Ali’s intent was clear: a dominant victory over Bonavena would bolster the argument that he was the true heavyweight king.Įasier said than done, however. Bonavena was a few notches lower, but he had given Frazier a pair of tough battles, even knocking Joe down in their first clash in 1966. Quarry had been, at worst, the number two contender in the world. Facing anything less than genuine threats, legit top contenders, would have undermined his claim to being the rightful ruler of the heavyweights. And it’s important to remember that for many, Ali was still the true champion. He could have bided his time, beat up a soft touch or two to get himself back into peak condition, and let the anticipation build for the huge showdown to come with Joe Frazier.īut Ali was a warrior, and no one had given Frazier a tougher battle than Bonavena. Again, there was no urgent reason for Ali to take this fight. Meanwhile the behind-the-scenes struggle to fully restore Ali’s right to ply his trade continued and indeed a court order had to be secured before “The Louisville Lip” could lace up the gloves and battle Bonavena in New York’s Madison Square Garden, just six weeks after the win over Quarry.
It may have been fortunate for Ali that Quarry sustained a cut in round three that was so deep the match was immediately halted. Ali looked sharp in the opening round in Atlanta, but as early as the second the effects of his long absence from the ring surfaced as the pace slowed and Ali’s timing lagged. Consider that Ali’s very first match after a layoff of more than forty months was against Jerry Quarry, the top contender for the title, a skilled counterpuncher with a deadly left hook. But his competitive instincts were not the least bit inhibited. In 1970 there was only one reason for the undefeated former champ to dare to take on iron-tough Oscar Bonavena after just a single fight in almost four years, and that was to prove to the world that he was - despite the many months of inactivity and the widespread recognition of Joe Frazier as boxing’s new heavyweight champ - still the king, still “The Greatest.” In his first bout after a 40 month layoff, Ali defeated Jerry Quarry.Īt his peak, before he refused to be drafted into the military and was forced into exile, Ali was a heavyweight boxer of extraordinary quickness and agility, but when he returned to action in 1970, much of that quickness was gone.
But what you can never do is question the competitive spirit and fighting heart of Muhammad Ali.
You can take issue with his politics, label him a braggart and a loudmouth, make an inventory of all the lucky breaks he got, and even insist the Sonny Liston fights were fixed and his wins over Norton, Young and Shavers were gift decisions.
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