The great ones battles on Mohammed Ali: His first match withrest Jerry Quarries
The great return of the great champion after 3 years out of the professional ring
Muhammad Ali is considered by some to be the greatest boxer in history. He has proven himself in the ring in some more than exciting bouts and has a total of 56 victories, 37 of them by knockout in 61 professional bouts. Ali is a great champion, but there is a moment in his career that, perhaps, prevents him from being even more titanic than what he has shown.
This is the period of three years in which he is banned from boxing in the professional ring. The reason is the refusal to participate in the war in Vietnam, and even more so, the speech against this war, which, according to him, does not bring anything good to the United States. He was punished with a financial fine, but the most unpleasant is the fact that the sports commission of the state of New York revoked his license for three years. Then he is only 25 years old and misses, perhaps, the best moment to establish himself at the top of his sport.
His return to the ring took place in 1970, which will be remembered with his first match. It was played on October 26th at the Municipal Auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia. Everyone is excited to see what kind of shape one of the greatest athletes in the world will be in. Ali's opponent is Jerry Quarry. After the long absence, will there not be a significant decline in the performance of Cassius Clay, as the boxer's birth name is? Does he still have that amazing style? Has he not lost some of his speed, or some of his technique? These are all questions that people keep asking themselves.
Questions that Muhammad Ali has been answering since round number 1 in Atlanta. Muhammad is aggressive, fast, technical and his thirst for professional fights is evident. The fight isn't the most exciting, but it will certainly be remembered for the fact that Ali looks like he hasn't stopped boxing at all. He remains the same, and the third round is the best example of this, as with a powerful blow he opens a horrific gash above Quarry's right eye, which forces the judges to stop the fight and award the victory to Muhammad.
In 1972, Ali fought Quarry again, and the fight then went seven rounds, but it was nowhere near as memorable as the first. The victory, of course, once again went to one of the greatest boxers of all time. And the first confrontation between Muhammad Ali and Jerry Quarry remains in history with the fact that after a 3-year absence, Ali is back in the ring and nothing has changed.