#Drew Bundini Brown

[ekirina]

Esta película tuvimos que rentarla porque no la hemos encontrado disponible "gratuitamente" en ninguna plataforma actualmente (pongo gratuitamente entre comillas porque cada mes pago tres plataformas, evidentemente hay un pago extra dentro del pago).

Protagonizada por Will Smith que interpreta a una de las leyendas más grandes del mundo del boxeo: Muhammad Ali. El espléndido Jamie Foxx hace de entrenador asistente y apoyo en la esquina del ring.

Me costó un poco adentrarme del todo a la película porque la noté algo caótica con tanta información política, varios personajes que iban y venían y muchos saltos de tiempo.

La interpretación de Will y de Jamie son buenísimas; pero también pienso que deberían de haber caracterizado la zona facial a Will Smith, porque Muhammad Ali tiene muy pronunciada las mejillas y tiene un rostro mucho más redondo (me saca un poco de la creencia del personaje).

No sé si la recomendaría del todo esta película a no ser que te encante la temática de las artes marciales. Si no es el caso, no es una joya de película. Sí que es cierto, que para mí, en el momento de viajar a África y encontrarse con ese pueblo que le adoraba y le dieron a Ali coger más fuerza mental es muy emotivo. Pero más allá de eso, creo que deberían de filmar otra película sobre Muhammad Ali pero sin ser tan caótico en cuanto a la información; o centrarse en cierto punto de su vida y no explicarlo todo (algo que también me ocurrió con la película Rocketman sobre la vida del cantante y compositor Elton John).

Hay vidas de leyendas que han pasado por tanto en tan poco tiempo, que es imposible poner en contexto toda una biografía en un film de dos o tres horas. A veces pienso que deberían de salir más películas con segundas partes para acabar de completar debidamente la historia de una persona. Muchos optan por los documentales, pero no es el mismo tipo de audiencia (a veces que haya un narrador en toda la filmación, retira a mucha gente de querer verla; aunque últimamente están jugando con el método de las entrevistas y que el narrador sea una persona allegada del protagonista).

No ganó ningún Oscar de las dos nominaciones que tuvo como "Mejor actor principal" y "Mejor actor secundario".

Ali (USA, 2001)

[frases-diversas]

Flota como una mariposa, pica como una abeja.

Hermes

Citando a Muhamed ali.

Citando a Drew Bundini Brown.

Record Of Ragnarok T2-E12

[raybizzle]

"The Greatest" (1977) is a biographical drama about Muhammad Ali starring the champ as himself and based on his book, "The Greatest: My Own Story," co-authored with Richard Durham and edited by Toni Morrison. The film has a large cast as Ali interacts with many people, from winning in the 1960 Summer Olympics to his win against George Forman in "Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974. Ali has previous acting experience in the 1962 film, "Requiem for a Heavyweight. However, in "The Greatest," his effortless charm carried him throughout because he was a sensation in front of the cameras. This movie reminds me of "Spirit of Youth" (1938), a biographical drama about Joe Louis starring Louis as himself. You get to watch legends tell their stories. Nevertheless, the film is straightforward and has an excellent soundtrack featuring the song "The Greatest Love of All," composed by Michael Masser, written by Linda Creed, and sung by George Benson. I'm a fan of the champ, so I'm a fan of this film. Directors: Tom Gries, Monte Hellman (post director) Writers: Muhammad Ali (book "The Greatest: My Own Story"), Herbert Muhammad, Richard Durham (book "The Greatest: My Own Story") Starring Muhammad Ali, James Earl Jones, Ernest Borgnine, John Marley, Annazette Chase, Mira Waters, Roger E. Mosely, Robert Duvall, Teddy Wilson, Paul Winfield, Lloyd Haynes, Malachi Throne, Lucille Benson, Chip McAllister, Drew Bundini Brown, David Huddleston, Ben Johnson, Dina Merrill Storyline Muhammad Ali stars as himself in this dramatized version of his life story up to the late 1970s. It includes his Olympic triumphs as Cassius Clay, his conversion to Islam, his refusal of the Army draft, and the legal battle after being stripped of his World Title. https://www.daarac.ngo https://www.daaracarchive.org/2009/05/greatest-1977.html

[movie-titlecards]

Shaft’s Big Score! (1972)

My rating: 4/10

I fell asleep halfway through this movie, didn't feel compelled to watch the part I slept through, and then forgot to actually review it until a day later, so... not exactly memorable, is all I'm saying.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Shaft’s Big Score! (1972)

You go into Shaft’s Big Score! for the titular character, not the story. In Shaft, Richard Roundtree created an icon, a man made to have a ballad sung by Isaac Hayes. He’s a private detective who goes into a club on a stakeout and gets hit on by not one but two women within minutes. Anyone whose path he crosses will never be the same. You better know the name and appreciate it too. It's crucial to love and admire the blaxploitation hero when watching this sequel because the second time around... just isn’t the same.

When an explosion kills Cal Asby (Robert Kya-Hill), John Shaft (Roundtree) investigates. Asby's business partner, John Kelly (Wally Taylor) owes mob boss Gus Mascola (Joseph Mascolo) $250,000 and the only way Kelly was going to repay his debt was by grabbing the money he and Asby had in their safe. When he clicks in the combination to find the cash gone, he scrambles to find a way to come up with the funds.

The people behind Shaft’s Big Score! realized what made their hero so compelling the first time around so they double-up on many of his defining aspects. You thought he was a black hero before? This time you can see issues of Ebony and Essence on his nightstand, he confronts racism on more than one occasion and treats every police officer with contempt. Despite being black himself, Captain Bollin (Julius Harris) is on the same level of villainy as the greedy mobsters Shaft is pitted against. Our hero still leaves those who cross him with their heads spinning and the audience laughing with an arsenal of one-liners. He’s a man who respects women - consoling one who has been mistreated by her boyfriend - but could never settle down with one.

With a significantly higher budget than its predecessor, this is a slicker, more competently assembled film (though some fight scenes still have dodgy choreography) but you’d trade that technical prowess for the feel of the first movie any day. The plot feels needlessly complicated and tedious. Too much of it happens without Shaft’s involvement and since you see it unfold, it’s not like the mystery is enough to keep you fully engrossed. There's excitement in the action scenes but director Gordon Parks and writer Ernest Tidyman take it too far. The final battle between the black private eye and his opponents is ridiculous. The villains never hit him despite firing thousands of rounds. You're entertained because Shaft kicking’ ass is awesome any way you slice it but there’s no tension.

Shaft’s Big Score! is a step down from Shaft that still has appeal. I got it in a two-pack with the first and that’s exactly where it belongs. If you watch the original and still crave more, then yes you check it out. On its own? I dunno. (On DVD, June 16, 2019)

[twixnmix]

9/2/1970-Atlanta, GA: Muhammad Ali with comedian and performer Lincoln Perry (Stepin Fetchit) in locker room before exhibition fight at Archer Hall Gymnasium on the Morehouse College campus. 

(Photos by Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated)

[trashvideofinland]

Shaft II - kylmä hymy / Shaft's Big Score! (1972) Esselte Video / MGM/UA Home Video https://www.videospace.fi/release/shaft_ii_kylma_hymy_vhs_esselte_video_mgmua_home_video_finland

[brokehorrorfan]

Shaft will be released on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on June 21 via The Criterion Collection. Bill Sienkiewicz designed the new cover art for the 1971 Blaxploitation classic.

Gordon Parks directs from a script by John D. F. Black (Hawaii Five-O) and Ernest Tidyman (The French Connection), based on Tidyman's 1970 novel. Richard Roundtree stars with Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John, and Lawrence Pressman.

This edition also includes Shaft’s Big Score, the 1972 sequel directed by Parks and written by Tidyman. Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Drew Bundini Brown, Joseph Mascolo, Julius Harris, and Joe Santos.

Shaft has been newly restored in 4K with uncompressed monaural and stereo soundtracks. The 4K UHD version features Dolby Vision HDR. Read on for the special features.

Special features:

Shaft’s Big Score - 1972 sequel

Shaft documentary with curator Rhea L. Combs, film scholar Racquel J. Gates, filmmaker Nelson George, and music scholar Shana L. Redmond (new)

Behind-the-scenes featurette with director Gordon Parks, actor Richard Roundtree, and composer Isaac Hayes

Interview with costume designer Joseph G. Aulisi (new)

Archival interviews with director Gordon Parks, actor Richard Roundtree, and composer Isaac Hayes

John Shaft legacy featurette with scholar Kinohi Nishikawa and novelist Walter Mosley (new)

A Complicated Man: The Shaft Legacy - 2019 featurette

Shaft’s Big Score behind-the-scenes featurette

Trailers

Booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Amy Abugo Ongiri

While the Black Power movement was reshaping America, trailblazing director Gordon Parks made this groundbreaking blockbuster, which helped launch the blaxploitation era and gave the screen a new kind of badder-than-bad action hero in John Shaft (Richard Roundtree, in a career-defining role), a streetwise New York City private eye who is as tough with criminals as he is tender with his lovers. After Shaft is recruited to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Harlem mob boss (Moses Gunn) from Italian gangsters, he finds himself in the middle of a rapidly escalating uptown vs. downtown turf war. A vivid time capsule of seventies Manhattan in all its gritty glory that has inspired sequels and multimedia reboots galore, the original Shaft is studded with indelible elements—from Roundtree’s sleek leather fashions to the iconic funk and soul score by Isaac Hayes.

[bicycletravellers]

When a man is a traveller, the world is his house and the sky is his roof, where he hangs his hat is his home, and all the people are his family. - Drew Bundini Brown

[dreamy-conceit]

This is real. We don't pick up a script. We get up in the morning feeling tired. Sometimes we feel good, sometimes bad, but we go through it with feeling.

— Muhammad Ali's cornerman Drew Bundini Brown, in the documentary. 'When We Were Kings', 0:12:21

[wrestlingwithhistory]

Muhammad Ali vs Antonio Inoki

For many people, they see the birth of Ultimate Fighting in companies like Pancrase which was founded in 1993 by Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. They embraced the method of mixed martial arts and gave an arena for those who wanted to pit style against style. But some people also reflect back to a time, far before Pancrase, where a meeting of two worlds lit a fire behind those who later went on to created modern Mixed Martial Arts.

In 1975, Muhammad Ali boasted in a meeting with amateur Japanese Wrestling association President Ichiro Hatta “Isn’t there any oriental fighter who will challenge me? I will give him one million dollars if he wins!”. This question hit the headlines of every major newspaper and sports magazine in Japan and was eventually answered by Antonio Inoki, who was the founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling established just 3 years earlier.

Muhammed Ali was coming off the back of a fight with Richard Dunn on 24th May 1976 which he won by knockout and was coming towards the end of his boxing career at the time of the proposed fight having fought in the famous ‘The Thriller in Manila’ on October 1st, 1975. His final fight would be only 6 years later against Trevor Berbick.

Antonio Inoki was, at the time, one of the biggest names in Japanese Professional Wrestling. As well as creating NJPW in 1972, he began his professional wrestling journey as a disciple of Rikidozan at aged 17 as part of the JWA (Japanese Wrestling Alliance). Following the murder of RIkidozan by the Yakuza in 1963, Inoki went on an excursion to the United States in 1964, where he continued training under the legendary Karl Gotch. With Gotch, he learned the Catch style that is now synonymous with the Gotch name. Gotch to this very day is still held in high regard and to many fans and players of Japanese pro wrestling is known as ‘The God of Wrestling’.

Following the return from his excursion in 1966, Inoki working with Tokyo Pro Wrestling and quickly climbed the ranks to become its biggest star, before the company folded in 1967. He then returned to JWA, where he stayed for roughly 4 years, becoming a dominant tag team with his future promotional rival Giant Baba of All Japan Pro Wrestling. Inoki was then fired in 1971 due to JWA officials finding out that Inoki was planning a takeover the company. The following year, New Japan was founded and is one of the biggest wrestling promotions today.

So, in March 1976, an agreement was made between Ali and Inoki to fight at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan, scheduled for June 26th, 1976. It is believed that the financial backers of the fight had to part with $6 million to convince Ali to take the exhibition fight and then began the press conferences to build the hype for this one-off spectacle between pugilist and grappler.

Ali, in his usual manner, would make fun of Inoki’s appearance, giving him the nickname ‘The Pelican’ due to his prominent lower jaw and chin. Inoki would then reply via an interpreter “When your fist connects with my chin, take care that your fist is not damaged”. Inoki also went as far as to present Ali with a crutch at a following conference ‘to use after he has been thrown from the ring’.

Ali’s demeanour during this time appeared jovial and not that he was not taking the fight very seriously. This angered Inoki who began to make more threatening statements to try and make Ali realise how serious the exhibition was to him and many around the world. Inoki said in one Conference “I don’t know how seriously Muhammad Ali is taking the fight, but if he doesn’t take it seriously, he could suffer damage. I’m going in there fighting. I may even break his arm”.

These statements from Inoki caused tension within Ali’s team, many of whom were concerned that going ahead with the fight was still a good thing to do. Ali however, continued with his boxing training but also worked with Pro wrestlers in the US to try and gain experience against a wrestler. He worked with The Sheik and sparred with wrestlers Kenny Jay and Buddy Wolf in televised exhibition matches, defeating both.

Due to the growing concerns within Ali’s team, they began creating a list of rules for this unique match-up. The original concept for the match was agreed to be a worked match, common in pro wrestling, but Ali never agreed to determine the winner before the fight had started. It has been speculated by Boxing Journalist Jim Murphy that the original plan for the match was for Ali to accidentally punch the referee and knock him out and while Ali tended to the referee, Inoki would hit him from behind with an enzuiguri (step up kick) or a roundhouse kick to the back of the head. The Referee would then come to and give a ten-count to the incapacitated Ali.

The result was carried out with the intention of both men looking strong, Inoki in front of his countrymen and Ali only losing as he was kicked from behind following the incident with the Referee.

After hearing that he would lose, Ali point blank refused this result and decided that they have a real one-on-one fight.

In the days building up to the fight, Ali’s team attended one of Inoki’s training sessions and were shocked to him using real kicks and grapples on sparring partners. This did little to quell the concerns of his entourage. Inoki has alleged in in interviews that after the training session, his team reported back to him and he asked Inoki “OK, so when do we do the rehearsal?” and Inoki replied “This isn’t an exhibition, it’s a real fight!”

The ever-nervous entourage then scrambled to change the rules once more. Representatives from both sides were called to negotiate the rules of the fight with less than a week before the fight. The list of rules were effectively things that Inoki was not allowed to do to Ali. He was not allowed to use throws, not allowed to grapple or tackle Ali and was not able to land any kicks unless one knee was touching the mat during the kick being performed. They also placed a stipulation that none of the rules were made public before the fight, likely to try and save Ali’s credibility.

Years after the fight, many have disputed the rules that were in place. Referee Gene LeBell denied there were any limitations on grappling or kicking, however Bret Hart, who at the time of the fight was an employee of NJPW, stated that the team working with Ali had said that ‘if Inoki laid a finger on their champ, they would kill him’. This statement was also backed up by former New Japan referee Mr. Takahashi who also said that all of the changes came from Ali’s entourage and not Ali himself.

Many professional fighters became discouraged with how credible the fight could look given all of the imposed restrictions, with notable correspondent John Roderick stating “…what is called by some the world’s first Martial Arts Championship – and others a multi-million-dollar sham”.

Ali arrived in Japan the day of the fight, swarmed by a mass of Japanese journalists all looking to get a soundbite from the Greatest of All Time. They were not disappointed as the ever-humble Ali made his way through the Airport proclaiming “There will be no Pearl harbour! Muhammad Ali has returned! There will be no Pearl Harbour!”. The fight was highly anticipated, by sports fans for the sheer spectacle of seeing 2 sports come together and for professionals and sceptics curious how the fight would be able to function with the level of suspected restrictions that were imposed.

It was estimated that the fight was viewed by 1.4 Billion people worldwide, broadcast to 34 countries. In New York, Vince McMahon Sr. Sold tickets for the fight to watch on a large screen inside Shea Stadium which drew a crowd of 32,897. The Budokan in Tokyo sold out with the most expensive seat selling for 300,000 Yen.

The Fight

Antonio Inoki was the first competitor to make his entrance. He was wearing his now signature purple robe accompanied by Karl Gotch, Olympic Judoka Seiji Sakaguchi, wrestling trainer Kotetsu Yamamoto and pro wrestler Kantaro Hoshino.

Muhammad Ali then followed to the ring, in a red and white robe, followed by his manager Herbert Muhammad, Trainers Angelo Dundee and Wali Muhammad, Cornerman Drew Bundini Brown, Dr. Ferdie Pachecho, pro wrestler ‘Classy’ Freddie Blassie, Taekwondo master Jhoon Goo Rhee and promoter Butch Lewis.

After the first bell rang, the whole arena was taken by surprise as Inoki ran and leapt across the ring towards Ali’s legs. Ali managed to sidestep this attack but Inoki stayed on his back, spending the round sweeping and kicking at Ali’s legs. This was within the confines of the rules and one of Inoki’s knees were always touching the ground at said time. Inoki did stand up momentarily to try and lure in Ali but quickly returned to the mat, throwing kick after kick towards Ali. Ali taunted the wrestler to stand up but Inoki refused taking the fight to Ali’s legs.

This continued on throughout the 2nd and 3rd rounds with Inoki furiously kicking at Ali’s legs with great volume and power. The tactic was seemingly paying off as Ali was not able to throw punches in his normal way meaning that Inoki was able to avoid many of them during the start of the contest. Ali would take to pining himself in the corner of the ring and lifting himself up out of the way of Inoki’s kicks and stamping downwards, which was deemed against the rules and quickly stopped by referee LeBell. A large wound opened up on Ali’s left knee during the third round and the crowd quickly began to boo due to the lack of action going on in the ring. Ali began to taunt Inoki shouting at him “Coward Inoki! Inoki No Fight!” and “One Punch, I want One Punch!”

By round four, Inoki had frustrated both Ali and the crowd within the arena. Ali would continue with shouting at Inoki “Inoki Girl” and “I thought Inoki could Wrestle”. At one point, Inoki got Ali trapped in the corner using his ground kicking technique and wildly hit a flurry of kicks towards Ali’s thighs, Ali trying to avoid by lifting his legs off the canvas while holding onto the ropes again.

In the fifth round, the same pattern continued by Inoki adopting the ground kick strikes to Ali, which paid off somewhat in this round as he managed to knock Ali off his feet with one of the strikes. Ali danced off the stumble in his inimitable fashion while simultaneously avoiding more kicks from Inoki. Despite the frustrations of what Inoki was doing, Ali was nothing less than himself, doing more than enough to keep the crowd entertained. During the same round Ali managed to grab Inoki’s foot after a failed kick attempt and dragged him across the ring but before Ali could do anything with this small advantage, the bell sounded and both men went off to their corners. The crowd were starting to warm up and appreciate the match for what it was, a clash of styles. They could see blood and bruising starting to appear around Ali’s legs due to the sheer amount and power of the kicks that Inoki was hitting Ali with.

During the 6th Round, Inoki continued with his game plan. One of his initial kicks of this round caught Ali in the groin. Referee Lebell stopped the fight momentarily and gave Inoki a warning about the placement of his kicks before returning to the action. He followed up with 2 more kicks before Ali adopted the same approach as the previous round. He grabbed the foot of Inoki with a view to immobilise him and launch an attack of his own, but Inoki being the proficient grappler of the two was able to grab Ali’s left shoe, wrap his right leg around Ali’s right calf and bring him to the mat. Inoki sat on Ali and attempted a leglock but Ali managed to kick his legs to the rope to force a break. Inoki was then issued with a further warning for throwing a back elbow towards Ali’s face during the rope break stoppage. He was deducted as point for this but as the fight restarted Ali was reprimanded for kicking out while holding the ropes.

To start the 7th round, Inoki became the intimidator. He tried to persuade Ali to meet him on the ground, but Ali refused. Ali threw a few missed kicks but then finally threw a long jab but Inoki was quick to knock him down with a sweeping kick which erupted the Tokyo crowd, but more so in favour of Ali. After the round ended, Ali’s doctor treated the wounds on his legs and Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee approached Karl Gotch to make them aware that Inoki’s leather boots were damaged, and a brass eyelet was causing the cuts to Ali’s legs. The boots were taped up to try and prevent any further cuts from taking place. They also taped the ends of Inoki’s shoelaces as they were tipped with brass.

The 8th Round. Ali had braggadociosly stated that he would end Inoki in the round during the press conferences, however the pattern of the previous rounds continued. LeBell gave Inoki another low blow warning after mistakenly believing a knock down was a result of another misplaced kick by the wrestler. One of the more uneventful rounds of the fight ended in Ali shouting ‘Inoki Nothing’ to his opponent.

Ali attempted to make progress during the 9th round of the contest, he tried to circle Inoki, looking for an opening to try and hit him with only his second successful punch of the fight. Inoki stuck to strategy and landed a huge kick which stumbled Ali into his corner. Ali was waning and his legs were showing the signs of the repeated damage caused by Inoki.

In the 10th round, Ali finally hit his second punch of the match, a jab which caught Inoki in the face. A good punch, but left Ali open to another leg kick. The crowd began to bellow for Inoki to fight standing and he graced them by charging at Ali who grabbed onto the ring ropes. The crowd were now Ali’s. Inoki’s tactics, although working well for him had not endeared him to his countrymen and they continued to chant Ali’s name as he spoke worryingly with his corner about the next 5 rounds.

After conferring with his cornermen, Ali adopted a different approach to save his beaten legs. It was suggested by Rhee, the Taekwondo expert, to block the leg blows using his arms to avoid further damage to his legs. This was successful but Ali was unable to capitalise on opportunities where he grabbed Inoki’s foot.

Before the 12th Round, Karl Gotch instructed Inoki to try and take down Ali and finish the match by pin or submission. A few have suggested that this was imparted due to Ali’s cornermen being obviously concerned for the Boxing champion. But after the last round, Ali came into the contest more confident after blocking many of Inoki’s blows with his arms. During this round, Inoki finally stood up and hit Ali with a low kick, although clean it was against the rules as one knee was not on the canvas. Ali’s corner tried to convince him to use this opportunity to attack the now standing Inoki, but he quickly went back to the ground. Towards the end of the round, people who were ringside had commented on how Ali’s left leg looked to be ‘double the size of the right’.

Ali took the centre of the ring in the 13th round, trying to push Inoki into the corner. Inoki would fake a takedown attempt, trying to force Ali into the ropes. Ali blocked him with his glove anticipating another kick, but Inoki charged at Ali grabbing a waist lock to attempt a suplex. Ali hurriedly grabbed the ropes, and the referee broke the hold and returned to the centre of the ring. During this clinch, Ali put all his weight onto Inoki which prompted Inoki to hit him with an illegal knee strike – which would also be Inoki’s 3rd warning for as low blow. After this instance, it looked as if Ali was going to leave the ring but was convinced by the referee to continue on. On the restart of the round, Inoki threw a kick but Ali responded by throwing 2 jabs which connected forcing Inoki back to the canvas as per the previous rounds.

By the 14th round, the crowd were expecting Inoki to follow suit with his tactics, but he came out throwing some bare-fisted jabs and faking a takedown before switching back to his ground kicks. Without any attempt of attack, Ali held onto the ropes which annoyed Inoki and both men exchanged taunts. Ali managed to land a jab before the end of this round, leading into the 15th and final round.

Both men shook hands at the start of this round which drew a huge ovation from the crowd. While many were optimistic about how the fight may end, they were seemingly disappointed that Inoki retreated to his familiar style for this matchup. Inoki managed to land a few kicks, Ali a final jab and the fight was over. The crowd were mixed at the ending of this match, knowing that it wasn’t the fight they were expecting and also being more vocal for Ali during the fight.

Both men shook hands after the fight and Ali declared himself the winner of the bout, claiming that Inoki’s ‘Cowardice’ lost him the fight. 2 judges, one a wrestler who scored in favour of Ali 74-72 and one a boxer who scored in favour of Inoki 72-68 left the decision down to referee Lebell, who given the points deducted from Inoki scored the fight 71-71 so a draw result was declared.

The fans were outraged and rioted within the Budokan, chanting ‘Money Back’. Janitorial staff for the arena took a full day to clean the areas due to the unhappy crown throwing items.

Ali’s leg was so severely swollen and bleeding that it led to two blood clots in his legs after an infection and amputation was discussed at one point though Ali himself downplayed this to the press saying it was nothing serious.

Inoki stated in the press sometime after the fight “I was handicapped by the rules that said no tackling, no karate chops, no punching on the mat. I kept my distance to stay away from Ali’s punches”

The fight grossed $20 million in closed circuit television in the US alone after 2 million or more PPV buys at $10 each, 54 million people watched in Japan as the day was declared a holiday for everyone to be able to watch the fight.

Years on from the fight, even though those involved had been divided over the fights legacy, but the impact that it has given to companies to learn from and engineer their own form of MMA has led to Pancrase, Pride, UFC becoming the giants within Mixed Martial arts during the 90’s. Only one of them now stand at present but the groundwork was laid by 2 legends in their respective sports.

Antonio Inoki went on to continue wrestling with New Japan Pro Wrestling, until he officially retired on April 4th, 1998. He did take breaks away from Wrestling to focus on Politics between 1989-1995 and 2013-2019. He successfully negotiated with Saddam Hussein the release of Japanese hostages before the start of the Gulf War in 1990. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010.

Muhammad Ali continued with his boxing career having 7 more fights before his final fight with Trevor Berbick. His is still regarded as arguably the greatest boxer of all time, his influence on boxing is still evident not only in performance but also, in the press conferences building to the events. He passed away on June 3rd, 2016 aged 74.

Both men, despite their in-ring differences on that day, they became friends later in life. Inoki started using Ali’s entrance music ‘The Greatest’ and in 1998, Ali flew out to watch Inoki’s retirement match against Don Frye. After Inoki’s victory, Ali climbed into the ring and hugged Inoki. Ali asked for a message to be read out to the Japanese fans.

‘It was 1976 when I fought Antonio Inoki at the Budokan. In the ring, we were tough opponents. After that, we built love and friendship with mutual respect. So, I feel a little less lonely now that Antonio has retired. It is my honour to be standing on the ring with my good friend after 22 years. Our future is bright and has a clear vision. Antonio Inoki and I put our best efforts into making world peace through sports, to prove there is only one mankind beyond the sexual, ethnical or cultural differences. It is my pleasure to come here today.’

[myrecordcollections]

Gordon Parks

Shaft’s Big Score!

@ 1972 US Pressing

*****

Shaft's Big Score! is a 1972 American blaxploitation action-crime film starring Richard Roundtree as private detective John Shaft. It is the second entry in the Shaft film series, with both director Gordon Parks and screenwriter Ernest Tidyman reprising their roles from the first film. Actor Moses Gunn also returns from the previous film, alongside newcomers Drew Bundini Brown, Joseph Mascolo, Julius Harris, and Joe Santos. Composer Isaac Hayes was unavailable, so Parks, himself a musician, composed and performed the score himself.

[yasbxxgie]

Stay away from black ‘honkies’ with big flat feet!

John Shaft (as played by Richard Roundtree), Shaft’s Big Score (1972)

[readsaga]

Inspirational Travel Quotes That’ll Make You Want to Travel in 2021

Whether you’re stuck in a rut, hungry for change and adventure, lacking motivation or self-confidence, the right inspirational quote can give you a well-needed kick up the butt to get you on the right track towards achieving your goals. Here are some of the best travel quotes to make you want to pack your bags this year, curated by the Readsaga review team.

1. You need not even listen, just wait…the world will offer itself freely to you, unmasking itself. – Franz Kafka

2. We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfilment. – Hilaire Belloc

3. We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. – Jawaharial Nehru

4. Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. – Gustave Flaubert

5. Travel expands the mind and fills the gap. – Sheda Savage

6. Time flies. It’s up to you to be the navigator. – Robert Orben

7. The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper. – W.B. Yeats

8. The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust

9. The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams. – Oprah Winfrey

10. Take the time to put the camera away and gaze in wonder at what’s there in front of you. – Erick Widman

11. May your adventures bring you closer together, even as they take you far away from home. – Trenton Lee Stewart

12. Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun every year. – Unknown

13. It doesn’t matter where you are. You are nowhere compared to where you can go. – Bob Proctor

14. If we travel simply to indulge ourselves we are missing some of the greatest lessons life has to offer. – Unknown

15. It is probably a pity that every citizen of each state cannot visit all the others, to see the differences, to learn what we have in common, and come back with a richer, fuller understanding of America – in all its beauty, in all its dignity, in all its strength, in support of moral principles. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

16. Travelling tends to magnify all human emotions – Peter Hoeg

17. When a man is a traveller, the world is his house and the sky is his roof, where he hangs his hat is his home, and all the people are his family.- Drew Bundini Brown

18. ‘I’m bored’ is a useless thing to say. You live in a great, big, vast world that you’ve seen non-percent of. – Louis C.K.

19. I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list. – Susan Sontag

20. Wise as you have become, with so much experience, you must already have understood what these Ithacas mean. – Constantine Cavafy

For plenty more great travel content, check out Readsaga today.

[webgalleria]

Instagram @iamclay2ali Drew Bundini Brown wrote "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, rumble young man rumble.” He joined Muhammad Ali's entourage as a cornerman in 1963 and remained with him throughout his career. #muhammadali #cassiusclay #goat #boxing #thegreatest #fighter #legend #islam #thepeoplechamp #thegreatestofalltime #boxing #iamclay2ali  #fighter #memorabilia #goat #greatness #rip #allah #ripmuhammadali #bundinibrown