‘The Greatest’ Muhammad Ali has his name associated with some of the most famous boxing matches of all time.
From Ali defeating George Foreman in the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ to his epic trilogy with Joe Frazier, there is no shortage of iconic performances from Ali.
Retiring with a professional record of 56-5, Ali ended his career with back-to-back losses to Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick.
However, ahead of his fight with his friend Holmes, Ali had an unusual boxing outing.
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Muhammad Ali competed in an exhibition boxing match in 1979
In 1976, Ali competed in a bizarre exhibition boxing fight with Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki. Although the fight had mixed perception from fans, Ali decided to once again compete in a non-professional bout in 1979.
After Ali lost to Leon Spinks in February 1978, the pair rematched seven months later. As Ali was able to avenge his loss, he reclaimed the WBC World Heavyweight title. Then, in July 1979, Ali announced his retirement from boxing.
The same month as he announced his retirement, Ali competed in a non-professional boxing match against NFL star Lyle Alzado.
Alzado was a defensive end for the Denver Broncos and had experience as an amateur boxer. The pair met at Mile High Stadium in Denver in front of approximately 20,000 fans.
The official result of the bout was a draw as it was an un-scored exhibition fight. However, the announcers said that Ali was the winner of the bout, according to the Denver Broncos.
Muhammad Ali returned to professional boxing to face Larry Holmes
Following his exhibition bout, Ali made a professional return to boxing. In October 1980, Ali would face the WBC World Heavyweight champion Holmes.
Holmes had a professional record of 35-0, which he was able to extend to 36-0 against Ali.
In a one-sided performance, Ali was stopped for the first time in his career. After 10 completed rounds, Ali did not emerge for the 11th round, losing via retirement.
Ali would have just one more outing in his career, but would lose his final professional fight to Berbick via unanimous decision.