Muhammad Ali dominated and stopped a boxer who’d supposedly dropped him in sparring.
In his esteemed career, the legend proved himself as one of the greatest practitioners of the sweet science of all time, mesmerizing fans with his flashy skills.
However, on occasion, the American could be hit. Ali was once rocked by Oscar Bonavena during a thrilling fight.
And he supposedly hit the canvas during a brutal training session against a warrior he’d go on to beat.
WOW: Muhammad Ali lost to a boxer with just seven professional fights in a major upset
Muhammad Ali reportedly got dropped by Alvin Lewis
According to British Pathe, prior to his world title fight with Jerry Quarry, Muhammad Ali was dropped in the gym by Alvin ‘Blue’ Lewis.
After retaining his belt against ‘The Bellflower Bomber’, ‘The Greatest’ agreed to face his old sparring partner in a professional fight.
The pair went to war on July 19, 1972, at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland.
After outclassing his opponent for several rounds, Ali detonated an explosive one-two that sent his rival tumbling toward the floor.
Lewis looked out cold, but in a testament to his fighting heart, he managed to rise to his feet and carry on throwing punches.
Over the next few rounds, the underdog launched an array of impressive attacks, but in the end, Ali was too much, with the referee stopping the bout in the eleventh round.
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier got into a brutal street fight in a television studio
While Ali brought a lot of entertainment under the lights, he was just as watchable outside of the ring.
To this day, the icon is considered the greatest trash talker in boxing history.
His rivalry with Joe Frazier was particularly good viewing, with the Kentucky athlete and ‘Smokin’ getting in many a heated exchange.
On one occasion, Ali and Frazier had a fight in the middle of an interview.