Antonio Inoki in 1976 with Muhammad Ali at the weigh-in before their fight - Curt Gunther /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

 

Antonio Inoki, Wrestler Who Took on Muhammad Ali, Dies

 

Kanji “Antonio” Inoki, who has died aged 79, was a flamboyant Japanese pro-wrestling idol turned politician who in 1976 famously took on the world heavyweight boxing champion  Muhammad Ali  in what was billed as the “War of the Worlds”.

The contest came about after Ali said he would give $1 million to any “Oriental fighter” who could beat him. The gauntlet was taken up by Inoki, who was said to have been toughened up by being thrown out of moving cars by his trainer.

Against the advice of his trainer and doctor, but lured by a $6 million appearance fee, Ali agreed to meet Inoki on June 26 1976 at the Budokan stadium in Tokyo.

He sent the boxer a crutch before the fight, and landed 64 kicks to Ali’s five punches, but the crowd was left dissatisfied

There followed the usual promotional “trash-talking”, with Ali calling his opponent “the Pelican” because of his prominent jaw and promising to deploy a new signature move, the “acupunch”. Inoki, for his part, sent Ali a crutch.

By some accounts, Ali had been expecting the fight to be a staged “exhibition” until a visit to one of Inoki’s training sessions showed the boxer that his opponent was deadly serious.

Whatever the facts, something happened to cause Ali and Inoki to renegotiate the rules at the last minute, so that Inoki ended up banned from delivering flying kicks, grappling or throwing his opponent, and only allowed to kick at all with one knee on the canvas.

Inoki in action against Ali  - Takeo Tanuma/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

The lead-up to the contest caused so much excitement that ringside seats at the 15,000-seat stadium were selling for £1,500. More than a billion people are estimated to have tuned in via television.

The match was a farce. Fourteen seconds in, Inoki threw himself to the ground where he mostly remained, slithering around on his back, kicking desperately at Ali’s legs, for 15 rounds. Ali was unable to throw a punch until the seventh round and threw only five altogether. He goaded his opponent and played the clown to try to inject some excitement into proceedings, as furious spectators screamed for their money back and threw rubbish at the two men.

Inoki landed 64 kicks to Ali’s five punches, but even so, by the end so little action had occurred that a draw was declared.

Back in the US, Ali was taken to hospital with blood clots and almost lost a leg. Though he beat Ken Norton three months later to retain the world heavyweight title, he never stopped another opponent.

More happily, Ali and Inoki became good friends and in 1976 Inoki was a guest at Ali’s wedding in the US.

Kanji Inoki was born in wartime Yokohama on February 20 1943. When he was 13 he moved with his family to Brazil, where he worked on a coffee plantation and won the All Brazilian championships in shot put and discus.

In 1960 he met the Korean-born Japanese pro-wrestling star Rikidōzan and returned to Japan as his disciple. Giving himself the ring name Antonio, Inoki quickly became one of the sport’s most popular stars.

Inoki entered politics in 1989 after winning a seat in the upper house as leader of the Sports and Peace Party. His close friendship with Rikidōzan, a hero in both Japan and his native North Korea, led him to make some 30 trips to Pyongyang to help resolve the issue of past abductions of Japanese nationals. In 1995 he organized the first pro-wrestling exhibition in North Korea, which an ailing Ali attended as guest.

Inoki also made headlines in 1990 when he helped to secure the release of 41 Japanese held hostages in Iraq during the Gulf War after meeting Saddam Hussein’s son and staging a wrestling show in Baghdad.

He retired as a wrestler in 1998. – The Telegraph