What do you think?
Rate this book
Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment
Named one of the "40 Best Books of 2016" by The New York Post
"Inoki can use his bare fists. He can use karate. This is serious. There's $10 million involved. I wouldn't pull a fraud on the public. This is real. There's no plan. The blood. The holds. The pain. Everything is going to be real. I'm not here in this time of my life to come out with some phony action. I want you to know this is real."
—Muhammad Ali, June 14, 1976, The Tonight Show
On June 26, 1976, Muhammad Ali fought in a mixed-rules contest against iconic pro wrestling champion Antonio Inoki for the so-called "martial arts championship of the world." Broadcast from Tokyo to a potential audience of 1.4 billion in 34 countries, the spectacle foreshadowed and, in many ways, led to the rise of mixed martial arts as a major sport.
The unique contest was controversial and panned by wrestling and boxing supporters alike, but the real action was behind the scenes. Egos, competing interests, and a general sense of apprehension over what would happen in the ring led to hodgepodge rules thrown together at the last minute. Bizarre plans to "save" Ali if the fight got out of hand were even concocted.
In Ali vs. Inoki , author Josh Gross gets inside Ali's head leading up to the match by resurrecting pre-fight interviews. Gross also introduces us to Inoki, the most famous face in Japan who was instrumental in shaping modern mixed martial arts.
"Inoki can use his bare fists. He can use karate. This is serious. There's $10 million involved. I wouldn't pull a fraud on the public. This is real. There's no plan. The blood. The holds. The pain. Everything is going to be real. I'm not here in this time of my life to come out with some phony action. I want you to know this is real."
—Muhammad Ali, June 14, 1976, The Tonight Show
On June 26, 1976, Muhammad Ali fought in a mixed-rules contest against iconic pro wrestling champion Antonio Inoki for the so-called "martial arts championship of the world." Broadcast from Tokyo to a potential audience of 1.4 billion in 34 countries, the spectacle foreshadowed and, in many ways, led to the rise of mixed martial arts as a major sport.
The unique contest was controversial and panned by wrestling and boxing supporters alike, but the real action was behind the scenes. Egos, competing interests, and a general sense of apprehension over what would happen in the ring led to hodgepodge rules thrown together at the last minute. Bizarre plans to "save" Ali if the fight got out of hand were even concocted.
In Ali vs. Inoki , author Josh Gross gets inside Ali's head leading up to the match by resurrecting pre-fight interviews. Gross also introduces us to Inoki, the most famous face in Japan who was instrumental in shaping modern mixed martial arts.
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 21, 2016
16 people are currently reading
315 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 15, 2016
In 1976, Japanese professional wrestler and all-round bad ass Antonio Inoki battled the Greatest of All Time, boxer Muhammed Ali in a wrestler vs. boxer match. This book explores the lead-up to the match and the seedy underbellies of both the boxing and wrestling businesses.
I first learned of this fight while sifting through my dad's box of old wrestling magazines, probably looking for smut ads. When this book popped up on Netgalley, I figured I'd give it a shot.
The book covers the early days of the setup for Ali vs. Inoki, then backtracks to the days of yore, when Farmer Burns took on boxers, the failed Strangler Lewis vs. Jack Dempsey wrestler vs. boxer match, and "Judo" Gene LeBelle taking out a boxer whose name escapes me at the moment.
There's actually more wrestling history in this than I expected. It covers the early days of both American and Japanese pro-wrestling, from Strangler Lewis to Rikidozan. One interesting tidbit was a chance meeting between young Cassius Clay and wrestling superstar Gorgeous George that went a long way toward turning an Olympic boxer into The Greatest of All Time.
A lot of time was devoted to the setup of Ali vs. Inoki. Once the fight happened, Josh Gross showed his writing chops and made a fight that was boring to watch by most accounts into an exciting, dramatic affair. From there, the rise of mixed martial arts is covered and the rest of Ali and Inoki's careers are summarized until they both retire.
Ali vs. Inoki was an interesting book. As a wrestling fan, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5. Someone into MMA would probably rate it higher.
I first learned of this fight while sifting through my dad's box of old wrestling magazines, probably looking for smut ads. When this book popped up on Netgalley, I figured I'd give it a shot.
The book covers the early days of the setup for Ali vs. Inoki, then backtracks to the days of yore, when Farmer Burns took on boxers, the failed Strangler Lewis vs. Jack Dempsey wrestler vs. boxer match, and "Judo" Gene LeBelle taking out a boxer whose name escapes me at the moment.
There's actually more wrestling history in this than I expected. It covers the early days of both American and Japanese pro-wrestling, from Strangler Lewis to Rikidozan. One interesting tidbit was a chance meeting between young Cassius Clay and wrestling superstar Gorgeous George that went a long way toward turning an Olympic boxer into The Greatest of All Time.
A lot of time was devoted to the setup of Ali vs. Inoki. Once the fight happened, Josh Gross showed his writing chops and made a fight that was boring to watch by most accounts into an exciting, dramatic affair. From there, the rise of mixed martial arts is covered and the rest of Ali and Inoki's careers are summarized until they both retire.
Ali vs. Inoki was an interesting book. As a wrestling fan, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5. Someone into MMA would probably rate it higher.
July 25, 2020
It’s fine.
January 3, 2017
This is a fantastic book. If you enjoy boxing, you'll like this. if you enjoy pro wrestling, you'll like this. If you enjoy MMA, you will really like this book. But if you like them all, then you will love this great book.
Beyond being a rehashing of a borderline boring event, Gross turns this tale into a springboard to recap the modern history of MMA as it relates to pro-wrestling and boxing. Tons of personalities, tons of stories. Gene LeBell the pyromaniac, Freddie Blassie dropping Pearl Harbor insults on the Japanese fans, Rikidozan's murder for turning a work into a fight against Kimura, Chuck Webner fighting a bear...a couple of times(three if you count Andre the Giant), and many, many more plus tons of Ali stories.
As an Ali fan, a Japanese MMA fan, and a pro-wrestling fan, I am not sure if I could have found a book that I just plain enjoyed anymore. Reading it this past week offered an extra dose of nostalgia, but, even apart from that, this is a fun, fun book, and it is well-worth the investment.
I received an ARC from the publisher.
Beyond being a rehashing of a borderline boring event, Gross turns this tale into a springboard to recap the modern history of MMA as it relates to pro-wrestling and boxing. Tons of personalities, tons of stories. Gene LeBell the pyromaniac, Freddie Blassie dropping Pearl Harbor insults on the Japanese fans, Rikidozan's murder for turning a work into a fight against Kimura, Chuck Webner fighting a bear...a couple of times(three if you count Andre the Giant), and many, many more plus tons of Ali stories.
As an Ali fan, a Japanese MMA fan, and a pro-wrestling fan, I am not sure if I could have found a book that I just plain enjoyed anymore. Reading it this past week offered an extra dose of nostalgia, but, even apart from that, this is a fun, fun book, and it is well-worth the investment.
I received an ARC from the publisher.
April 11, 2017
Entertaining and informative: this short book provides a solid account of pro wrestling's transformation from contest to "sport's entertainment". At the same time, it explores the evolution of what's now known as mixed-martial arts. At the center of it is the 15 round eyesore that was Ali vs Inoki.
Gross knows his stuff and he knows how to spin a yarn. It's unfortunate that some key players (Ali, Inoki, Vince McMahon, Jr.) were unavailable/unwilling to be interviewed, but judo champ Gene LaBell who refereed the bout, Ferdie Pacheco -- Ali's physician, wrestling writer Dave Meltzer, and scores of others contribute tremendous insights.
Gross knows his stuff and he knows how to spin a yarn. It's unfortunate that some key players (Ali, Inoki, Vince McMahon, Jr.) were unavailable/unwilling to be interviewed, but judo champ Gene LaBell who refereed the bout, Ferdie Pacheco -- Ali's physician, wrestling writer Dave Meltzer, and scores of others contribute tremendous insights.
June 22, 2021
On June 26, 1976, Muhammad Ali faced off against Antonio Inoki in a boxer vs. wrestler match in Tokyo. This Saturday marks the 45th Anniversary of that strange encounter. The Literary Squared Circle blog revisits the infamous bout by reviewing the book, Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment by Josh Gross (BenBella Books, 2016).
The bout between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki was not the typical case of a washed up fighter, in need of money, stepping into the wrestling ring for a worked match. On the contrary, at the time Ali was the Undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, holding the both the WBC and the WBA titles. His opponent, Antonio Inoki, was the reigning NWF Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. These were two athletes at the top of their game facing off in an international mega-event.
The major sticking point encountered during the planning of the event concerned the rules for the bout. Ali, naturally, did not want to wrestle Inoki; nor did Inoki want to stand toe-to-toe with and box the best boxer in the world. After much debate, the result was a mixed-style fight featuring rules agreed upon by both fighters. In hindsight, many look back at the Ali vs. Inoki fight as being the birth of Mixed Martial Arts. Today, MMA is thriving with promotions such as UFC, Bellator, and Pancrase, but 45 years ago the concept was unheard of.
What was agreed to was somewhat confusing. The fight would be comprised of fifteen, three-minute rounds that would be scored by two ringside judges and the referee (“Judo” Gene LeBell). Ali would abide by customary boxing rules while standing. Inoki would observer customary wrestling rules while on the canvas. Both fighters could use karate and wrestling moves, and could punch if both combatants were standing.
The match took place live in front of a sold out crowd at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan. It is estimated that over one billion people worldwide watched the fight, including over two million people in the United States who watched the event on closed-circuit television at theaters and arenas throughout the country. The World Wide Wrestling Federation used the closed-circuit feed of Ali vs. Inoki to headline its Showdown at Shea show at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Shea Stadium show drew a crowd of 32,000 fans, and featured live matches on the undercard including WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino defeating Stan Hansen by countout. Sammartino was returning to the ring just two months after suffering a broken neck at the hands of Hansen. There was also another boxer vs. wrestler match on the card (albeit a worked match) which saw André the Giant defeat Chuck Wepner by countout in the third round.
Based on the interest in the fight, the anticipation, and the huge audience watching, one would have expected this match to be one of the more memorable matches of all-time. Unfortunately, the bout ended up being easily forgettable. Under the hybrid rules, the combatants styles clashed, and fans were forced to endure a fifteen round draw featuring very little action. While Ali remained on his feet, trying to goad Inoki into boxing him; Inoki opted to lie down on the mat in a crab-like position, from which he proceeded to kick Ali’s legs repeatedly.
The anticlimactic bout was declared a draw. Despite the disappointment of the fight itself, the Ali vs. Inoki encounter is looked back upon by many as the inspiration for modern MMA. In addition to the influence it had on modern combat sports, author Josh Gross also presented an interesting theory that I had never heard before, regarding the lasting effects the match may have had on Muhammad Ali. It is believed that the damage Ali sustained to his legs from Inoki’s repeated kicks, made him less mobile in the remaining seven fights over the last five years of his boxing career (1976 to 1981). Ali never again knocked out an opponent, with six of those seven fights going the full distance of fifteen rounds. The increased time in the ring combined with punches he endured due to his lack of mobility may have exacerbated Ali’s Parkinson’s disease.
With Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment, Josh Gross has written a unique book. If there is another book about this particular subject, I am not aware of it. He exhaustively researched all aspects surrounding the fight. Readers are introduced to Inoki (of course) as well as other professional wrestling personalities. including “Classy” Freddie Blassie (who managed Ali) and “Judo” Gene LeBell (who served as referee for the match). Gross also examines the history of Japanese wrestling, as well as the involvement of other boxers in professional wrestling throughout the years, both as special attraction wrestlers and as referees. Ali and other boxing personalities are presented as well, and the author looks at how the fight came to be, the politics behind the rules of the bout, as well as the media hype leading up to the event.
Gross, whose background is as an MMA writer, admittedly was not a pro wrestling fan going into the project. There were a couple of factual errors I noted, however, his exhaustive research and detailed description of the bout made the reader feel like they were there, whether that was a good thing or not.
When I picked up Ali vs. Inoki, I knew OF the fight, but admittedly very little ABOUT the fight. After reading the book, I felt like I was there. I did not realize that it is looked upon as the beginning of Mixed Martial Arts. Overall, Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment is a very interesting, informative, and highly recommended read.
5 Stars out of 5
The bout between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki was not the typical case of a washed up fighter, in need of money, stepping into the wrestling ring for a worked match. On the contrary, at the time Ali was the Undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, holding the both the WBC and the WBA titles. His opponent, Antonio Inoki, was the reigning NWF Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. These were two athletes at the top of their game facing off in an international mega-event.
