Venue: Senyan Stadium, Jakarta, Malaysia. 20th October, 1973.
Muhammad Ali faced one more low-key
bout as negotiations for him to fight either Joe Frazier or
George Foreman began. He travelled to Indonesia to face Rudi
Lubbers, a mediocre Dutchman. The scrap itself was unremarkable
as Ali eased through his paces without ever extending himself.
What enlivened the contest was the rapt attention of the huge
crowd – 35,000 watched the bout with 10,000 more showing
up at a brief exhibition Ali gave while in the country.
As his boxing career entered its most epic and resonant phase,
his world-wide appeal remained unmatched by any other athlete.
Far from being finished, the 32-year-old Ali was about to
become the most famous man on earth.
Watch this unbelievable Muhammad ali video clip from the
fight:
