Muhammad Ali was back in the
ring against charismatic journeyman Chuck Wepner, a fighter
so prone to cuts that he known as the Bayonne Bleeder. Wepner
combined his boxing career with a full time job as a liquor
salesman.
The bout was promoted again by
Don King who promised Ali the astonishing sum of $1.5 million.
King was now firmly associated with Ali and a player on the
Heavyweight scene.
The fight was undistinguished.
Wepner had none of the skills required to trouble Ali and
Ali was content to coast. In the ninth round, Wepner landed
a punch to Ali's chest and Ali went down. The referee Tony
Perez ruled a knockdown although Wepner had clearly been standing
on Ali's foot as the punch landed on his chest.
Wepner went to his corner and
said to his manager, "Hey, I knocked him down."
"Yeah," Wepner's manager
replied, "but he looks really pissed off now..."
In the remaining rounds, Ali
opened up cuts above both Wepner's eyes and broke his nose.
With 19 seconds of the fight remaining, Ali knocked Wepner
down for the first time in his career and the referee stopped
the fight.
Young Actor Sylvestor Stallone
watching at home on Closed circuit television was inspired
to write the script for Rocky, based on Wepner's gutsy challenge.
Wepner would later sue Stallone, unsuccessfully, for a share
of the profits.
Watch Muhammad Ali video from
the chuck Wepner fight:
