Larry Holmes is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 2002 and was world heavyweight champion from 1978 until 1985. He is often considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, which led to his boxing nickname of the "Easton Assassin".
Charles "Chuck" Wepner is an American former professional boxer. He fell just nineteen seconds short of a full fifteen rounds against world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a 1975 championship fight. Wepner also scored notable wins over Randy Neumann and former world heavyweight champion Ernie Terrell. He was also the last man to fight former undisputed world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston.
Ezzard Mack Charles, known as the Cincinnati Cobra, was an American professional boxer and world heavyweight champion, reigning from 1949 to 1951. Known for his slick defense and precision, Charles is often regarded as the greatest light heavyweight of all time, defeating numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three different weight classes.
Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier II, billed as Super Fight II, was a professional boxing match contested on January 28, 1974, for the NABF heavyweight title. The second of the three Ali–Frazier bouts, it took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
James Albert Ellis was an American professional boxer. He won the vacant WBA heavyweight title in 1968 by defeating Jerry Quarry, making one successful title defense in the same year against Floyd Patterson, before losing to Joe Frazier in 1970.
Brian Sidney Harper, better known by the ring name Brian London, was an English professional boxer who competed from 1955 to 1970. He held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight title from 1958 to 1959, and twice challenged for the world heavyweight title, losing to Floyd Patterson in 1959 and Muhammad Ali in 1966, both times via knockout. He was one of a quartet of British boxers, with Henry Cooper, Joe Erskine, and Dick Richardson, who dominated the British boxing scene throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
Edward Mills "Eddie" Machen was an American professional boxer. He was one of 6 children of a rural mail carrier. Machen dropped out of high school and became an amateur boxer. However, after just 3 bouts he was arrested and convicted of armed robbery. After his release, he became a professional boxer, determined never to return to prison again. His 64-bout career began on March 22, 1955, and he went on to win his first 24 bouts. He was highly rated and fought most of the big names of his era and he defeated many of the important names of his period such as Bob Baker, Jerry Quarry, Niño Valdés, Joey Maxim, Willi Besmanoff, Tommy Jackson, Brian London, Howard King and Doug Jones (boxer)
Muhammad Ali vs. Earnie Shavers was a professional boxing match contested on September 29, 1977, for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton, billed as The Fight, was a professional boxing match contested on March 31, 1973, for the NABF heavyweight championship.
Muhammad Ali vs. Karl Mildenberger was a professional boxing match contested on 10 September 1966, for the WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight championship.
Muhammad Ali vs. Jean-Pierre Coopman was a professional boxing match contested on February 20, 1976, for the undisputed heavyweight championship. Ali won the fight after knocking out Coopman in the fifth round.
Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmy Young was a professional boxing match contested on April 30, 1976, for the undisputed heavyweight championship. Ali won the bout through a unanimous decision on points. This bout was aired live in primetime on ABC with Howard Cosell calling the action from the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland.
Muhammad Ali vs. Bob Foster, billed as The Sound and the Fury, was a professional boxing match contested on November 21, 1972, for the NABF heavyweight championship.
Muhammad Ali vs. Oscar Bonavena was a professional boxing match contested on December 7, 1970, for the NABF and Lineal heavyweight championship at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 7, 1970.
Muhammad Ali vs. Ernie Terrell, billed as The Battle of Champions, was a professional boxing match contested on February 6, 1967, for the undisputed heavyweight championship. The fight went 15 rounds, with Ali winning through a unanimous decision.
Muhammad Ali vs. Cleveland Williams was a professional boxing match contested on November 14, 1966, for the WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring championship. Ali won the bout through a technical knockout in the third round.
Cassius Clay fought Argentine Alex Miteff in a ten-round boxing match in Louisville on October 7, 1961. Clay won the fight through a technical knockout when the referee stopped the fight in the sixth round. Miteff and Clay would feature in the 1962 film Requiem for a Heavyweight.
Muhammad Ali was a boxer who mastered the rope-a-dope fighting technique. He is widely regarded by many boxing commentators and historians as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Boxing magazine The Ring named him number one in a 1998 ranking of greatest heavyweights from all eras. In 1999, The Associated Press voted Ali the number one heavyweight of the 20th century.
Anthony Perez was an American boxing referee and judge of Puerto Rican descent. During his career, he refereed many major boxing fights and participated in a number of boxing related documentaries.
The Michael Dokes vs. Mike Weaver or, alternately, Mike Weaver vs. Michael Dokes, boxing fights were a pair of fights that occurred in 1982 and 1983 and were for the World Boxing Association's world Heavyweight title. Both fights were considered controversial due to a separate set of situations. They are both among the most widely spoken about heavyweight boxing contests of the 1980s.
