Muhammad Ali at 37 with Much in the Tank versus Lyle Alzado: A Historical Look Back
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent
On July 14, 1979, Muhammad Ali fought Denver Broncos football player Lyle Alzado in a ten round exhibition at Denver’s Mile High Stadium. By Ali’s admission, he did two weeks of running, and no other training for this strange bout, which was supposed to be followed by Ali versus 6’9” football player and boxer Ed ‘Too Tall’ Jones.
One point was clear from Ali versus Alzado: at age 37, Ali’s reflexes and mind were still sharp and clear. The analogy can be interpreted to mean Ali had two or three good fights left in the tank if he had gone back into training after winning the rematch against Leon Spinks to regain the World Boxing Association World Heavyweight title at the Superdome in New Orleans in September 1978.
Ali could have defended the WBA title against Bernardo Mercardo, Larry Holmes, John Tate, Mike Weaver, James (Quick) Tillis, Ossie Ocasio, John L. Gardner, Randy (Tex) Cobb or Michael Dokes. Ali was in negotiations subsequently for John Tate or John L. Gardner, but ultimately took Larry Holmes in December 1980 strictly for the money. By that point, Ali was no longer well due to onset of Parkinson’s, though it was not as pronounced then as it would be a decade later.
In January 1979, John L. Gardner, Lorenzo Zenon, Alfio Righetti and Duane Bobick (before he lost to John Tate in February 1979) would have all been easier names for Ali. Or, if Ali wanted to go higher, he could have fought Larry Holmes immediately after the second Spinks fight in December 1978. Holmes would have won a 15 round decision, but it would have been a far closer bout. NABF champion Leroy Jones, 24-0-1 at the time (before he lost to Holmes) would have been a tough opponent.
Muhammad Ali versus Lyle Alzado is significant in proving Ali still had something left in the tank. If Angelo Dundee and Bundini Brown knew Ali really well as they should have, they would have fought him three or four times between December 1978 and Fall 1979 and then retired him. Financial motivation aside, Ali would have had a better chance against opponents between October 1978 and October 1979, as he was in a better emotional and physical state of being. Ali was still in the ring on June 12, 1983, when he fought Canadian hockey player Dave Semenko, long after Ali had lost to Canadian-based Trevor Berbick.
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