Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Bugner

After returning from his nearly four year boxing ban, former champion Muhammad Ali attempted to take the heavyweight title from the new champion Joe Frazier in March 1971. The much anticipated fight, dubbed Fight of the Century, resulted in Ali suffering his first professional defeat, losing a 15-round decision to Frazier. Undeterred, Ali went on to win nine straight fights in under 18 months before facing off with Bugner.

Joe Bugner rose to prominence around the same time of the first Ali-Frazier fight, winning the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titles in a close 15-round match with the famous Henry Cooper. Although he lost the titles six months later, he regained the European title the following year, after scoring an eight-round knockout over new champion Jürgen Blin.{{Cite web |title=Joe Bugner’s professional record |url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/000924 |website=BoxRec}}

The pair faced off in Las Vegas on February 14, 1973. Ali was heavily favored to defeat Bugner, and was given 8-1 odds. Ali entered the match confident, and predicted that he would stop Bugner in seven rounds. Ali entered the ring wearing a robe studded in jewels and bearing the phrase People’s Choice, the robe was a gift from Elvis Presley.

Bugner lost the fight, but fought well, earning the respect of the crowd and Ali.{{Cite news |last=Halloran |first=Richard |date=1973-02-15 |title=Ali Cuts Bugner and Outpoints Him in 12 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/15/archives/ali-cuts-bugner-and-outpoints-him-n-12-no-knockdownsdecision-is.html |access-date=2024-03-07 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Despite suffering a cut over the left eye in the first round, Bugner fought on courageously and went the 12 round distance, neither man being knocked down.

Ali later stated he believed Bugner had what it took to become the future world heavyweight champion, an opinion shared with his trainer Angelo Dundee.{{cite news|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1973/02/26/617661/ali-in-a-world-of-his-own |title=Ali in a world of his own |work=Sports Illustrated |date=26 February 1973|access-date=7 October 2016}} This would be Ali's last fight before his infamous fight with Ken Norton less than two months later.

{{Main|Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Bugner II}}

Bugner went on to fight Joe Frazier, losing a hard-fought 12-round match to the former champion. After these defeats, Bugner mounted an eight fight win streak, holding his European title and rising to #5 among the top ten heavyweight contenders, leading to his world heavyweight title shot. After suffering his second professional defeat, Ali avenged both loses in rematches with both Norton and Frazier, before regaining the world heavyweight title in a 1974 fight with George Foreman.{{cite book|title=Muhammad Ali:His Life and Times|url=https://archive.org/details/muhammadalihisli00haus|url-access=registration|author= Thomas Hauser|publisher=Simon & Schuster|pages = 250;303–4|year=1991}}

The 1975 title fight with Bugner was Ali's third title defense since 1974, and was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and remains the only world heavyweight championship fight hosted in the nation's history. Bugner lasted the 15 round distance, and once again neither man was knocked down, but Ali won the fight on points by a comfortable margin. This was Ali's last fight before the famous Thrilla in Manila, a third fight with Ali's arch-rival Joe Frazier.{{cite news|url=http://www.boxingnewsonline.net/on/ |title=On This Day: Muhammad Ali outclassed Joe Bugner to set up third fight with Joe Frazier |work=Boxing News |date=1 July 2016|access-date=5 October 2016}}{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/how-i-gave-ali-a-white-eye/2007/01/26/1169788692250.html |title=How I gave Ali a white eye |work=Sydney Morning Herald |date=27 January 2007|access-date=5 October 2016}}{{cite book|title=Facing Ali|author=Stephen Brunt |publisher=The Lyons Press|pages = 149–56|year=2002}}{{cite book|title=Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years|author1=Felix Dennis |author2=Don Atyeo |publisher=miramax books|page = 238|year=2003}}

Confirmed bouts:{{cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/event/15991|title=BoxRec - event|publisher=}}

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Category:1973 in boxing

Category:1973 in sports in Nevada

Category:February 1973 sports events in the United States

Category:Boxing matches in the Las Vegas Valley

Bugner