The major sticking point encountered during the planning of the event concerned the rules for the bout. Ali, naturally, did not want to wrestle Inoki; nor did Inoki want to stand toe-to-toe with and box the best boxer in the world. After much debate, the result was a mixed-style fight featuring rules agreed upon by both fighters. In hindsight, many look back at the Ali vs. Inoki fight as being the birth of Mixed Martial Arts. Today, MMA is thriving with promotions such as UFC, Bellator, and Pancrase, but 45 years ago the concept was unheard of.
What was agreed to was somewhat confusing. The fight would be comprised of fifteen, three-minute rounds that would be scored by two ringside judges and the referee (“Judo” Gene LeBell). Ali would abide by customary boxing rules while standing. Inoki would observer customary wrestling rules while on the canvas. Both fighters could use karate and wrestling moves, and could punch if both combatants were standing.
The match took place live in front of a sold out crowd at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan. It is estimated that over one billion people worldwide watched the fight, including over two million people in the United States who watched the event on closed-circuit television at theaters and arenas throughout the country. The World Wide Wrestling Federation used the closed-circuit feed of Ali vs. Inoki to headline its Showdown at Shea show at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Shea Stadium show drew a crowd of 32,000 fans, and featured live matches on the undercard including WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino defeating Stan Hansen by countout. Sammartino was returning to the ring just two months after suffering a broken neck at the hands of Hansen. There was also another boxer vs. wrestler match on the card (albeit a worked match) which saw André the Giant defeat Chuck Wepner by countout in the third round.
Based on the interest in the fight, the anticipation, and the huge audience watching, one would have expected this match to be one of the more memorable matches of all-time. Unfortunately, the bout ended up being easily forgettable. Under the hybrid rules, the combatants styles clashed, and fans were forced to endure a fifteen round draw featuring very little action. While Ali remained on his feet, trying to goad Inoki into boxing him; Inoki opted to lie down on the mat in a crab-like position, from which he proceeded to kick Ali’s legs repeatedly.
The anticlimactic bout was declared a draw. Despite the disappointment of the fight itself, the Ali vs. Inoki encounter is looked back upon by many as the inspiration for modern MMA. In addition to the influence it had on modern combat sports, author Josh Gross also presented an interesting theory that I had never heard before, regarding the lasting effects the match may have had on Muhammad Ali. It is believed that the damage Ali sustained to his legs from Inoki’s repeated kicks, made him less mobile in the remaining seven fights over the last five years of his boxing career (1976 to 1981). Ali never again knocked out an opponent, with six of those seven fights going the full distance of fifteen rounds. The increased time in the ring combined with punches he endured due to his lack of mobility may have exacerbated Ali’s Parkinson’s disease.
With Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment, Josh Gross has written a unique book. If there is another book about this particular subject, I am not aware of it. He exhaustively researched all aspects surrounding the fight. Readers are introduced to Inoki (of course) as well as other professional wrestling personalities. including “Classy” Freddie Blassie (who managed Ali) and “Judo” Gene LeBell (who served as referee for the match). Gross also examines the history of Japanese wrestling, as well as the involvement of other boxers in professional wrestling throughout the years, both as special attraction wrestlers and as referees. Ali and other boxing personalities are presented as well, and the author looks at how the fight came to be, the politics behind the rules of the bout, as well as the media hype leading up to the event.
Gross, whose background is as an MMA writer, admittedly was not a pro wrestling fan going into the project. There were a couple of factual errors I noted, however, his exhaustive research and detailed description of the bout made the reader feel like they were there, whether that was a good thing or not.
When I picked up Ali vs. Inoki, I knew OF the fight, but admittedly very little ABOUT the fight. After reading the book, I felt like I was there. I did not realize that it is looked upon as the beginning of Mixed Martial Arts. Overall, Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment is a very interesting, informative, and highly recommended read.
5 Stars out of 5
November 18, 2016
Unfocused, the book floats around with no direction. Often there are random paragraphs that have nothing to do with the story. Dragged on.
