Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "the Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He held the Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970. He was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978 and the WBA and Ring heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1979. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVIII Olympiad and commonly known as Tokyo 1964, were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki due to Japan's invasion of China, before ultimately being cancelled due to World War II. Tokyo was chosen as the host city during the 55th IOC Session in West Germany on 26 May 1959.
George Edward Foreman is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997 and was nicknamed "Big George". He is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. As an entrepreneur, he is known for the George Foreman Grill.
Joseph William Frazier, nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, he was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure fighting style and was the first boxer to defeat Muhammad Ali. Frazier won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics as an amateur, held the NYSAC heavyweight title from 1968 to 1973, and was the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1970 to 1973.
Buster Mathis was an American boxer who competed from 1965 to 1972. He was a top contender throughout his career, beating other top contenders including George Chuvalo and Chuck Wepner. He fought Heavyweight greats such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Jerry Quarry and Ron Lyle; he also notably beat Joe Frazier as an amateur to qualify for the Olympics but was later replaced due to a hand injury.
Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as The Fight of the Century or simply The Fight, was an undisputed heavyweight championship boxing match between WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight champion Joe Frazier and Lineal champion Muhammad Ali, on Monday, March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Jerry Quarry, nicknamed "Irish" or "The Bellflower Bomber", was an American professional boxer. During the peak of his career from 1968 to 1971, Quarry was rated by The Ring magazine as the most popular fighter in the sport. His most famous bouts were against Muhammad Ali. He is often seen as being one of the Best Heavyweight Boxers never to be Champion. He beat Heavyweight Champion Floyd Patterson and top contenders Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers, Brian London, Thad Spencer, Buster Mathis, Randy Neumann, Jack Bodell, Mac Foster and Eduardo Corletti. He accumulated damage from lack of attention to defense against larger men at the top level, no head guard sparring, and attempted comebacks in 1977, 1983 and 1992 resulted in Quarry developing an unusually severe case of dementia pugilistica.
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.
Marvis Frazier is an American former professional boxer who fought in the heavyweight division.
Uganda competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics which were held in Mexico City, Mexico from 12 to 27 October. The 1968 Summer Olympics were Uganda's fourth entry into an Olympic Games. Eleven athletes attended the Games to represent Uganda, eight boxers and three in track and field events.
Robert John Carmody was an American boxer whose career, which had included a bronze medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as part of the flyweight division, was cut short when he was killed in action serving with the United States Army in the Vietnam War.
Valeri Vladimirovich Popenchenko was a Soviet Olympic boxer who competed in the middleweight division (−75 kg). During his career he won 200 out of 213 bouts; he won an Olympic gold medal in 1964 and European titles in 1963 and 1965. He was named the Outstanding Boxer of the 1964 Olympics and given the Val Barker Trophy, becoming the only Soviet boxer to receive the honour. Popenchenko was known for his exceptional skills and agility in the ring, as well as his strong left hook.
Issake Dabore was a boxer from Niger who mainly fought in the light-welterweight and welterweight weight classes. Dabore competed at three Olympics; Tokyo 1964, Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972. He was the first Nigerien person to compete at the Olympics and the first Nigerien to win an Olympic medal. Dabore won his Olympic medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics, where he won a bronze medal in the men's light-welterweight.
Hans Huber was a German boxer.
Vadim Mikhaylovich Yemelyanov was a Soviet heavyweight boxer who won a bronze medal at the 1964 Olympics.
George Oywello was a Ugandan boxer. Born in Gulu, Uganda, Oywello competed for Uganda in both the 1960 Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. In 1964 boxing in the heavyweight competition he was beaten by eventual gold medal winner, Joe Frazier. He died in a car accident in 1965.
Manuel Ramos, nicknamed Pulgarcito, was a Mexican boxer and actor. He was the heavyweight champion of Mexico, a top world title contender in the late 1960s, and one of Mexico's most internationally successful heavyweights. On June 24, 1968, Ramos became the first Mexican to challenge for the heavyweight crown when he fought reigning champion Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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.
Boxing on ABC refers to a series of boxing events that have been televised on the American Broadcasting Company. Many of these events aired under the Wide World of Sports banner which began on April 11, 1964 when challenger Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, defeated champion Sonny Liston in the seventh round. ABC's final boxing card occurred on June 17, 2000.
