40 Years ago today...

[CarlosG815]

[Heavy Bag]

I always find it very impressive that Ali managed to stop the extremly durable Bonavena, Ali would be the only ever man to beat him inside the distance.

On another note, has anyone else seen were Ali & Bonavena are talking trash to each other at the Norton vs Foreman fight? Very funny.

[Barn]

I always find it very impressive that Ali managed to stop the extremly durable Bonavena, Ali would be the only ever man to beat him inside the distance.

On another note, has anyone else seen were Ali & Bonavena are talking trash to each other at the Norton vs Foreman fight? Very funny.

Yeah, Frazier commented in his autobiography how difficult he found to hurt Oscar and was surprised at his own inability to put him down.

[sonnyboyx2]

I always find it very impressive that Ali managed to stop the extremly durable Bonavena, Ali would be the only ever man to beat him inside the distance.

On another note, has anyone else seen were Ali & Bonavena are talking trash to each other at the Norton vs Foreman fight? Very funny.

is this what you mean...



Ali said he would KO Bonavena in round 10 but it was Bonavena who nearly KOd Ali in the 10th

[Wild Blue Yonda]

I always find it very impressive that Ali managed to stop the extremly durable Bonavena, Ali would be the only ever man to beat him inside the distance.

On another note, has anyone else seen were Ali & Bonavena are talking trash to each other at the Norton vs Foreman fight? Very funny.

What was said between the two?

I always notice Bonavena in the ring with Joe Louis as Foreman & Norton are walking about & can't help but think how much fun a Foreman-Bonavena fight would've been while it lasted. Even better would've been a clash between the two in, say, 1971-72, when Foreman had some experience, but was still clearly not yet the man he would become. Bonavena would've gone down swinging, & maybe hurt Foreman in the process. There aren't many men who were willing to stand & throw with Foreman once word got out regarding his power (here-&-there he encountered them, but it was not common), but Bonavena was surely brave, ****** & egotistical enough to have given it his best shot.

[Great John L]

This fight shows that chin is never consistent in boxing. Bonavena fights Joe Frazier twice, who has one of the hardest left hooks in history and Bonavena wouldn't go down. but Ali, with a much weaker left hook, catches Bonavena t the right time, with the right strength, speed, accuracy, and Bonavena collapsed and soon went down 2 more times. Dreadful fight to watch up to then though...

[Kid McCoy]

What was said between the two?

I always notice Bonavena in the ring with Joe Louis as Foreman & Norton are walking about & can't help but think how much fun a Foreman-Bonavena fight would've been while it lasted. Even better would've been a clash between the two in, say, 1971-72, when Foreman had some experience, but was still clearly not yet the man he would become. Bonavena would've gone down swinging, & maybe hurt Foreman in the process. There aren't many men who were willing to stand & throw with Foreman once word got out regarding his power (here-&-there he encountered them, but it was not common), but Bonavena was surely brave, ****** & egotistical enough to have given it his best shot.

Foreman and Bonavena were actually penciled in to meet in 1972 but one of them (Bonavena I think) got injured and it was called off. We missed out on a sure classic there.

Oscar's press conference with Ali was good value, where he kept geeing Ali up by making chicken noises and calling him Clay. One of the few fighters to get the better of Ali in verbal sparring.

[DarkTerror88]

Bonavena was tough as nails.

Also Pearl Harbor was Today.
"The Day that Shall live in Infamy" god bless the families of those lost, and god bless and thank you to those that survived.

[Wild Blue Yonda]

This fight shows that chin is never consistent in boxing. Bonavena fights Joe Frazier twice, who has one of the hardest left hooks in history and Bonavena wouldn't go down. but Ali, with a much weaker left hook, catches Bonavena t the right time, with the right strength, speed, accuracy, and Bonavena collapsed and soon went down 2 more times. Dreadful fight to watch up to then though...

The first knockdown, yes...but IMO, the next two times Bonavena was floored were primarily the result of fatigue, not Ali's weight behind the punches. He sat on the ropes for large stretches of the rematch with Frazier, covered up & conserved as he was beaten down, but you see at the end with Ali, he doesn't clinch, or press himself along the ropes or in a corner. Nothing's holding him up --- he's exhausted.

[Heavy Bag]

What was said between the two?

I always notice Bonavena in the ring with Joe Louis as Foreman & Norton are walking about & can't help but think how much fun a Foreman-Bonavena fight would've been while it lasted. Even better would've been a clash between the two in, say, 1971-72, when Foreman had some experience, but was still clearly not yet the man he would become. Bonavena would've gone down swinging, & maybe hurt Foreman in the process. There aren't many men who were willing to stand & throw with Foreman once word got out regarding his power (here-&-there he encountered them, but it was not common), but Bonavena was surely brave, ****** & egotistical enough to have given it his best shot.

Am not sure, they were just trash talking, and trying to throw slaps at each other. But it ain't as serious as it sounds. Ali said after the incident, that Bonavena was bitter over being stopped by him.