On 26 June of that year, Muhammad Ali, then a two-time world heavyweight boxing champion, stepped out to face Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki in front of 14,500 fans at the Budokan arena in Tokyo.

Muhammad Ali’s ‘comedy’ fight shows why Fury vs Ngannou isn’t the joke you think it is. Ali sustained career-altering injuries while fighting wrestler and martial artist Inoki in Tokyo ...

Muhammad Ali (right) faced wrestler Antonio Inoki in Tokyo in 1976 Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor, Francis Ngannou v Tyson Fury and Nate Diaz v Jake Paul. Crossover boxing is commonplace in the ...

Where Ali-Inoki was built purely on the spectacle of styles clashing, Ngannou will dip his toe in the deepest end of the boxing pool against a man who has never lost in a sanctioned boxing match.

Ali vs. Inoki ended in a draw, but Inoki spent most of the 15-round contest on his back, kicking at Ali's legs and landing those kicks more than 100 times. (Photo by Sankei Archive/Getty Images) ...

Inoki vs. Ali, termed ‘The War of the Worlds’, took place in Tokyo, Japan, in front of a rabid NJPW-loving crowd. This boxing ...

pioneers Antonio Inoki was a wrestler who fought boxer Muhammad Ali to pave the way for the birth of the UFC, Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor and other crossover bouts ...

Muhammad Ali v Antonio ‘The Pelican’ Inoki. Nine months on from his third and final fight against Joe Frazier, the “Thrilla in Manila”, Ali has been busy boxing stooges such as the ...

Where Ali-Inoki was built purely on the spectacle of styles clashing, Ngannou will dip his toe in the deepest end of the boxing pool against a man who has never lost in a sanctioned boxing match.