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THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 23: MUHAMMAD ALI AFTER THRILLA (THE CONCLUSION) By Maloney L. Samaco PhilBoxing.com Wed, 29 Oct 2025  On February 2, 1976, Ali defeated Jean-Pierre Coopman by 5th round knockout. The WBC heavyweight title was not at stake for this fight. On April 30, 1976, Ali fought Jimmy Young and won a controversial unanimous decision. On May 24, 1976, Ali defeated Richard Dunn by 5th round technical knockout. The punch that knocked Dunn out was learned by Ali from Taekwondo Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee. Rhee called that punch the "Accupunch" that he learned from Bruce Lee. The victory over Dunn was the last time Ali would knock his opponent out in his boxing career. Ali fought Ken Norton for the third time completing their trilogy in September 1976. The bout was held at Yankee Stadium and Ali won a controversial decision so disputable that ringside commentators had scored in favor of Norton. After the Norton fight, he announced his retirement from boxing to practice his faith, having converted to Sunni Islam after a misunderstanding with the Nation of Islam the year before. The retirement was short lived as Ali returned to beat Alfredo Evangelista in May 1977. In his next fight, Ali struggled against Earnie Shavers that September, as he was pounded by punches to his head. Ali won the fight by another unanimous decision, but in the aftermath of the bout his longtime doctor Ferdie Pacheco quit after he was snubbed for advising Ali that he should retire. Pacheco was quoted as saying, "the New York State Athletic Commission gave me a report that showed Ali's kidneys were falling apart. I wrote to Angelo Dundee, Ali's trainer, his wife and Ali himself. I got nothing back in response. That's when I decided enough is enough." In February 1978, Ali faced Leon Spinks at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. Spinks had just turned professional and had only seven fights so far, and had recently fought a draw with journeyman Scott LeDoux. Ali took the bout lightly and sparred less than two dozen rounds in preparation for the fight and was terribly out of shape. He lost the title by split decision. A rematch happened in September at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Some 70,000 people witnessed the bout with a total revenue of $6 million in admission, making it the largest live gate in boxing history recorded that time. Ali won by unanimous decision in a boring fight, with referee Lucien Joubert scoring rounds 10–4, judge Ernie Cojoe 10–4, and judge Herman Preis 11–4. Ali became the first heavyweight champion to win the belt three times. After the victory and regaining his title, on July 27, 1979, Ali announced his retirement from boxing. His retirement did not last long, as Ali announced his comeback to face Larry Holmes for the WBC heavyweight title belt in an attempt to win the heavyweight championship in an unprecedented fourth time. The fight was highly inspired by Ali's need for money. Boxing writer Richie Giachetti said, "Larry didn't want to fight Ali. He knew Ali had nothing left; he knew it would be a horror." It was highly known that Ali began to have vocal stutters and trembling hands. The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) ordered that he has to complete a physical examination in Las Vegas before being allowed to fight again. Ali chose instead to have himself examined at the Mayo Clinic, who declared him fit to fight. Their medical clearance was accepted by the NAC on July 31, 1980, which gave the schedule for Ali's return to the ring. On October 2, 1980, Ali returned to the ring to fight Holmes at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Holmes, who was nicknamed "The Easton Assassin", easily prevailed over Ali. After the tenth round, Angelo Dundee stepped into the ring prompting the referee to stop the fight. It was the only fight that Ali ever lost by stoppage or knockout. Immediately after the fight, Ali was given painkillers and antidepressants, in violation of the World Boxing Council rules prohibiting the administration of any drug before the post fight urinalysis. Giachetti called the fight "awful...the worst sports event I ever had to cover". Actor Sylvester Stallone who witnessed at the ringside during the fight said that it was like watching an autopsy on a man who is still alive. The Holmes fight is believed to have contributed to Ali's Parkinson's syndrome. Despite several petitions to finally retire, Ali fought one last time on December 11, 1981, in Nassau, Bahamas, against Trevor Berbick, and he lost a ten-round unanimous decision. Ali's Parkinson's syndrome led to a slow decline in his health, though he was still active into the early 2000s, promoting his own biopic, Ali, in 2001. Prior to that, he lit the 1996 Atlanta Olympic cauldron to the surprise of the hundred thousands of spectators at the Olympic Stadium and the millions who watched it on television. In 1998, Ali began working with actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's disease, to raise awareness and fund research for its cure. They made a joint appearance before Congress to lobby for government support for funds in 2002. In 2000, Ali worked with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to advance awareness and inspire people to donate for the research. On December 20, 2014, Ali was hospitalized for a mild case of pneumonia. Ali was once again hospitalized on January 15, 2015, for a urinary tract infection after being discovered to be unresponsive at a guest house in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was released the following day. Ali was again hospitalized in Scottsdale, Arizona, on June 2, 2016, with a respiratory illness. His condition was initially described as fair, but it got worse, and he died the following day at the age of 74 from septic shock. Ali pre-planned his funeral for several years prior to his actual death. The services began in Louisville on June 9, 2016, with an Islamic Janazah prayer service at Freedom Hall on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center. The Janazah prayer was attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. On June 10, 2016, the funeral procession passed through the streets of Louisville, Kentucky, his birthplace, ending at Cave Hill Cemetery, where his body was interred during a private ceremony. A public memorial service for Ali at downtown Louisville's KFC Yum! Center was held during the afternoon of June 10. Billy Crystal, Ali's wife Lonnie Ali, sports journalist Bryant Gumbel and former President Bill Clinton all gave the eulogies. The pallbearers included Will Smith, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, with honorary pallbearers including George Chuvalo, Larry Holmes and George Foreman. Ali's memorial was watched on television by an estimated 1 billion viewers worldwide. Ali remains the only three-time lineal heavyweight champion. He is the only boxer to be named The Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year six times and fought in more Ring "Fight of the Year" bouts than any other fighter. He was one of only three boxers to be named "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated. He was also named “Sportsman of the Century” by the same magazine Sports Illustrated. He was also named BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year three times. The Sporting News recognized him as the Fighter of the Decade for the 1960s. Ali was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in its first year and held wins over seven other Hall of Fame inductees during an era that has been called the golden age of heavyweight boxing. His joint records of beating 21 boxers for the world heavyweight title and winning 14 unified title bouts stood for 35 years. The World Boxing Council ranks Ali as their greatest heavyweight champion of all time. We conclude our 23 part series of the THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY. Happy anniversary! Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.  |
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