1981 – A Sad Year For Three Heavyweight Boxing Legends

I recently re-watched the fantastic Champions Forever video – a superb bringing together of five inextricably linked heavyweight greats who fought in the same period. Their rivalry was legendary and sometimes bitter, yet while reunited for the purposes of the unique video all five boxers were both respectful and courteous of one other. The tough, era-defining match ups that these five men – Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton and Larry Holmes – fought will never be forgotten and, in a very real way, all five warriors were brought together in an intimacy that few could ever understand because of them. These living legends respect the fact the skills for which they are known – and which gave them their very identity –
were pushed to the limit by the other members of the fabulous five they are sharing memories with as champions forever. Without one, they understand, there could not have been the other. As such, there is a powerful union between them. This bond is evident in the video. For while there may still be some feelings of bitterness – especially in the case of Ali and Frazier – there is also admiration. What they went through together was special, the intensity of their battles was nerve shredding. There has never been a better or more exciting time for the heavyweight division. From the first “Fight of The Century” between Ali and Frazier in 1971 to the heartbreakingly sad bout between Holmes and Ali in 1980, these five boxers held the world’s attention. To see them all together, sharing quips, insight and deeply personal feelings, is a quite moving experience. Basically, Champions Forever is a once-in-a-lifetime viewing treasure.

It occurred to me though, some time later, what a sad year 1981 turned out to be for three of the men featured on the nostalgic video. This year, a quarter of a century ago now, saw Frazier, Norton, and then Ali box in a tragically decrepit manner. Of the five greats only Holmes, three years into his reign, was flourishing in “81 ( Foreman was well into his ten year retirement and religious stage ). I don’t know why it occurred to me to look back at this year, after all, it was a quite depressing one to remember – especially after having just had the pleasure of watching the video that captures the finest moments from the glory filled primes of the former
kings. But it did.

Kenny Norton was the first of the fabulous five to come to grief in the year in question. In May of 1981, he accepted a bout with the undefeated and big punching Irish American, Gerry Cooney. The fight lasted all of fifty four seconds. Norton, then aged thirty seven, was despatched in chilling fashion. Stuck on the ropes, Ken was a sitting duck for Cooney’s huge, powerful swings and they connected flush on his jaw. With referee Tony Perez appallingly late jumping in to rescue him, the fight could very well have turned into a tragedy. Thank goodness Ken was okay afterwards. Needless to say, he retired immediately after the fight.

In the month of December, the sadness was even worse. For both Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali tried comebacks just before Christmas. Joe’s attempt was first. Having his first fight since being sent crashing by George Foreman in their second encounter, Joe came back to box one Floyd “Jumbo” Cummings. The thirty seven year old Frazier looked awful. His left hook had seemingly lost all its power and his speed and timing were all gone too. The bout dragged on for the full ten rounds. At the end, despite most observers thinking Cummings had definitely won, the judges had scored the fight level. Joe Frazier escaped back to retirement with a gift draw attached to his record, leaving intact the statistic that showed only Ali and Foreman had ever beaten him.

Next up in this gloomy year was the final fight in the long and astonishing career of the man known as The Greatest. Ali, insanely returning to the prize ring after the awful beating he’d been subject to in his other misguided attempt to regain his fistic prominence, against world champ Larry Holmes, signed to fight Trevor Berbick. This was perhaps the saddest fight of the three recounted here. The fight took place in Nassau in The Bahamas and was incredibly amateurish in its presentation. Promoted by an ex-con, Ali v Berbick was a very shoddy affair. Not only was there no proper bell at ringside ( a cow bell, of all things was used instead!) but neither were there alternate pairs of gloves for the boxers. After each bout, gloves had to be taken off the fighters leaving the ring and given to the two entering it. It truly was the most unfitting way for the fighting days of The Greatest to come to an end. Ali boxed as if in slow motion, while the clumsy Berbick wasn’t much better. In his prime he would have won in embarrassingly easy fashion, yet now, aged almost forty, Ali was soundly out pointed over the ten rounds. His career was over, finally.

With it came the end to one of the most agonisingly wretched years in the history of heavyweight boxing – a year that saw three of its greatest practitioners very much humbled through old age.