Heavyweight Boxing in the 1970s This page intentionally left blank Heavyweight Boxing in the 1970s The Great Fighters and Rivalries J R OE YAN McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London To my father James and my brother Michael, two real fighters who set the bar very high for those of us who must follow LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA Ryan, Joe, 1963– Heavyweight boxing in the 1970s : the great fighters and rivalries / Joe Ryan. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7864-7074-7 softcover : acid free paper 1. Boxing—History—20th century. I. Title. GV1121.R93 2013 796.8309—dc23 2012050319 BRITISHLIBRARYCATALOGUINGDATAAREAVAILABLE © 2013 Joe Ryan. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, i ncluding photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. On the cover: Boxer Muhammad Ali (right), against Ken Norton in 1973 (Photofest); background image © 2013 Shutterstock Manufactured in the United States of America McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com Contents Acknowledgments vi Preface 1 ONE. Comparing the Eras . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 TWO. The 1960s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 THREE. 1970 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 FOUR. 1971 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 FIVE. 1972 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 SIX. 1973. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 SEVEN. 1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 EIGHT. 1975. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 NINE. 1976 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 TEN. 1977 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 ELEVEN. 1978 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 TWELVE. 1979 and Beyond . . . . . . . . . . 275 Chapter Notes 295 Bibliography 301 Index 307 v Acknowledgments There are so many people I would like to thank in making the com- pletion of this book possible. First of all my wife Tracey, who has been supportive from the start, and my wonderful children, Meaghan, Joshua and Zachary, for putting up with the day-to-day lunacy it took to complete a project of this size. A special thanks to my youngest, Zachary, who, only twelve, has been my on-hand technical support man, and kept me from going crazy. Thanks to my loving mother Mary, who has always made me feel that I could accomplish anything. To my big sister Cathy, my greatest exam- ple, constant supporter and lifelong friend. A special thank you goes out to my good friend Charles R. Saunders, who has been my editor, advisor and source of material and encouragement throughout this endeavor. To Dave Somerton, who provided me through the years with the video needed to revisit these great fights. To my sister- in-law Tina Taylor, for all of her help. And to my new friend Clay Moyle, a fantastic author who has gone above and beyond in his assistance to me. vi Preface When I set out to write this book, my motivation was to revisit a period that gripped me throughout my youth. Muhammad Ali was the man who initially piqued my interest in boxing, as he did for many kids who grew up in the sixties and seventies. My interest eventually expanded to all of the eras and divisions in the sport. I would devour every book and magazine I could get my hands on. Combing old bookstores and tracking down movies of the old legends, I became an accomplished boxing historian. Seniors would regale me with tales of the old-timers, and I would listen intently. In time I could hold my own in conversations with fans fifty and sixty years my senior. My university studies led me to a career in history, and a love of historical research. Summer employment at the National Museum of Man in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and provincial archives enhanced my knowledge of and desire for research. New avenues of research were opened to me and I began to utilize those skills to delve into my first love, boxing. At this stage, I decided to write an in-depth study on the sport that intrigued me so much. With the age-old questions in mind as to who was the greatest heavyweight king, and which era was the best, I decided to for- mulate a set of criteria that would conclusively determine the true “golden age” of the heavyweights. Approaching this task with an entirely unbiased focus, I tackled this old and controversial question. Using a fair and standard formula, I scrutinized, in great depth, every era from Jack Johnson up to and including the modern reign of the Klitschko brothers. Ironically, the conclusion brought me right back to the period and characters that captivated me in the first place, the heavyweights of the seventies. I hope you will follow me on this sentimental journey back to the time of great fighters, great rivalries and an unprecedented interest in the sport of sports. 1 This page intentionally left blank One Comparing the Eras In the world of sports, no event can capture the world’s attention more readily than a major heavyweight title fight. The mystique that surrounds such a fight often transcends the boundaries of athletics. And few news items can command the level of media hype involved in a “Superfight.” The heavyweight championship of the world has been called the greatest prize sports can offer. A dominant champion is considered the supreme male, macho personified, the “baddest man on the planet.” The glitter and flash of modern, big-time boxing often disguises the true nature of the sport: organized violence. Although the fight game is more refined and better controlled than it was during the bare-knuckle days of the last century, the ultimate goal of its par- ticipants is the same as it has always been: to beat an opponent senseless. Like it or not, this inherent barbarism is still one of boxing’s main attractions. The majority of fans would rather see a brutal knockout than a scientific encounter that goes the distance. That’s why a defensive stylist like Jimmy Young could never accumulate as many fans as crude sluggers like Earnie Shavers and George Foreman. The man who can put his opponents on the canvas is king at the box office. In a way, the sport is an embodiment of Darwin’s theory of survival of the strongest or the cleverest. Two men meet in a roped square of canvas, locked in deadly combat. Only one will emerge victorious. By its very nature, boxing is a contest for territorial domination. Like two bucks fighting for control of the herd, boxers fight for supremacy in the ring. Boxing is an individual struggle of man against man, a fighter alone in the ring against a violent adversary. He must crush or be crushed. Unlike team sports in which a weaker member can be helped by his teammates, a fighter must rely solely on his own abilities. A boxer who lacks the necessary strength, skill, and determination will be defeated and possibly injured. That’s the risk a boxer takes every time he steps into the ring. For any fighter, regardless of his level of talent, that climb through the ropes represents an act of extreme courage. The individual nature of the boxer’s struggle leads to a more intimate relationship with the public. Though most of us are part of a larger group, be it a family, team, or work group, there are times when, like a boxer, we must overcome obstacles on our own. For that reason, it is natural for the average person to identify with a successful boxer. Also, boxers tend to come from humble beginnings, and most champions typify the “rags to riches” story. Over the years, thousands of young men throughout the world have laced on the gloves with varying degrees of success. All fighters at some point in their careers entertain the idea of one day attaining the fame, glory, and economic rewards a world title can bring. Most are eventually forced to come to grips with the reality that they’ll never come close to that 3