Venue: High Sierra Theater, Stateline, Nevada. 27th November, 1972.
As Muhammad Ali’s year
drew to a close, he had little doubt it had been his worst
in pro boxing. The Frazier rematch was no nearer and he was
finding it difficult to lift himself for fights like the one
with bob foster that took place in a night-club where the
fans sat around dinner tables. It felt more like a second-rate
cabaret attraction than a sporting contest.
Foster wasn’t even a genuine heavyweight; Ali outweighed
him by almost 40lbs. He had been a light heavyweight champ,
though, noted for his stinging jab and he felt his speed would
trouble Ali.
It didn’t. Ali played with foster until the fifth round,
in which he had predicted victory. He floored foster four
times, but foster survived and even opened a small cut above
Ali’s eye – the first time ali had ever been cut
in the ring. Two more knockdowns in the seventh preceded the
end, which came a round later, to the relief of everyone.
Watch video from the Muhammad Ali vs Bob Foster Fight:
