Muhammad Ali fought twice at the Sports Arena in 1962: He defeated Archie Moore by TKO in fourth round on November 15 (above). And he defeated Alejandro Lavorante on July 20 in a fifth-round knockout. Below, Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, stands under a Sports Arena sign advertising the fight.
More than 16,000 attended the Moore fight, including heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. One of the highlights was legendary ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Sr. singing the national anthem after he introduced the fighters.
righteous, Brother!!
#WolfyOnTheSpot
I can’t even begin to guess how you’ll get attacked for this reply, Charlie —- but I guess some folks will find a way……..
One comment only about the self-acclaimed “Greatest?” Probably due to few posters on this blog, outside of 68 year old Bucket, who would recall the 1964 Liston fight that was an all time upset.
I was a10 year old boy just at the start of my life long sports fandom. Ali was the bigger than life personality & talent. He became a world wide icon without 24 hour sports channels and the Internet. For good or ill he generated energy whereever he went.
Supposedly people were afraid Liston would literally kill Ali in the first fight.
That’s true, Globehead. But it just goes to show that most people have trouble seeing things for what they are. If Liston couldn’t kill smaller fighters with boxing skills —like Eddie Machen—how was he gonna kill a bigger, stronger and faster boxer like Ali? It’s sort of like Ali, as a big underdog, said before the Foreman fight, “Most people can’t see past their nose.”
Okay. I’ll bite. Here’s a comment —but not about Ali as a fighter. I always loved the story where Ali, sick of the waste and self indulgence going on within his camp, walked into the training camp kitchen and started berating Bundini and his sparring partners for ordering 3 steaks apiece at expensive restaurants and making 3 hour long distance phone calls to their girlfriends off Ali’s phone. Seeing how hurt they were when he finished, Ali immediately walked the reprimand back, saying something like, “Well, from now on try to finish the first steak before you order the next one, okay? And I know how lonely it gets in camp so call your girlfriends all you want —just don’t stay on the phone forever, okay?”
He was the greatest, but he was also generous to a fault.
Not so Walnut. I remember the Lavorante fight.
The death of Ali is the true passing of an era.
It’s incredible you try to politicize Ali’s death while he is still warm just like Hillary and you don’t remember Ali campaigning for Ronald Reagan.
Wolf providing info that’s interesting & relevant to SC without being smarmy or negative…….WTF?!?
Both Lavorante and Moore would eventually die prematurely of injuries suffered in future bouts.
I almost always figure I can take your pieces on sports history to the bank, UCLA —–but Archie died at 81, with all his marbles (having fought an incredible 219 fights).
True, but Archie was 1 in a hundred, and I doubt anyone wanted to near Archie if a bell went off.
Based on the famous pix of Carmen Basilio punch deformed face, it’s hard to believe he lived into his late 80’s w/o significant damage.
However the # of fighters that ended up near or like the Quarry Bros, Jerry and Mike, are more representative of boxers of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.
Too true, UCLA. 15 round championship fights with 8 ounce gloves — not great for anybody’s long term health. (Also recall all the suspicious deaths suffered by 50’s fighters —falling into empty swimming pools and out of 4th floor windows—and we’re looking at one very dangerous sport).
Ah yes the “Frankie Carbo” era.
I still can recall watching the TV Pabst Blue Ribbon fight of the week with my dad in the early to mid 50’s.
I saw most of Ali’s pre-first Frazier fight fights on TV.
Speaking of Frazier, he fought Scrap Iron Johnson in LA, that was televised. I watched and Frazier spend the night hitting the heavy bag – Scrap Iron didn’t budge much.
Loved those tv fights — saw Cassius Clay vs. Billy Daniels. Great fight. Remember being sickened and stunned as Emile Griffith continued to pound Benny Paret as he lay against the ropes.
Here’s one for, UCLA —before Ali, then Cassius, fought Moore — I saw him waving to cars in Santa Monica from a street corner.
Smiling at everybody who drove by.
Ali was something. If anybody did 20,000 ladies it was Ali.
In that ESPN Thirty/Thirty episode about the Holmes fight, Ali said he regretted that women had been his weakness. The way he said it reminded me of Lancelot saying he regretted his affair with the Queen because it made him less perfect than Galahad. This was a complicated man, UCLA.
Remorse is a cruel mistress.
….if only those in government could feel it.
forget about it…
That hurt, Tim (because you’re right)……
You’re that old and you act like you do around here? Holy crap!
It’s considered polite to courtesy flush JG, but you prefer to stink out loud just to prove you’re a vulgar bozo u grad.
I still say he lives in his mom’s basement, but now I’m picturing more of a Norman Bates type scenario.
scrap managed the hoover street gym for years til it was torn down (i’ll never understand it) he’s still alive, hopefully. i saw him about 4 years ago. he fought or sparred with everybody
God bless him….that’s pretty cool.
there were dirty hands in boxing’s golden age, still are…
True, Tim. I feel sorry for these kids—– prepared to give all they have, fight their hearts out and show such nobility
in the ring—- who are unaware they have entered a profession with more than its share of takers and liars.