Muhammad Ali And Antonio Inoki Reportedly Changed Finish To Infamous Match
The late Antonio Inoki did it all in his career; he founded New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He became one of the biggest stars in the history of Japanese wrestling alongside his former tag team partner and eventual rival in and out of the ring, Shohei "Giant" Baba. Inoki got into politics, helped broker peace between Iraq and Japan, and even helped put together the Collision in Korea event in, you guessed it, North Korea. But perhaps the thing Inoki will always best be remembered for is his 1976 fight against boxing legend and icon Muhammad Ali.
While the fight itself had its own twists and turns, there were just as many prior to the match, especially when trying to determine who was going to emerge victorious. Appearing on "Talk is Jericho," "Wrestling Observer's" Dave Meltzer revealed that Inoki and Ali ended up switching plans regarding who came away with the W.
Change of Plans
"Inoki was going to win," Meltzer said. "And then Ali went there, and Ali was [initially] just kind of like, 'Whatever.' Then all of a sudden it was like, 'I'm letting boxing down if I lose. I can't lose this.'"
Ultimately, Ali and Inoki wound up fighting to a fifteen-round draw, after referee Gene LeBell scored the fight a draw while the two other judges were split. The two legends later became friends, reconnecting through Eric Bischoff during the 1990s.
Joining Meltzer and Jericho on the podcast was Japanese wrestling journalist and historian Fumi Saito, who provided some revelations of his own. In particular, he talked about how Ali and his camp had been expecting the fight with Inoki to be rehearsed prior to Ali and Inoki locking horns.
"Ali's people asked New Japan, 'When are we going to rehearse?'" Saito said. "And New Japan said, 'There is no rehearsal.'"
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Talk Is Jericho" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription