This is the Boxer vs. Wrestler Match, dubbed “The War of the Worlds,” and it’s one of the most infamous moments in all of combat sports. It’s also the match many dub as the birth of MMA.
In 1975, Muhammad Ali was on top of the boxing world, and had easily staked his claim as the greatest in the history of the sport. After meeting Ichiro Hatta, president of the Japanese Amateur Wrestling Association, Ali asked if there were any “Oriental” fighters that could challenge him. He even offered to pay them one million dollars if they won. Enter Antonio Inoki, famed student of Rikidozan, and founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Inoki accepted the challenge, and even had his financial backers offer Ali six million dollars to make the fight happen. In March of 1976, the match was made official and scheduled for June 26th in the Nippon Budokan. Ali trash talked Inoki leading into the fight, calling him “Pelican” due to his defined chin. Inoki, in response, promised to break Ali’s arm if he didn’t take this seriously. The closer the fight got, the more Ali realized what kind of situation he was in, and that’s when the rules were changed.
When the match was made official, both agreed to a KO or submission style match. Ali would wear his boxing gloves, while Inoki would fight bare knuckled. There were rumors at the time that Ali’s management wanted the match to be a worked match, but Ali never agreed to rig the fight. When Ali found out that he was set to lose that fixed match, he refused. According to Inoki himself, Ali signed on thinking that this would be an exhibition instead of a legitimate match. However, when Ali saw Inoki training for the fight in rigorous fashion, that’s when he realized Inoki was coming for him in brutal fashion.
Just days before the fight was set to take place, both sides began to negotiate on a new set of rules, mostly restrictions placed on Inoki. What was in place? Well, Inoki wouldn’t be allowed to grapple or tackle Ali to the mat. He couldn’t land any kind of kicks unless he had one knee on the mat. Ali’s side asked for these changes not to be made public before the match, so naturally, New Japan revealed them a month prior.
Inoki was very annoyed by all of this, and he even offered to put up all of his assets and promotional revenue as a prize for Ali, just to show how serious he was in wanting this to be as real as possible. None of this ever happened. Speculation has run rampant for decades that Ali’s entourage threatened to kill Inoki if he laid a hand on him, which is why this match...turned out the way it did. Let’s see what I’m talking about.
This match will be contested in 15 three minute rounds. The special referee is Gene LeBell, a man credited with popularizing grappling in fighting. He’s also a man MMA fans can thank for creating the idea.
Round One begins, and Inoki quickly rushes in with a leg kick attempt. He goes for another, and remains on the mat. Ali circles him, as Inoki remains on the mat. Inoki stands and lands a nice thigh kick. Ali stands over him, as Inoki kicks from his back. Ali throws some light kicks of his own at Inoki. Ali is taunting him from the feet, and Inoki lands a hard kick. Ali circles Inoki, who maintains his distance. Another hard kick to the thigh by Inoki, and he remains on the ground. Ali hovers over Inoki, and each time he gets close, Inoki kicks at him with no regard. The round ends, and Ali’s shins are bloodied already.
Round Two kicks off, and Inoki again goes for a kick. He’s back on the mat, and he’s egging Ali on. Inoki is doing a good job of keeping his distance, as he lands these kicks. Ali doesn’t seem to be taking this seriously, but Inoki is clearly the more focused of the two. With every kick Inoki lands, Ali screams at him. He peppers in some of his own, but they don’t do any damage. Ali eggs him on, and Inoki lands a kick to the chest. The round ends, and Ali is pissed. Inoki returns to his corner like normal.
Round Three begins, and Inoki connects with another kick to the leg. Ali maintains some distance, and circles him. Inoki, I believe, lands a kick right to the kneecap. Ali is determined to keep this on the feet, and Inoki is determined to keep it on the ground. No middle ground thinking between these two. Another kick by Inoki, and Ali hovers a bit closer to him. You can hear Ali in the audio saying “I got this homosexual. I got this faggot.” Yikes. Don’t be a douche, Ali. Another hard kick rocks Ali. Inoki lands another, and Ali shakes his ass at him. The round ends, and I might be crazy, but Inoki is winning this fight so far.
Round Four is here, and Inoki misses a roundhouse kick. He’s back on the mat, and he has Ali cornered. They exchange crazy kicks, with Ali trying to stomp Inoki. The Japanese crowd is yelling at Inoki not to stand. He throws another kick at the leg, and he’s back on the mat. Ali yells that Inoki can’t wrestle. He then calls him “Inoki Girl.” Inoki lands a hard kick to Ali’s ass, and they get into a kick exchange in the corner again. The round ends, and Ali yells at Inoki that he fights on the floor like a girl. So, the guy who hasn’t thrown a single punch so far is criticizing the guy who’s actually landing strikes?
Round Five kicks off, and Inoki lands a kick to the very back of Ali’s knee. Inoki lands another kick, and knocks Ali to the mat! Crowd pops huge for that one. The fans are actually behind Ali, too, which is crazy. More kicks from Inoki, as commentary talks about the welts and blood on the shins of the World Champ. Ali continues his trash talking, as Inoki continues to follow him around on the mat. The round ends. Ali has yet to land a punch, while Inoki has bloodied the legs of Ali.
Round Six begins, and Inoki lands a straight kick to the knee of Ali. He lands another kick to the thigh, which rocks Ali. More kicks connect from Inoki, until Ali finally catches one, and Inoki pulls him to the mat! Crowd explodes, as Inoki looks for a submission, and Ali grabs the ropes to break it. There was a foul in there someone, an elbow from Inoki, so he gets a point deduction. He’s gotten points deducted a lot so far for groin kicks. Ali throws some light kicks at Inoki. The round ends, and that was the most exciting round so far. Ali has still not thrown a single punch.
Round Seven begins, and Inoki starts out with a leg kick. You can hear the stiffness of these kicks, too. Ali is throwing some light kicks in to the feet. Inoki shoots in with a kick to the leg. Ali finally lands a left hand punch, and Inoki follows up with a hard kick that drops Ali! Crowd chants for Ali, as Inoki lands another straight kick to the knee. Another thigh kick connects to the leg leg, which Inoki has been damaging all fight long. The round ends. That Ali punch/Inoki kick sequence was crazy. I can’t believe it took Muhammad Ali seven rounds to finally land a punch, on a pro wrestler at that.
Before the start of the eighth round, Ali’s corner calls for Inoki’s shoes to be tapped. One of his shoes is missing an eyelet, and it’s cutting Ali’s legs. You know, I’m no Boxing expert by any stretch, but if Ali’s side would just let these two fucking fight like normal, I’m sure this wouldn’t be an issue.
Round Eight is here, and Inoki starts out with two consecutive kicks to the leg. Ali looks frustrated, but Inoki continues to be laser focused on what he can do. Ali avoids another kick from Inoki. Inoki throws another kick, and it hits Ali right in the jaw. Another foul for Inoki. The referee calls for a break in the action to retape Inoki’s boot. Another hard kick to behind the knee. Ali briefly grabs the legs, but backs away and kicks Inoki instead. Referee calls for another break, so tape can be applied. Inoki again lands a stiff kick, and you can just hear how bad these kicks are for Ali. The round ends. Ali continues to show frustration. Inoki, meanwhile, is sticking to his game plan. Ali’s trainers are rubbing his legs to get them ready for the next round. One punch, all fight, from the GOAT. Ali is clearly out of his element here.
Commentary mentions that Ali isn’t even wearing a mouthpiece for this.
Round Nine begins, and Inoki lands another hard kick. He’s egging Inoki on to punch him. Ali is circling Inoki repeatedly. You cannot deny how good his footwork is. Inoki shoots in with a kick, and he’s back on the ground for a moment. Another kick nearly drops Ali to the mat. It looked like one of the nastier ones he’s hit this fight. More kick attempts from Inoki, as Ali continues to be light on his feet, almost like he’s floating like a butterfly. The round ends, and that was easily the most boring round so far. That one kick from Inoki was nasty, though.
Round Ten is here, and it begins the same with another Inoki leg kick. Ali peppers in some as well. He lands a punch to the mouth of Inoki, which leads to another thigh kick from Inoki. Camera catches one of the Inoki kicks, and Ali’s leg looks fucked. Another kick sends Ali into the ropes, and Inoki shoots on him. They’re tangled, until the referee separates them. There is a visible welt on Ali’s leg leg. Straight kick to the shin, as Inoki calls for Ali to go to the ground. He doesn’t, and the round ends. Two punches from Ali, ten rounds in. I mean, he’s got long arms, so I guess I expected more from him?
This video I’m watching this on doesn’t have footage of the 11th round. It probably isn’t too difficult to imagine what happens, though.
Round Twelve kicks off, and Inoki goes for a kick to the mdsection. He follows with one to the ass. A third connects, and then another. He is landing some damaging blows to the left leg. They’re so close to each other, I’m surprised Ali isn’t landing more jabs. Commentary brings up Ali’s facials when the kicks are coming, and he winces every single time. Inoki’s face hasn’t changed since Round One. Ali continues his taunts at Inoki, making monkey faces at him. Inoki responds with his tried and true game plan of kicking Ali’s leg out from under him. Every kick sounds like a slap. Ali stands his ground and mocks Inoki, as the round ends. Ali’s taunts aren’t doing shit for Inoki, who refuses to give up on his game plan. I mean hey, Inoki’s kicks are working! I personally think he should be in the lead here.
Round Thirteen begins, and Ali walks out of his corner like he’s Elvis Presley. He fakes a jab, and Inoki fakes a kick and forces Ali into the corner. He throws a kick, and Ali avoids it. He throws another, and Ali sidesteps it. He fakes another kick and tries to take Ali down. They’re in the ropes, and they get separated. There’s a groin attack from Inoki, and Ali even tries to leave the ring. He’s very frustrated over the groin attacks, accidental as they may be. Nice roundhouse kick to the leg by Inoki, and a jab by Ali. Another from Ali, and a kick from Inoki. The round ends. Inoki has had a lot of fouls thrown his way so far, so even with the lack of action from Ali, Inoki may end up losing on technical fouls. Thanks, rule changes!
Round Fourteen kicks off, and Inoki instinctively throws a jab. Another kick to the kneecap rocks Ali, but not badly. They circle for a bit, looking for an opening. Inoki misses a kick. He’s demanding that Ali meet him in the middle of the ring, but Ali wants to keep it close to the ropes. Hard jab by Ali connects flush, and then the round ends. A boring penultimate round, ending with a great punch by Ali, his best all match long. Now both men are showing frustrations at how this has gone. Inoki’s strategy is winning the fight, in my opinion, but again, he has a lot of fouls against him.
Camera pans to Ali’s leg leg, and it is absolutely fucked.
Round Fifteen, the final round, begins with a handshake from both men. Inoki misses a leg kick, and Ali taunts him to get up. Inoki tries for another kick, and Ali seems to block it. Another kick attempt by Inoki. Commentary talks about the bizarre nature of this fight, but that it should be remembered as something they’ve never seen before. Inoki lands a kick to the left leg, and Ali fakes him out with some jabs. Another kick lands, as the final bell sounds. The fight is over, and the crowd boos. Ali and Inoki embrace in a show of respect.
After some deliberation, the judge’s scorecards are revealed. Kokichi Endo, a former training partner of Rikidozan, scores 74-72 in favor of Ali. Boxing judge Kou Touyama scored it 72-68 for Inoki. The final call was left to LeBell, the referee. Due to all the fouls and violations throughout the fight, he scored it 71-71 for both men, which made the final result of the fight a split draw. He was later quoted saying “A lot of people thought Inoki had more kicks. I judged the fight not based on how many jabs or kicks were thrown. I judged based on damage done.”
Okay, so with that logic, this was a clean sweep for Inoki, even with fouls! He landed 107 kicks to Ali in this fight, and Ali’s left leg was very much a piece of raw meat in the aftermath. Ali landed five punches total, and only Inoki’s left eye was slightly swollen. If you’re judging based on damage, how in the world do you not give it to Inoki? Maybe the violations did ruin Inoki’s chances of winning, but still, that was an easy Inoki win, and that’s crazy when his opponent is Muhammad Ali.
In the aftermath of the fight, Ali claimed that Inoki was scared of his punching ability, and thus, Ali should’ve been declared the winner because he was the aggressor, and he pressed the action. I call bullshit on that. Ali was definitely looking for chances to strike, but there were times where he was doing nothing, or he was only taunting. Not once in 45 minutes did I see Antonio Inoki doing anything other than sticking to his strategy. It may not have been as exciting as standing and banging, but Inoki had a great strategy and it worked for him. Don’t believe me? Ask Ali’s legs.
Inoki landed 107 leg kicks to Ali, which in turn caused two bad blood clots to form. Ali was advised not to fly to speak to Ken Morton about their upcoming September fight, because the clots could loosen and kill him. Ali’s mobility in the legs was affected for the remainder of his career because of this fight, and at one point, there was worry that both of his legs had to be amputated. Judging on damage, huh LeBell? Had it not been for the groin deductions, Inoki would’ve taken this fight. Ali was never the same after this one.
I’ve seen people call this match boring, and a huge disappointment, considering how it was advertised. While I can agree that this was a bit disappointing, this was far from boring. In fact, it was incredibly fascinating. It was fantastic to watch Inoki, out of his element against the world’s greatest boxer, stick to a leg kick strategy and have it work wonders. None of them were killing blows, per say, but they absolutely left their mark.
Ali, meanwhile, almost looked lost. He had no answer to these leg kicks, and he was destroyed by the end. I feel like he could’ve put a lot more effort into this, as there were times he was close enough to Inoki to not only land some jabs, but he could’ve potentially knocked him out. All that talk in the press about Inoki being a “pelican” with his big chin, and you can’t land some strikes? Ali resorting to taunting – and unfortunately, homophobic slurs – gave me the impression that he didn’t take Inoki’s strategy seriously, and was trying to goad him into something he would lose at. Inoki, to his credit, stuck to his guns, and his strategy worked. Ali wasn’t getting what he wanted out of the match, and he tried to cheap his way into something else. Inoki knew exactly what he had to do here, and he wasn’t going to do anything else. It almost turned this into a pissing contest of sorts.
It’s obvious to see the inspiration this match had on MMA as a whole. The very idea of a boxer with great standup skills against a wrestler with great submission skills was intriguing enough, but then to see it happen, albeit disappointing, it really got people thinking. Ali was a god of boxing at this point, so to see someone with a complete different combat style destroy his legs here got people thinking “well, what if a boxer fought a kickboxer?” The execution of this left a lot to be desired, perhaps, but the patent was there: Different combat styles going at it was very interesting, and should be a thing going forward.
As time went on, the influence of this match was felt hard, especially in Japan. “Shoot Style” wrestling was born, thanks to promotions like UWF, UWFi, and RINGS. Former Inoki students Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki formed Pancrase, thanks in part to this match. Later on, PRIDE FC was born in Japan, and became the biggest combat sport in the world at the time. Oh, and a little known promotion formed in the United States, called the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
I saw someone once talk about how Bob Dylan influenced songwriting in the 1960s, but that person thinks that other people took that patent and polished it into what it could live up to be. Now, as a die hard Dylan fanatic, I don’t think anyone writes a song like Bob Dylan, but that idea is true here: Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki influenced an entirely new combat style in 1976. They wrote the patent for MMA, but they didn’t necessarily capitalize on it like most thought they would. Their patent would fall into the hands of better minds in the future, and they would polish it into the Mixed Martial Arts scene that we know today.
This is a fresh analysis from what I've read in the past about Inoki vs Ali. Specifically, your references to why you found this bout fascinating, and not boring as is the standard label, I found particularly of note, as well as some of the outside details you wrote about here like the long-term impact on Ali's legs from the kicks from Inoki.