Venue: Madison Square
Garden, New York, 7th December, 1970.
Muhammad Ali and the civil liberties
organisation the NAACP had to get a court order to allow him
to fight in New York, where the New York athletic commission
was still resisting his comeback. But just six weeks after
defeating Jerry Quarry, Ali was back in the ring to fight
another rugged competitor, Argentinian Oscar Bonavena.
Bonavena, who had a reputation throughout his career for
disregarding his trainer’s advice, was prepared for
the fight by the experienced Gil Clancy. Clancy told Bonavena
not to chase Ali. But to wait for Ali to come on to him and
then to hit him as hard as he could. For three rounds the
advice seemed moot as Ali boxed beautifully, but by the fourth
he had tired and gone to the ropes. Bonavena attacked to the
body and the bout crawled to a halt as both men allowed the
fight to become a slow-moving brawl. The crowd hooted derisively.
Ali had predicted a ninth-round win and when he tagged Bonavena
on cue, he moved in for the finish. Instead Bonavena threw
a desperate left hook that shook Ali all the way down to his
toes. “I was numb all over,” he admitted later.
With the crowd shouting for ‘Ringo’ (Bonavena
was said to resemble the Beatles drummer Ringo Starr) Ali
danced away from danger.
When the final round came, both men were exhausted and swung
wildly at one another. Bonavena realised he needed a KO to
win, but it was Ali who landed the decisive punch, a heavy
left hook. Bonavena crumpled to the canvas. He beat the count,
but Ali dropped him twice more. “I’ve done what
Joe Frazier couldn’t do…. I’ve knocked out
Oscar Bonavena,” Ali proclaimed afterwards. “Now
where is he? I want Joe Frazier!” thus began one of
the most ferocious rivalries in sport.
