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Muhammad Ali - Boxing's Best (Sports Illustrated)

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"BOXING'S BEST: Muhammad Ali" was originally a free gift offered with a subscription to a popular sports magazine. It's a clean HiFi dub of a 1981 HBO documentary on the boxer that his trainer Angelo Dundee freely admits here to being the greatest heavyweight of all time.

Mostly brief, often low-contrast fight clips are interspersed with commentary or equally short excerpts of training, press conferences and news reports. Little of Muhammad Ali's life beyond the usual anecdotes is revealed. Missing is the thrashing Ali gave former champ Floyd Patterson, who insisted on calling him "Clay." Also no mention of the famous simulated 1969 battle with Rocky Marciano

Non-fight CONTENTS:
Host Barry Tompkins speaks with Joe Martini, Columbus Gym owner (Louisville) who was first to train 12-year-old Cassius Clay | Angelo Dundee admits to tearing Clay's glove in the Henry Cooper bout | Prefight publicity, Clay vs. Liston | Sonny trains for rematch | Ali's draft status changed after Williams match | Out of boxing 3 yrs. 8 mos., Ali speaks at colleges | Bonavena calls Ali a chicken during mutual news event, Muhammad promises he'll pay | Frazier press conference | Pre-fight comments on Foreman's "dirty" style | Media event, 3rd Frazier bout | Both boxers comment after Spinks wins title | Dundee's closing remarks include "greatest" assessment

FIGHT CLIPS:
Rome, 1960: defeats Polish boxer for light heavyweight gold medal
10/29/60: First pro fight, decision over Tunney Hunsacker
11/15/62: KO of 48-year-old Archie Moore
2/25/64: TKO of Sonny Liston, who didn't answer 7th round bell (narrator blames Liston's corner), Clay new champ
5/25/65: Self-renamed Ali's "phantom punch" that KO's challenger Liston in Round 1
11/14/66: 3rd round TKO of Cleveland Williams
3/22/67: Zora Folley KOed in 7th round
12/7/70: In his ring comeback, Ali punishes Oscar Bonavena; 3 knockdown TKO in 15th round
3/8/71: First Frazier fight; decision for Joe
3/31/73: 12 round loss to Ken Norton after Ken fractures Ali's jaw
9/10/73: Ali wins Norton rematch by decision
1/28/74: Unanimous decision over Joe Frazier
10/30/74: "Rumble in the jungle" 8th round KO of George Foreman
9/30/75: In "Thrilla in Manila," Joe Frazier's corner stops fight in 14th round
2/15/78: Loses split decision and title to challenger Leon Spinks
9/15/78: Belt regained in unanimous decision over Spinks
10/2/80: 11 round TKO defeat to Larry Holmes, the new champ*

*(This is called Ali's swan song, but he fought once more, a 12/11/81 loss to Trevor Berbick.)

TOTAL PLAYING TIME: 57 minutes