Dubbed the “Battle of the World” or “World Martial Arts Championship,” the fight was promoted as the ultimate clash between boxing and professional wrestling. Ali, who was 34 years old, entered as the undefeated heavyweight champion after knocking out Richard Dunn last month. Inoki, a 33-year-old grappler trained by Karl Gotch, made a name for himself by challenging martial artists from different disciplines in an effort to prove that wrestling was the best.
The promotion generated a lot of interest around the world. Ali reportedly earned an estimated $6.1 million from the fight, while Inoki earned nearly $2 million, staggering purses at the time. An estimated 1.4 billion people watched worldwide via televised broadcasts and telecasts, making it one of the most watched combat sports events of all time.
What the fans didn't know was that the rules had been changed a lot in the days leading up to the tournament. The restrictions negotiated by Ali's camp prevented Inoki from using many of his fighting techniques. He could not throw, strike or grapple freely, and could only kick with one knee on the canvas. Those last minute changes completely changed the battle.
When the opening bell rang, Inoki quickly adopted an unusual strategy that would define the contest. Spending almost the entire fight on his back, he repeatedly slid towards Ali and attacked the champion's legs with kicks while staying out of the way.
Ali circled, taunted and urged Inoki to stand up and fight, shouting insults including “Coward!” and “Stand up like a man!” But the Japanese star refused to abandon the strategy that slowly caused damage while minimizing his risk. By the middle rounds, Ali's left leg was badly bruised, swollen and bleeding from the constant punishment.
Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali faced Japanese star Antonio Inoki at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan on June 26, 1976, in a 15-round boxer-versus-wrestler contest billed as “The War of the Worlds” and the “Martial Arts Championship of the World.”
When the final bell rang, the judges came back separately. The judges scored the match a draw after 15 rounds. Many spectators responded by throwing trash into the ring and chanting, “Get the money back!” Newspaper writers and boxing writers criticized the fight and the bans after the event.
However, history will ultimately judge the competition differently.
Inoki's relentless leg kicks left Ali in the hospital with severe swelling, blood clots and an infection that affected his mobility for the remainder of his career. More importantly, the war demonstrated both the charms and pitfalls of disciplinary competition.
This fight is widely considered to be the first step in modern mixed martial arts. Japanese promotions such as Pancrase and the later PRIDE Fighting Championships built on the concept of cross-disciplinary competition under more restrictive rules.
Although remembered as an ugly and frustrating contest, Ali vs. Noki ultimately became one of the most influential fights of all time—not because of what happened inside the ring, but because it changed the course of combat sports for decades to come.
