Ali vs. Inoki (14 page)

“We had his fucking hands tied. He couldn't do a thing to us but we could kill him.

“Ali didn't care about the rules. All he cared about was getting paid and getting out of there.”

At the signing ceremony later that evening, Inoki offered a rebuke of the process, and scolded Ali and his camp. But he said he would accept the rules as negotiated and move forward with the contest.

“I agree to all of the rules as requested by Muhammad Ali such as no dropkicks, no karate chops, no hitting on the mat,” Inoki said. “But there's a limit to the requests. It seems that my hands and feet are tied.”

Basically that was true.

Kicking was mostly prohibited and would be declared a foul unless the person delivering the blow was kneeling, squatting, or operating down on the canvas. In attempting to bring an opponent to the ground, leg sweeps, leg whips, and leg pulls were allowed using shins or the side or top of the foot.

Other fouls included hitting below the belt with a fist; hitting with the knee or elbow to any part of the body; hitting with any part of the body to the groin; butting with the head; jabbing, gouging, or thumbing the eyes; hitting or attacking after a ref break; any blow to the back, to the neck, or kidneys; and all chops as traditionally used in wrestling, such as chops with the side of the ungloved hand.

Palm or heel strikes were fine, so long as they didn't connect with the throat or Adam's apple.

“To me it wasn't a joke,” Pacheco said. “I wasn't laughing. To fight a wrestler? Are you kidding? Is Ali going to get
on his knees and fight him? If this guy kicks Ali's legs how are you going to stop that?”

In a publicity stunt, Inoki proposed a winner-take-all $9 million prize.

“Including wives?” Ali asked. “Does that include wives?”

Inoki, who was married to Japanese actress Mitsuko Baisho, shot down Ali: “Don't ask ridiculous questions, please.”

After the fighters signed their names to the official contracts, Inoki brought out a plaster cast he had made especially for Ali.

“He prepared what for me?” Ali bellowed. “He prepared what for me?”

Aileen Eaton chats with Jimmy Lennon Sr. at the Olympic Auditorium (photo used courtesy of the Lennon family)

Bob Hope and “Sugar” Ray Robinson at a charity event at Hope's home MC'd by Jimmy Lennon Sr. (Photo credit Theo Ehret, and used courtesy of the Lennon family)

Jimmy Lennon Sr. interviews Mike Quarry at the Olympic Auditorium (photo used courtesy of the Lennon family)

Jimmy Lennon Sr. holds a microphone in front of boxers at the Olympic Auditorium (photo used courtesy of the Lennon family)

Jimmy Lennon Sr. poses with his wife, Doris, and son, Jimmy Lennon Jr., outside their home (photo used courtesy of the Lennon family)

Jayne Mansfield sits ringside at the Olympic Auditorium with then husband Mickey Hargitay Jr. (photo used courtesy of the Lennon family)

Jimmy Lennon Sr. stands with pro wrestler Haystacks Calhoun and unnamed wrestler (photo used courtesy of the Lennon family)

Jimmy Lennon Sr. shaves John Tolo's head in the ring at the Olympic Auditorium (photo used courtesy of the Lennon family)

Jimmy Lennon Sr. announces Andre the Giant as the winner (photo used courtesy of the Lennon family)

Freddie Blassie gets his arm raised by Jimmy Lennon Sr. as Olympic wrestling matchmaker Jules Strongbow joins them in the ring (photo used courtesy of the Lennon family)

Muhammad Ali and Jhoon Rhee deplane in Seoul, Korea, the day after Ali fought Antonio Inoki (photo used courtesy of Jhoon Rhee)