How Ali's 'War of the Worlds' started crossover fight trend

Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor, Francis Ngannou v Tyson Fury and Nate Diaz v Jake Paul. Crossover boxing is commonplace successful nan modern era, but it each started successful 1976 - pinch 1 of nan astir celebrated fighters of each time.

On 26 June of that year, Muhammad Ali, past a two-time world heavyweight boxing champion, stepped retired to look Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki successful beforehand of 14,500 fans astatine nan Budokan arena successful Tokyo.

It was a lucifer that ended pinch a travel to infirmary for Ali - and rubbish thrown into nan ringing by a disappointed crowd.

But earlier it each began, hopes were high.

Ali had been introduced to nan president of nan Japanese amateur wrestling association, Ichiro Hatha, successful 1975 and nan boxer asked if anyone would beryllium consenting to situation him for a interest of $1m.

It made header news successful Japan and Inoki - 1 of nan country's family names - and his backers offered Ali $6m to fight.

Sean Allsop, from nan Sporting Witness podcast, said to photographer Claude Charlier to look backmost astatine nan bout billed as the 'War of nan Worlds'. Charlier, past 23, was surviving successful Tokyo astatine nan clip of nan fight.

"You had tons and tons of group extracurricular nan Budokan hoping to person a glimpse of Muhammad Ali aliases Antonio Inoki," he said.

Charlier recalls nan build-up wrong nan arena: "Inoki ever wore his purple robe. Ali came successful waving and shouting, and it was rather breathtaking astatine nan beginning."

The bout was an opportunity for Ali - who had beaten Joe Frazier successful nan 3rd conflict of their trilogy conscionable 8 months earlier - to cement his position arsenic not conscionable nan top boxer successful nan world, but besides nan champion athlete.

Originally planned to beryllium rehearsed, nan accumulation lucifer became a existent fight. However, Ali had watched Inoki training successful Tokyo and, seeing nan threat he posed, caller rules were put successful place.

"Inoki told maine thing interesting," Charlier said.

"He said 'I deliberation Ali is not taking nan conflict very seriously. He thinks that this is conscionable going to beryllium a show. But it's not nan show, we're going to really fight, and I whitethorn break his limb aliases his leg.' Inoki was a powerful fighter."

The rules agreed by Ali's representatives meant Inoki could not usage tackling, grappling aliases opinionated kicks.

But nan wrestler recovered a loophole - he could footwear while he was connected nan floor.

The nationalist had not been informed of these rules and were near baffled arsenic Inoki dropped to nan canvas and started to footwear retired astatine Ali's legs.

"Ali's group told him to enactment distant from Inoki, because he was going to really wounded him. Ali started to do his Ali show, making nosy of him," Charlier said.

"Inoki was kicking him repeatedly, successful nan 2nd round, past successful nan 3rd information it was precisely nan same, he was ever trying to not get deed by conscionable staying connected nan mat, and conscionable kicking Ali.

"Ali sewage huffy and he said 'I thought you were a pro wrestler. You're not fighting.'"

In information six, Inoki managed to drawback Ali's feet and bring him to nan crushed - a move not excessively dissimilar to those seen successful mixed martial arts today.

"By information 10, Ali was successful a batch of symptom and his limb horribly swollen," Charlier said.

After truthful overmuch hype, nan points were ruled to beryllium adjacent aft 15 rounds and it was declared a draw.

"At nan extremity of nan conflict everybody started to boo and commencement throwing thing they had - cushions, cans, aliases thing into nan ring," Charlier said.

"People threw things because they were really, really upset... Paying almost $5,000 astatine nan clip for ringside and having a conflict for illustration this was really not fair."

Ali was taken to infirmary aft nan bout having been kicked much than 100 times - and only thrown six punches.

While nan 'War of nan Worlds' whitethorn not person been a deed pinch nan fans, crossover boxing - and nan lucrative income that tin travel pinch it - had begun.