Boxing
TIME TUNNEL: 1966, ALI'S YEAR OF MOTION

by MIKE DUNN

08.08 - The year 1966 marked a turbulent time in the United States. The Vietnam War was continually escalating, bringing cries of protests domestically and anti-war demonstrations by young people in the streets of the major cities. The civil rights movement was in full swing. Some advocated a peaceful resistance to the pervasive policies that kept blacks from being treated as equals; others endorsed violence.

In the midst of the maelstrom was Muhammad Ali, the heavyweight champion of the world. Ali was a controversial figure himself, a member of a Muslim sect that advocated segregation and promoted the idea that white people were devils. Ali was also considered by many to be a draft dodger. He countered that his religious convictions would not permit him to enter the draft, but public sentiment, by and large, was not in his corner.

In 1966, Ali successfully defended his title five times. Counting another defense of the crown in November of 1965 against Floyd Patterson, and one each in February and March of 1967 against Ernie Terrell and Zora Folley, respectively, Ali made eight successful defenses of the title in just over 16 months!

By any standard of any era in boxing, that's an amazing number of title defenses in so short a time. Only Joe Louis, when he was routinely knocking out pretenders to the crown in what was termed by the sportswriters of the day as the "Bum of the Month club," boasted more title defenses in a similar span of time. From December of 1940, when Louis knocked out Al McCoy in six rounds, until March of 1942, when Louis dispatched of lumbering Abe Simon in six rounds, the Detroit-bred heavyweight king known as The Brown Bomber made a stunning 10 title defenses. In 1941 alone, he made seven defenses.

For Ali and Louis, world conditions played a major role in the frequency with which the title was put on the line. The spectre of war loomed large for both men. But for very different reasons.

BUM OF THE MONTH CLUB

Fulminating unrest in Europe, centered around the rise to power of Hitler and the Nazi party in Germany, combined with the imperialistic philosophy of Emperor Hirohito in Japan, presaged another world war. A sense of the imminence of war pervaded the U.S. in 1940 and '41 right up until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December of '41.

World events impacted the world of sports in this country. Nearly every professional athlete would be beckoned, in time, by Uncle Sam. Louis was no different. He knew the call would come, and he was prepared to serve in the military. In the meanwhile, he began putting his title on the line nearly every month, traveling from Boston to New York to Philadelphia to St. Louis and back to New York again to face a cadre of challengers who, for the most part, were unimposing. Louis had an air of invincibility in those days and even the top contenders did not appear to have the stuff to give the champ a severe test. (The one exception proved to be the June 18, 1941, bout against erstwhile lightheavyweight champ Billy Conn in New York. Conn gave Louis a good run until unwisely trying to slug with the Bomber in round 13 and getting himself knocked out.)

Louis's two bouts of 1942, against Buddy Bear in January and Simon in late March, were for the benefit of the Army Relief Fund and the Navy Relief Fund. Louis would go on to spend the war years (1942-45) in the Army giving boxing exhibitions. He didn't return to the ring until January of 1946 to engage Conn in a rematch.

Another run of Louis-type title defenses would not occur until two decades later.

ALI'S YEAR OF MOTION

The years 1966 and 1941 were as different as peas and ice cream in the U.S. In 1941, people were preparing for the ultimate showdown with evil. Patriotism was prevalent. The people were united.

In 1966, the country was riven with passionate divisions over involvement in Vietnam and the issue of civil rights. Social unrest was exploding as anti-war protestors and civil rights demonstrators used the public stage to express their views. Violence and rioting were all too common.

Ali was seen in some circles as a hero, standing up to the establishment in spite of the potential cost to his livelihood. Some considered his stand against the war to be a principled position. A majority of Americans, however, were wary of the heavyweight champion. Veterans of World War I and World War II expected Ali to follow in the honorable footsteps of Joe Louis and enter the military. Former heavyweight champion Gene Tunney, an ex-Marine who had served valiantly during World War I, considered Ali's unwillingness to join the military a disgrace. Many influential black figures, including Louis and Jackie Robinson, believed that Ali should serve his country during time of war.

A sense of imminence propelled Ali into a year of motion. Not the imminence of war, though. Rather, it was the very real threat of being stripped of the title at any time, and the possibility of a prison sentence that hovered like an ominous dark cloud on the horizon.

Ali, like Louis of '41, put his title on the line continually. After defeating Patterson in November of '65, he entered the ring again on March 29 in Toronto against the rugged Canadian George Chuvalo. Using his rapier-like jab and speed afoot, Ali earned a lopsided decision in a bout that was physically much tougher than the final outcome indicates. In a gallant losing effort, Chuvalo gave Ali a pounding to the body with hard, clubbing blows. Nevertheless, Ali was off and running.

Two months later, on May 21 in London, Ali squared off in a much-anticipated rematch with Britith favorite Henry Cooper. Prior to winning the title, Ali had been decked by a Cooper left hook en route to a five-round KO victory over the resilient Englishman. This time around, Ali showed Cooper the respect he deserved. Ali used his speed to avoid Cooper's hook and he used his jabs to open a severe cut over Cooper's eye. The result was a sixth-round stoppage.

Two months after that, on August 6 in London, Ali disposed of another popular British heavyweight, Brian London, in three rounds. It was London's second attempt at wresting the title, with similar results. In 1959, London had been knocked out in 11 rounds by Patterson in Indianapolis. In '66, London had the privilege of battling again for the crown; this time, in front of his countrymen. Exhibiting more courage than talent, London was once more a KO victim.

One month later, on September 10, Ali put the title on the line for the fourth straight time on foreign soil. The venue was Frankfurt, Germany, and the aspirant was German southpaw Karl Mildenberger. This fight correlates somewhat with the surprisingly tough tussle that Billy Conn gave Louis in the summer of 1941. The Mildenberger encounter was the most competitive fight that Ali had in the midst of his spate of title defenses.

Stories have sprung up over the years crediting Mildenberger with nearly beating Ali and winning the title, but that's not rooted in reality. Ali was never in jeopardy of losing the title, although he did get hit more often than he was accustomed to and was stunned a few times by looping lefts from the German. It took the champ a long time to solve the riddle of Mildenberger's portside style and the longer the fight went, the more excited the German crowd became. Of such circumstances, myths grow. In the 12th round, though, Ali finally ended it.

In November, Ali fought before a large, loud crowd on domestic turf. In Houston's Astrodome, Ali met Cleveland Williams, who had once been a feared slugger but was now a shell of himself. Williams, his body weakened by bullet wounds, was not able to put up the kind of fierce resistance that he did against Sonny Liston in 1959 and 1960. Williams fell in three rounds in a fight many consider to be the quintessential Ali ring performance. That ended Ali's year of motion with five fights and five victories. He would go on to defeat Terrell in a dismally one-sided decision in Houston and then KO Folley in seven rounds in Madison Square Garden on March 22, 1967. The Folley bout would be Ali's last before a court-imposed three-and-a-half year exile from the ring.

LOSING IN COURT

Ali may have been winning his matches with fellow prizefighters, but his immediate court battles had a different outcome. Two weeks before the Mildenberger fight, on August 23, 1966, Ali petitioned the Selective Service for exemption from military service. He cited his title as Special Field Minister for the Nation of Islam. The request was denied.

On March 6, 1967, Ali's A-1 draft classification was upheld in court. On April 28, Ali refused induction into the Army. He was subsequently stripped of the heavyweight title by New York State Athletic Commission and the World Boxing Association.

On June 20, a jury for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, returned a verdict of guilty against Ali on the charge of violating the Universal Military Training and Service Act because of his refusal to be inducted. Judge Joe Ingraham sentenced him to a five-year prison term and levied a fine of $10,000.

Ali appealed the next day and was released on bond. He wouldn't return to life as an active boxer again until October of 1970, when he embarked on his "second career" in a bout against Jerry Quarry in Atlanta.

