One of the most amazing fights of Ali’s long career was also one of the most unexpected
The movie Rocky hit hard in 1976, pun intended.
Rocky was a down on his luck boxer who got a shot against Apollo Creed and made the most of it, losing but just barely. It was a movie of passion and redemption.
But what a lot of people don’t know is that it was based on a real fight.
In 1975, Muhammad Ali was just coming off beating George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle and wanted an easy tuneup bout so his team signed him to fight Chuck Wepner.
Wepner was a legitimate fighter but he always took a beating, so much so that he became known as the Bayonne Bleeder.
Ali was overconfident and overweight and he simply couldn’t put Wepner away. Wepner was awkward but relentless and he could certainly take a punch.
Ali outfought Wepner for most of the fight but Wepner managed to knock Ali down late. After that, Ali tried to punish Wepner but like Rocky, Wepner just wouldn't give up.
Ali won - the only way Wepner was going to win was by knockout but Ali wasn’t called the greatest without reason. As so often during his career when challenged, he showed immense heart.
But so did Wepner, who almost took him to the final bell, falling short by just :19 seconds in the 15th when Ali finally knocked him down.
Wepner’s fight is still remembered, both for the actual fight and the movie it inspired. It was not pretty but in the end, it was a monument to the human spirit and to this day holds a unique place in boxing history.
