EMMANUEL Dapidran Pacquiao’s stunning seventh round knockout victory over defending champion Lucas Matthysse at Bukit Jalil’s Axiata Arena recently had Malaysians turning out in droves at various locations throughout the country to catch one of boxing’s greatest events. It has been a long time since a title fight of this importance was fought here.
The 39-year-old Filipino boxing legend, known as Manny Pacquiao among his legions of adoring fans, took the initiative right from the opening bells and gave the stadium’s 15,000 spectators ample reasons to get on their feet and cheer him on.
Pacquiao, the only eight-division world champion, put on a dominant display and sent his Argentinean opponent to the canvas several times with his trademark blows before finally landing a brutal uppercut to reclaim the WBA welterweight title which he lost last year.
THE OTHER KUALA LUMPUR FIGHT
The match, aired live on local TV, brought back wonderful memories and reminded Malaysian boxing fans of an even bigger clash that happened in Kuala Lumpur more than four decades ago. In 1975, Malaysia played host to one of the most closely watched championship clashes between Muhammad Ali and Joe Bugner.
I vividly remember tuning in to the radio for the live coverage of Bugner’s arrival at the Subang International Airport. Apart from crowds of fans and curious onlookers, the British fighter was warmly welcomed by an enthusiastic kompang ensemble the moment he stepped off the Malaysian Airline System (Malaysia Airlines now) aircraft.
A few days later, the same airport was turned into a sea of people when thousands jostled with each other to catch a glimpse of Ali. The security guards on duty didn’t expect such a huge turn out and were completely caught unprepared.
Overwhelmed, the men in uniform could only watch helplessly when part of the airport fencing was completely flattened by a huge crowd which suddenly surged forward after hearing that Ali was already in the building. The situation was so chaotic that several fans suffered minor injuries and one even reported the mysterious disappearance of his pair of socks despite still having his boots on!
In the days leading up to the big match, local newspapers ran regular commentaries containing interesting anecdotes related to the two boxers. Even coffee shop pundits were caught up in the heat of the moment and started giving their loyal followers ‘expert’ opinions and forecast results.
Our nation was so caught up with the impending fight that it was common to see boys and even grown men pretending to square up with each other and proudly displaying a number of Ali’s famous boxing stances.
BOXING MERCHANDISE
At the same time, manufacturers seized the golden opportunity to rake in lucrative profits by producing all sorts of merchandise that endorsed the much anticipated battle in the ring. Muhammad Ali and Joe Bugner figurines were the clear favourites among boxing fans while others snapped promotional balloons, matchboxes and even chewing gum!
On July 1, 1975 local boxing fans from all over the country converged on Kuala Lumpur. The entire arena was filled with spectators. Deep pocketed fans joined famous celebrities and socialites at the ringside seats which went for RM1,000 each while most ordinary Malaysians, including myself, were contented to watch the match live on television from the comforts of our homes.
Everything else ground to a halt the moment the starting bell was struck at the Merdeka Stadium. Outside, Kuala Lumpur behaved as though it was a city under a state of emergency. Traffic was so light that the small portion of the population who was unaware of the ongoing event thought that a major catastrophe had occurred.
FANS DISAPPOINTMENT
Although the match ended in a victory for Ali, many of his fans were left deeply disappointed. Despite having cheered themselves hoarse, the much awaited knockout punch never made its appearance. Instead, the match ended after the mandatory 15 rounds were over and Ali only prevailed by virtue of having won more points than his opponent.
Despite showing glimpses of the spectacular form which catapulted him to the pinnacle of global boxing more than a decade ago, Ali’s failure to floor Bugner during the match did little to convince his fans that he was still on top of his game.
His presumed ineptness started tongues wagging and the rumour mill was in full motion as soon as Ali was awarded the heavyweight title. Certain quarters felt that Ali didn’t treat Bugner seriously and, in the process, threw away many technical knockout opportunities. They even said that Ali had a special professional relationship with Bugner and the American was reluctant to deal his compatriot a harsh blow. Others felt that the fight was not as decisive compared to Ali’s previous battles with other boxing greats like Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton and Chuck Wepner.
Opinions on the other side of the divide however stated that Bugner was a worthy opponent. Bugner was, after all, eight years younger and was an equally unorthodox boxer like Ali. During the fight, many observed that the Briton matched 33-year-old Ali in almost every department and even displayed great adaptiveness by copying the champion’s moves and techniques.
The person who probably knew and understood Ali’s fighting style best was none other than his coach, Angelo Dundee. Dundee, who was never a boxer himself, was widely recognised as the person who first spotted Ali’s talents and slowly nurtured the young man into a world champion.
In an interview held after Ali’s victory in Kuala Lumpur, Dundee said that his path and Ali’s first crossed in 1958. At that time, Ali was just a 16-year-old lad who went by the name Cassius Marcellus Clay.
ALI’S EARLY DAYS
Recalling that historic moment, the soft-spoken coach said that he was having a discussion with his boxer, Willie Pastrano, at the Sheraton Hotel in Lousiville, Kentucky when two teenagers turned up and introduced themselves as Clay and his brother Abdul Rahman.
Clay implored Dundee to take him under his wing after blurting out his string of successes which included the coveted Kentucky Golden Glove award. The young man was so persuasive that Dundee finally acceded to his request.
In 1960, Clay convinced Dundee to let him fight Pastrano, the-then world light heavyweight champion. Everyone, including Dundee, was surprised to see Clay defeat Pastrano with ease. Later that year, Clay won the light heavyweight division gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and decided to turn professional.
Despite his initial successes, Clay continued to pursue his dream of becoming a professional world class boxer diligently and never skipped training even once. He showed commitment to the cause by walking from his home to the gymnasium daily as his family couldn’t afford his 15 kilometre bus fare.
Over time, Clay’s hard work paid off when he emerged as one of Dundee’s top boxers. Much of his success in the ring was attributed to his ability to use both his creativity and intelligence to vary his techniques and keep his opponents constantly on the defence.
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FIRST MAJOR WIN
Clay began making his mark in the boxing world in 1964 when he won the WBA, WBC and lineal heavyweight titles from Sonny Liston in a major upset. Later that same year, Clay embraced the Islamic faith and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
In 1966, two years after winning the heavyweight title, Ali refused to be drafted into the military after citing his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War. He was subsequently arrested, found guilty of draft evasion charges and stripped of his boxing titles. Ali successfully appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction in 1970.
Despite not having fought for nearly four years, Ali took on Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden in December 1970 and won via a dramatic technical knockout. That win set the stage for his showdown with Joe Frazier for the heavyweight title on March 8, 1971.
Dubbed the “Fight of the Century”, the early rounds saw Ali constantly pressuring Frazier with his constant jabs and combinations. In the latter part of the bout, Ali switched to what was the first appearance of his famous “rope-a-dope” strategy where he leaned against the ropes and absorbed punishment from Frazier with the hope of tiring him out. Nevertheless, Ali lost by unanimous decision and that became his first professional defeat.
After the loss, Ali went on to fight Jerry Quarry, had a second bout with Floyd Patterson and faced Bob Foster in 1972, winning a total of six fights that year. In 1973, his fight with Ken Norton resulted in a broken jaw and the second loss of his career.
GREATEST BOXER IN HISTORY
Despite these temporary setbacks, Ali’s multiple successes throughout his career made him one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of the 20th century. He remains the only three-time lineal heavyweight champion and his records of beating 21 boxers for the world heavyweight title (shared with Joe Louis), as well as winning 14 unified title bouts (shared with former welterweight champion Jose Napoles), were unbeaten for 35 years.
Nicknamed ‘the Greatest’, Ali was involved in several historic boxing matches. Notable among these was the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ which happened exactly three months after the Kuala Lumpur bout and involved his old nemesis Frazier.
Thought of the fight in the Philippines soon reminds me of several boxing-related memorabilia in my collection. Among them is a pink booklet commemorating the 3rd AseanBoxing Championships in Manila. This event, which took place in 1978, coincided with the year Pacquiao was born.
Together with a large stack of newspaper cuttings promoting boxing matches at various entertainment parks throughout Malaya in the 1950s, the items in my possession prove that the sport enjoyed a strong following among Malayans long before Ali stepped off the plane at Subang in 1975.
Nevertheless, I’m sure that local attendance back then paled in comparison to the record global television audiences in the 1970s when boxing’s popularity was at its zenith. Up until 1980, Ali’s fights regularly drew up to 2 billion viewers worldwide. Statistics showed that some 3.5 billion viewers tuned in when Ali lit the torch at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
SUNSET YEARS
Ali retired from boxing at age 39 in 1981 and began focussing his attention on religion and charity. He campaigned for various causes and donated millions to charitable organisations that supported disadvantaged people. More than 22 million people afflicted by hunger were fed thanks to his generosity.
Three years after retirement, Ali shocked the world when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome. Doctors believed that boxing-related brain injuries suffered over the past two decades had contributed to his medical condition. Finally, the great fighter whose career was epitomised by the catchphrase “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” succumbed to his illness on June 3, 2016, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Returning my thoughts to the present, I harbour a hope that Malaysia might one day be able to produce a world class boxer who can follow in the footsteps of Ali and Pacquiao. Hopefully, this dream can become a reality through the vision and careful planning of our newly invigorated Youth and Sports Ministry.