Ali was eventually vindicated in a unanimous Supreme Court ruling which overturned his conviction for draft evasion. The Supreme Court couldn't give back to Ali the three-and-a-half years of his prime that were lost, but at least they gave the man his freedom.

In some ways, what Ali accomplished after that was even more remarkable than what he achieved in the years leading up to his exile. Which isn't to take away from what Ali did in 1966. In the annals of boxing history, few champs in any division kept as active or enjoyed as much sustained success.

The year 1966 marked a time of turbulence in the United States. In boxing's heavyweight division, though, it was a time of motion, a time of brilliance.

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED IN 1966?

Lightheavyweight class
Champions: Jose Torres, Dick Tiger ( won title Dec. 16)
May 21 Torres vs. Wayne Thornton Flushing, NY W 15
(Retains World Light Heavyweight Title)
Aug 15 Torres vs. Eddie Cotton Las Vegas W 15
(Retains World Light Heavyweight Title)
Oct 15 Torres vs. Chic Calderwood San Juan KO 2
(Retains World Light Heavyweight Title)
Dec 16 Torres vs. Dick Tiger New York L 15
(Loses World Light Heavyweight Title)

Middleweight class
Champions: Dick Tiger, Emile Griffith (won title April 25)
18 Feb Tiger vs. Peter Mueller Westernfallen Hall, Dortmund KO3
25 Apr Tiger vs. Emile Griffith Madison Square Garden, New York L 15
(World Middleweight Championship)
13 Jul Griffith vs. Joey Archer New York, NY W 15
(Retained World Middleweight Championship)

Welterweight class
Champions: Emile Griffith, Curtis Cokes (won vacant title Aug. 24)
Aug 24 Cokes vs. Manuel Gonzalez New Orleans W 15
(Wins Vacant World Welterweight Title)
Sep 27 Cokes vs. Enrique Cruz Corpus Christi, TX KO 7
Nov 28 Cokes vs. Jean Josselin Dallas W 15
(Retains World Welterweight Title)

Lightweight class
Champ: Carlos Ortiz
Apr 6 Ortiz vs. Nicolino Loche Argentina D 10
Jun 20 Ortiz vs. John Bizzaro Pittsburgh KO 12
(Retains World Lightweight Title)
Oct 22 Ortiz vs. Sugar Ramos Mexico City KO 5
(Retains World Lightweight Title)
Nov 28 Ortiz vs. Flash Elorde New York KO 14
(Retains World Lightweight Title)

Featherweight class
Champ: Vincente Saldivar
Apr 6 Saldivar vs. Nicolino Loche Argentina D 10
Jun 20 Saldivar vs. John Bizzaro Pittsburgh KO 12
(Retains World Lightweight Title)
Oct 22 Saldivar vs. Sugar Ramos Mexico City KO 5
(Retains World Lightweight Title)
Nov 28 Saldivar vs. Flash Elorde New York KO 14
(Retains World Lightweight Title)

Bantamweight class
Champ: Mashiko Fighting Harada
15 Feb Harada vs. Soo Kang Soo Nagoya, Japan W12
1 Jun Harada vs. Eder Jofre Tokyo W15
(Retained World Bantamweight Championship)
1 Aug Harada vs. Dio Espinosa Sapporo,Japan W10
25 Oct Harada vs. Antonio Herrera Osaka,Japan W12

Flyweight class
Champ: Walter McGowan, Chartchai Chionoi (won title Dec. 30)
Jan 6 McGowan vs. Nevio Carbi London KO 6
Mar 28 McGowan vs. Ernesto Miranda London W 8
Jun 14 McGowan vs. Salvatore Burruni London W 15
(Wins WBC and World Flyweight Titles)
Sep 6 McGowan vs. Alan Rudkin London W 15
(Wins Commonwealth and British Bantamweight Titles)
Nov 16 McGowan vs. Jose Bisbal London KO 5
Dec 30 McGowan vs. Chartchai Chionoi Bangkok KO by 9
(Loses World Flyweight Title)

Mike Dunn is a boxing historian and writer living in Michigan

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