev had a good sixth round although there were indications that he was tiring. But in the seventh he got a second wind and unleashed a right-left combination that rolled back the clock to the days when he was one of the sportâs most feared punchers. Mann went down hard and as he staggered to his feet, his corner signaled that the fight should be stopped and the referee complied. The official time was 0:49 of round seven. It was the 30th KO for Kovalev who advanced his record to 36-5-1.
Addendum: History informs us that Farewell Fights have a habit of becoming redundant, by which we mean that boxers often get the itch to fight again after calling it quits. Have we seen the last of Sergey âKrusherâ Kovalev? We woudnât bet on it.
The complete Kovalev-Mann fight card was live-streamed on the Boxing News youtube channel.
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Two below-the-radar super welterweight stars show off their skills this weekend from different parts of Southern California.
One in particular, Charles Conwell, co-headlines a show in Oceanside against a hard-hitting Mexican while another super welter star Sadriddin Akhmedov faces another Mexican hitter in Commerce.
Take your pick.
The super welterweight division is loaded with talent at the moment. If Terence Crawford remained in the division he would be at the top of the class, but he is moving up several weight divisions.
Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) faces Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs) a tall knockout puncher from Los Mochis at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday April 19. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also features undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora. Weâll get to her later.
Conwell might be the best super welterweight out there aside from the big dogs like Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Sebastian Fundora.
If you are not familiar with Conwell he comes from Cleveland, Ohio and is one of those fighters that other fighters know about. He is good.
He has the James âLights Outâ Toney kind of in-your-face-style where he anchors down and slowly deciphers the opponentâs tools and then takes them away piece by piece. Usually itâs systematic destruction. The kind you see when a skyscraper goes down floor by floor until itâs smoking rubble.
During the Covid days Conwell fought two highly touted undefeated super welters in Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. He stopped them both and suddenly was the boogie man of the super welterweight division.
Conwell will be facing Mexicoâs taller Garcia who likes to trade blows as most Mexican fighters prefer, especially those from Sinaloa. These guys will be firing H bombs early.
Fundora
Co-headlining the Golden Boy card is Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) the undisputed flyweight champion of the world. She has all the belts and Mexicoâs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs) wants them.
Gabriela Fundora is the sister of Sebastian Fundora who holds the menâs WBC and WBO super welterweight world titles. Both are tall southpaws with power in each hand to protect the belts they accumulated.
Six months ago, Fundora met Argentinaâs Gabriela Alaniz in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed flyweight champion. The much shorter Alaniz tried valiantly to scrap with Fundora and ran into a couple of rocket left hands.
Mexicoâs Badillo is an undefeated flyweight from Mexico City who has battled against fellow Mexicans for years. She has fought one world champion in Asley Gonzalez the current super flyweight world titlist. They met years ago with Badillo coming out on top.
Does Badillo have the skill to deal with the taller and hard-hitting Fundora?
When a fighter has a six-inch height advantage like Fundora, it is almost impossible to out-maneuver especially in two-minute rounds. Ask Alaniz who was nearly decapitated when she tried.
This will be Badilloâs first pro fight outside of Mexico.
Commerce Casino
Kazakhstanâs Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) is another dangerous punching super welterweight headlining a 360 Promotions card against Mexicoâs Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the Commerce Casino.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card of about eight bouts.
Akhmedov is another Kazakh puncher similar to the great Gennady âGGGâ Golovkin who terrorized the middleweight division for a decade. He doesnât have the same polish or dexterity but doesnât lack pure punching power.
Itâs another test for the super welterweight who is looking to move up the ladder in the very crowded 154-pound weight division. 360 Promotions already has a top contender in Ukraineâs Serhii Bohachuk who nearly defeated Vergil Ortiz a year ago.
Could Bohachuk and Akhmedov fight each other if nothing else materializes?
Thatâs a question for another day.
Fights to Watch
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs); Gabriela Fundora (15-0) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1).
Sat. UFC Fight Pass 6 p.m. Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0) vs Elias Espadas (23-6).
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