July 19, 2021
Deprived of primary sources (Inoki refused to participate, Ali was too ill at the time of writing), Josh Gross in this debut book relies heavily, perhaps too much so, upon secondary talking heads to fill in the details of this fascinating one-off event in Ali's career. The result is far too much space is given to extraneous mini-biographies of those that did deign to be interviewed; 'Judo' Gene LeBell, for example, while a noteworthy and iconic pop culture figure in his own right, served as the referee to the bout, and is heavily quoted within. A good editorial sweep of the contents would have excised much of the material that simply has no relation to the overall topic of the fight itself. The focus of this book shifts towards biographical information on LeBell, virtually from childhood to the present of the book's writing, which is simply a waste of space.
Ali and Inoki themselves are quoted from contemporaneous newspaper articles and video clips; at no point does this book reveal any inner thoughts or motivations of either man towards what would become viewed, over time, as a seminal event that truly launched MMA. Gross unfortunately is forced to rely upon pre-fight hype quotes without substantive meaning. The bulk of the book meanders between diversions into the history of similar wrestler/boxer bouts in the 20th century, ruminations upon the impact of the Ali/Inoki fight on future MMA participants (as an MMA writer, Gross naturally had plenty of access to modern MMA luminaries), and even long-faded memories of his fellow sports writers who attended the events in North American cities that supported the closed-circuit presentations of the fight.
The end result is extremely uneven; though Gross details the fight's entire 15 rounds, there is little context to appreciate the finer details, as the reader has spent so long following along the numerous side-steps and digressions Gross takes with other subjects and topics that have only the most tangential relationship 'to' the fight that they do not perceive the fight as anything special...because the writer himself doesn't.
Ali and Inoki themselves are quoted from contemporaneous newspaper articles and video clips; at no point does this book reveal any inner thoughts or motivations of either man towards what would become viewed, over time, as a seminal event that truly launched MMA. Gross unfortunately is forced to rely upon pre-fight hype quotes without substantive meaning. The bulk of the book meanders between diversions into the history of similar wrestler/boxer bouts in the 20th century, ruminations upon the impact of the Ali/Inoki fight on future MMA participants (as an MMA writer, Gross naturally had plenty of access to modern MMA luminaries), and even long-faded memories of his fellow sports writers who attended the events in North American cities that supported the closed-circuit presentations of the fight.
The end result is extremely uneven; though Gross details the fight's entire 15 rounds, there is little context to appreciate the finer details, as the reader has spent so long following along the numerous side-steps and digressions Gross takes with other subjects and topics that have only the most tangential relationship 'to' the fight that they do not perceive the fight as anything special...because the writer himself doesn't.
May 16, 2019
Joseph A
Woc block 4
Mrs.wnek
Ali vs inoki by josh gross is a novel about the great boxer Mohamed Ali and the great wrestler Antonio inoki. The book started off by a narrators point of view and how Mohamed Ali is his mentor. Then Antonio inoki challegend Mohamed Ali to a mixed boxing match. At the time this was the most biggest event of all time. It was held in Tokyo inoki’s home town. But there where 1.4 billion viewers from 34 different countries. This fight was serious one wrong move from either of them than the other is gonna make him pay. I think this book is good for people who like boxing, fighting or the history of boxing.
I think this is a good book. Because it’s like a written version of the fight, you can see the fight without watching it.on page 190 it said “inoki was the one doing the kicking though, and after several swings and misses he dug a shin into ali’s rapidly tenderizing left quadriceps” this part from the text proves how the book is realistic to the fight.I think people who don’t know what to read and they enjoy boxing should read this book. I rate this book ⅘ stars
Woc block 4
Mrs.wnek
Ali vs inoki by josh gross is a novel about the great boxer Mohamed Ali and the great wrestler Antonio inoki. The book started off by a narrators point of view and how Mohamed Ali is his mentor. Then Antonio inoki challegend Mohamed Ali to a mixed boxing match. At the time this was the most biggest event of all time. It was held in Tokyo inoki’s home town. But there where 1.4 billion viewers from 34 different countries. This fight was serious one wrong move from either of them than the other is gonna make him pay. I think this book is good for people who like boxing, fighting or the history of boxing.
I think this is a good book. Because it’s like a written version of the fight, you can see the fight without watching it.on page 190 it said “inoki was the one doing the kicking though, and after several swings and misses he dug a shin into ali’s rapidly tenderizing left quadriceps” this part from the text proves how the book is realistic to the fight.I think people who don’t know what to read and they enjoy boxing should read this book. I rate this book ⅘ stars
January 11, 2022
Though the book was filled with very interesting facts and stories, it failed in its direction. Each chapter or “round” kept getting sidetracked. It would be talking about the set up to the fight and a paragraph later you are learning the humble beginnings of someone who did something that someone else knew about. Again it was very informative and definitely a read for both fans of wrestling , mma and boxing - but it was way to chaotic and unorganized for my attention to be held.
Even after the fight was done, the book was dragged out way longer than needed. I often found myself just wanting it to end because I couldn’t deal with how sporadic it was. That is my only flaw with it ; if the author organized the book a little more better than trying to fill ever chapter with a million factoids that deviate from what you picked the book up for - it definitely would be higher rated in my book and a much needed read.
Even after the fight was done, the book was dragged out way longer than needed. I often found myself just wanting it to end because I couldn’t deal with how sporadic it was. That is my only flaw with it ; if the author organized the book a little more better than trying to fill ever chapter with a million factoids that deviate from what you picked the book up for - it definitely would be higher rated in my book and a much needed read.
August 10, 2024
Very good book about an underrated sporting event. It does a very good job of laying out the history of professional wrestling or puroresu in Japan including Inoki's mentor Rikidozen. It doesn't go into great detail about Ali's background. His story can be found elsewhere and I think the author realized that. He details the fight very well and what happened to both of them afterwards. The last part of the book goes into the history of MMA and UFC. The author believes the Ali Inoki fight was the Godfather of that style.
September 16, 2017
A great book that details how the businesses of wrestling, martial arts and boxing have weaved in and out, histories of the people and worlds that were bound together by this weird fight. I'm blown away by how similar the conversation about Mayweather/McGregor was to Ali/Inoki — everything old is new again. Once the book moves past the fight, the energy level goes down, but the rest doesn't take long, and it's necessary to trace the link between the fight and modern MMA.
February 7, 2018
Josh Gross has written a great book. If you are interested in boxing , wrestling , Rocky movies . Mixed martial arts or show business. You will find something to interest you here.
Lots of characters and tales - Chuck Webber punching a bear on the nose , and the bear remembering him when they next met. Referees and razor blades - shooting and working.
Plus the fight between Mohammed Ali and Antonio Inoki for the martial arts championship of the world on June 26 1976.
Lots of characters and tales - Chuck Webber punching a bear on the nose , and the bear remembering him when they next met. Referees and razor blades - shooting and working.
Plus the fight between Mohammed Ali and Antonio Inoki for the martial arts championship of the world on June 26 1976.
September 17, 2025
fun book but definitely more interested in inoki than ali. writing was captivating but felt too committed to having fifteen chapters to match the fifteen rounds which just made for a lot of repetition. lots of good blassie quotes, lots of ali homophobia.
October 18, 2019
Interesting, if a bit meandering to cover the slightness of the actual topic.
May 7, 2022
About as good as the fight was
April 22, 2023
Amazing book about an infamous fight that not many people know about. Great read for anyone interesting in Boxing, MMA, or Wrestling.
August 11, 2023
Gets a bit ramble-y sometimes but, when it’s on focus, it’s pretty good.
October 4, 2017
"Ali vs Inoki" by Josh Gross is a fascinating event that many people often forget happened. Gross' work is one of the first works to focus on the fateful match between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki. But this work is a bit misleading (in a positive way). Rather than merely focusing on the match, Gross provides the larger context of this mixed-rules bout. He provides background information on the varied combat sports - boxing, wrestling, judo - and weaves them together for a cohesive look on what would eventually become Mixed Martial Arts. Many readers will approach this book for the titular event. However, it's much more than that.
While well-researched, Gross was limited to using only secondary sources. However, he's able to utilize his connections & network of journalist colleagues who witnessed the event as well as situate the event in that epoch but also it's ramifications through the combat world. Ali and Inoki's match was largely seen as a failure. However it should been seen as a pebble, whose ripples would eventually become the global tidal wave of MMA (the fastest growing combat sport in the world).
"Ali vs. Inoki" is a nice read for any fan of fight history. It's a oft-forgotten event, but one worth knowing.
While well-researched, Gross was limited to using only secondary sources. However, he's able to utilize his connections & network of journalist colleagues who witnessed the event as well as situate the event in that epoch but also it's ramifications through the combat world. Ali and Inoki's match was largely seen as a failure. However it should been seen as a pebble, whose ripples would eventually become the global tidal wave of MMA (the fastest growing combat sport in the world).
"Ali vs. Inoki" is a nice read for any fan of fight history. It's a oft-forgotten event, but one worth knowing.
August 1, 2016
I was really excited to read this book... I had no idea Ali fought a wrestler, much less one as famous as Inoki! Odd, since I'm both an MMA fan and a WWE fan. Sadly, this book reads more like a high school book report than an insightful analysis... the author laments in his acknowledgements how he didn't actually talk to anyone involved (neither Ali, Inoki, their familes, the promoters, Vince McMahon, etc), so what we have instead is some interesting info on the history of the WWE and the LA wrestling scene... the event itself, and a bit of Inoki's history.. all of which probably could be found easily on wikipedia.
Still, the writer does a decent job with what he had to work with, it just lacks purpose.. there's no real conclusions or analysis, or any interesting, previously unknown stories... just a factual account.
Still, the writer does a decent job with what he had to work with, it just lacks purpose.. there's no real conclusions or analysis, or any interesting, previously unknown stories... just a factual account.
September 10, 2016
Interesting book about a not interesting fight. Antonio Inoki, a very famous Japanese wrestler choose to fight primarily while laying on his back. His primary tactic was to kick at Ali's legs and avoid standing as not to be hit by Ali's jabs or punches. I remember seeing video of this excruciatingly boring fight – – however it may have been a precursor to mixed martial arts that is very popular today.
The author does a very good job of providing context to the battle between a boxer versus a wrestler. For example, there had been boxing versus wrestler matches in the past – – usually the boxer lost. The reader also gets the sense of the decline in Ali's career. Ali only has a few matches left – – most of which he loses, particularly his bout against Larry Holmes. There are's also some interesting pro wrestling tales particularly about classy Freddie Blassie.
The author does a very good job of providing context to the battle between a boxer versus a wrestler. For example, there had been boxing versus wrestler matches in the past – – usually the boxer lost. The reader also gets the sense of the decline in Ali's career. Ali only has a few matches left – – most of which he loses, particularly his bout against Larry Holmes. There are's also some interesting pro wrestling tales particularly about classy Freddie Blassie.
June 28, 2016
Interesting level of detail on an event I was only vaguely aware of previously. Covers some ground I'm fairly familiar with. But provides an insight into a fascinating cross section of characters involved with this fight. The account of the fightin self is written in a surprisingly entertaining manner despite the fact it was apparently terrible to watch (must check it out myself to confirm). Definitely of interest for anyone would an interest in boxing, mma or pro wrestling though possibly not as much for those who don't.
August 12, 2016
This book is well-researched and has lots of information but is a bit disorganized, going from modern-times, to 15 pages about wrestlers from the 1890s, and then back to modern times. Much of the book is like this. Gross will say something about Ali or Inoki, then spend a dozen or more pages on historical context or even one figure from history that's tangentially related to the bout between Ali or Inoki, then go back. Perhaps another draft of just re-organizing would've been best. Still, there's lots of information to be had here.
March 24, 2017
Josh Gross does a good job of putting the Inoki/Ali fight into a larger context but he is hampered by the fact that many of the most important characters involved with the fight did not cooperate with him. It's obvious that he heard a lot of great stories and wants to share them, but they aren't always connected to the main thrust of the narrative. Still, a fascinating book for fight fans.
August 28, 2016
A super interesting book about possibly the most boring fight in history. It helped me get through a couple cross country flights, so I am greatly appreciative that it did not suck. Plus it combines two of my favorite things: MMA and pro wrestling. You can't go wrong with that combo.
November 6, 2016
Excellently written and researched on one of the most fascinating matches that paved the way for current MMA and professional wrestling as we know it. Focuses a bit more on Ali, and although understandably, I wish a bit more time was spent on Inoki.
August 3, 2016
Fun read, on the roots of modern MMA.
July 17, 2016
Great book examining the historical significance of the Ali /Inoki match in relation to MMA. Book does nice job detailing the history of pro wrestling in both Japan and the US.
Read
August 23, 2016Behind the scenes of a fight in Japan with Muhammed Ali and Antonio Inoki - a meeting of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews