Muhammad Ali vs. Wilt Chamberlain: Jim Brown's Story on SIRIUS XM Radio

[Nickcat5]

From Wilt's 1st book; Drew 'Bundini' Brown was the one who's thought that Wilt was too tall,that he relayed these fears to Herbert Muhammad who then vetoed the fight.,One of Wilt's attorney's ,I believe was also dead set against it & told Wilt that (And here's where I agree) 'Ali could make an absolute fool out of you in the ring'. Wilt,by his own admission thought better of it also. In a street fight I might pick Wilt,but in the ring,I'd bet the store on Ali !!

[mrcjrowe]

Chamberlain would have fell like a tree... TIMBERRRRR !

[theatlantean3]

I thought it may have been interesting (Ali vs Chamberlain), simply due to the reach factor and Wilt's height (Ali having trouble getting to Wilt's face). However, I read that they were playing golf one day, and Ali was fooling around with Wilt, showing him how fast his hands were. He asked Wilt if he was ready to try and defend himself. Wilt said yes. By the time Wilt could get his hands up, Ali slapped him in the face (lightly) 5 times. From then on, Wilt didn't want anything to do with Ali.

[B04Jordan]

Everyone with doubts about ALi JUST WATCH SHAQUILEE O NEAL vs OSCAR de la hoya......... 7 foot tall 91 reach losses to small welterweight in exbition, heavyweight 6'3 or 5'11 oscar??????????? watch the actual fight on youtube shaq ever nsays he couldnt take oscars head shots from a small welter not HEAVYWEIGHT. ali had to fight proper fighters first not just joke fights otherwise be accused of ducking people as well as disrespectful to the proper career fighting boxers of the time.

[michaelyouth]

@B04Jordan Dude, everyone who has doubts, is too stupid to understand well fuck all.. Ali would destroy this dude in 10 seconds of round 1.

[garioldwin]

@michaelyouth Cus D'Amato (boxing manager and trainer who handled the careers of Floyd Patterson, José Torres, Vinnie Ferguson, and Mike Tyson) said to Wilt that he cant make a career of boxing but if he trains for one particular fight against Ali he had a chance to win it . I would rather listen the man who trained best boxers int he world then a guy who doesnt know shit about boxing .

[michaelyouth]

@garioldwin Haha. Yeah if the fellow trained in boxing for 2 years or 3 years. He might have a chance of getting past round 5, if he trained for 5 years, he might actually not be knocked out but just lose SEVERELY on points. Cus D'amato also told Tyson that Muhammad was unbeatable in his prime. So yeah I'd rather listen to Cus than to a moron like yourself.

[garioldwin]

@michaelyouth I really doubt he said that since Ali did loose some fights in his prime so there was no logic in that .

[michaelyouth]

@garioldwin Wouldn't doubt it. It is a fact. Tyson has said this many times. He recently (2009) said it to Oprah, if my memory serves me right.. Cus told that nobody, in his prime, could beat Ali. Ali never lost a fight in his prime. His prime was before he fought Joe Frazier, or even Oscar Bonavena and Quarry. His prime was when he deafeted London, Liston, C. Williams and Foley. Cus told that no man could have beaten Ali against Foreman or in his true prime. HahaWilt champion right

[garioldwin]

@michaelyouth Even if its thrue , Wilt vs Ali fight would happen in 1971. , by your statement Ali was in his prime untill 1967.

[michaelyouth]

@garioldwin It's not a case of ''even if it is true'', do your research, these are facts.

Ali's prime was in 1967. He was at his peak there, he probably would have done better if he wasn't on exile. In 67 he was so unbeatable that he was considering fighting Wilt. There was nobody left. He beat everybody worthy of beating in the 60's.(and the 70's for that matter). There is no way a guy, who has no experience in prof boxing, could beat a good prof,let alone the heavyweight champion.

[garioldwin]

@michaelyouth I never said Wilt would win it but i said Wilt had a chance of winning it , thats where our oppinions differ . I also think there is almoust no chance for Ali winning it by a knockout , Wilt was just too tall , had ridiculously big reach for that height and had stamina to move better then 99% 6 foot man .

[michaelyouth]

@garioldwin Wilt not even had the slightest chance of winning. Ofcourse if I would have fought Foreman in his prime in the 70's, I might have had a chance of 0,001% of winning, or whatever. I guess Wilt could have won if Ali was blind that night, plus had both his arms broken. Boxing is not about heights,size or reach. It is more about having a great chin and speed. Wilt wasn't fast, neither did he have experience in prof. boxing, so his chin wasn't developed, nor was his body.Ali would kill him

[straty899]

@michaelyouth just a correction: Wilt was fast. Neither would kill neither, they are both superb athletes.

[michaelyouth]

@straty899 Ali would destroy Wilt, what are you talking about man? Why is the public so ignorant about this. Are you even serious, because I'm thinking this is just a bad joke. A fast sprinter is not a fast boxer, a fast boxer is not a fast sprinter, there is different muscle tissue involved. Wilt is unexperienced, he would lose to a simple unexperienced heavyweight. The greatest champion of them all would annihilate him. Kill him. Wilt should be thankfull this wasn't realised.

[straty899]

@michaelyouth Funny that Ali dropped out of the fight according to Jim Brown. Yes an untrained Wilt would lose to Ali but given 6-8 months training it would even be fair. Ali can't even touch Wilt with a pole due to Wilt's 100 inch reach. Quit being a fanboy and respect both athletes gifts.

[jongib369]

@michaelyouth Wilt wasn't fast? are you kidding me? LMFAO...everything else I agree with but not fast DUDE couldn't be further from the truth. he'd beat ali in a foot race for sure. He beat Jim Brown :P

[michaelyouth]

@jongib369 Could be quite possible. I am not saying he is slow in basketball. He is very slow in boxing. A guy with his size and experiece can not be fast in throwing a jab. Look at the amazing footspeed of Ali when he does his shuffle, extremely fast, but he probably would not beat a good sprinter.. Wilt has been saved an amazing whipping because there is no way you can beat the greatest champion without experience..( or with all the experience in the world for that matter.)

[jongib369]

@michaelyouth The only chance I think wilt would have is ALI underestimating him and testing out his punching power...Chamberlain probably weighed 300+ during that time, and being SO big and strong their would be a SHIT ton of force behind that punch...Ali would deff win...but...if he's cocky and lets wilt get in one...NEVER KNOW!! haha

[michaelyouth]

@jongib369 It is not true that real punching power comes with weight. You have the fattest boxers or the heavyweights boxers, who don't hit that hard. Look at Foreman or even Shavers, they didn't weigh 300 pounds.. That says nothing at all. People need to realise that boxers have different muscle tissues developed than for example basketball players or bodybuilders. Wilt would never in the world have had a chance against Ali. How can people not see that, amazes me.

[garioldwin]

@B04Jordan You cant compare Wilt and Shaq . Shaq is a fat slug with very low stamina . Wilt is one of the greatest athlets of all time , was at that time of of the strongest people on earth and had unhuman stamina uncomparable to no man considering he was 7'2'' . Wilt would not tire like an ordinary big man couse he was not ordinary big man . Belive it or not people actually gave odds to Wilt over Ali .

[B04Jordan]

@garioldwiwith all respect to great WILT, he was not a boxer, his neck would not have matured in the same way as a boxer, it was not SHAQ's stamina that was thee problem. it was DE LA HOYA's speed and the abilty to KO SHAQ if he hit him on the head. Ali was fast, had a bigger reach and if SHAQ could'nt take Oscars head shots, Wilt could not take Ali's, seroiusly even if you go to any boxing clubs and ask plp Ali vs Wilt..u would get laughed at...de la hoya or Ali ur choice

[huraha96704]

Jim Brown commenting about the proposal for him to fight Ali, "There is no way in hell I could have even got in a good punch." The first NFL or NBA player to tell it like it is. None of them have ever or will ever compete as a top heavyweight boxer period end of story. Wilt Chamberlain would have been KOed just like 6'9" Too Tall Jones was KOed by journeyman Abraham Meneses. Meneses had the fight stolen form him and Jones never fought a fighter with a winning record after.

[Jmndmb32]

Jim brown could've knocked Ali out if he would've just pretended he was hitting his wife like normal...

[theloosegoose333]

Wilt should have worked his way up in the ring if he wanted to box, but just jumping in because your tall has many problems that have not been solved.

Could he take a punch? Had he ever taken a punch and got used to taking one?

Could he throw a good punch?

Anyway he was being a show off and not showing what he had for the ring, he could have had some fights, but he just showed off.

[vinnynumbnuts]

as far as i know, real tall guys never made it big time in boxing. a 7'2" wilt might be harder to hit on the chin, but ali would've brought wilt's chin down within better striking reach with body shots on the inside. my guess anyway. it would've been an interesting boxing match between to ultra-super athletes to watch.

[Da2faan]

i can remember clearly my grand uncle telling my dad that wen muhammed ali suddenly popped into his clinic in new york before the foreman fight wis a flu symtoms,before he left he decided to measure how tall he was exactly and my uncle said he was a shade over 6'3 on the measureing device,jim brown allways loved ali, wen he said 6,2 for ali and 7,2 for wilt he was obviously giveing his own estimate estimate,besides jim brown is listed at 6,2 and in every pic wis ali he seams and inch shorter

[huiask8r]

They wudve been an awesome fight. ali wanted to fight

[mohammadshukri]

In matter of fact. Ali was 6`3 and his reach was 80.

[MrScottydabody]

@mohammadshukri consider that barefooted he was actually just 6'2''. i agree it kind diminishes ali to realize he was actually only 6'2''. i think his reach was 79''.

[diabloprey]

@MrScottydabody 6'2" barefoot? Have you seen a boxing shoe, there is no inch between the floor and your foot with them on.

[MrScottydabody]

@diabloprey when you look at Mike Tyson and Roy Jones' shoe you might find yourself suddenly changing your perspective

[diabloprey]

@MrScottydabody Nowadays there is more padding, back when Ali boxed there was barely anything their.

[MrScottydabody]

@diabloprey i agree with you that back in the day boxing shoes didn't have much lift, but the issue is not shoe or even ali's height, but why brown is trying to covertly suggest that ali would be undersized today.

[princeali1786]

"TIMBER"

[CoolerKing37]

Jim Brown, Wilt, and Ali. 3 of the most badass athletes of all-time.

[Ma007rk]

A man's got to know his limitations, Which Jim Brown obviously did.

[TheAbbeyroad1969]

interesting video. i never knew jim was involved with Ali/Chamberlain fight

[billthestinker]

there was a story that ali and brown use to spar together friendly like until brown got rough and ali gave him a good shot to set brown right.

[2242bzo]

Brown was a jerk back in the day. Always siding against Ali, but at the same time he hung out with Ali. In this interview, Brown is a nice guy.

[MrScottydabody]

@2242bzo actually don't be fooled. brown is actually trying to diminish ali by refering to ali's height as being 6'2'' when he knows that ali is universally listed at 6'3''. he does the opposite with wilt putting wilt at 7'2'' when wilt is known to be 7'0'' (wilt was his buddy)if he were trying diminish wilt he would say 6'11. brown also uses the word "afraid" in reference to hurbert muhammad, when he could have just said he "backed out". brown is definitely trying chip away at ali's legacy.

[garioldwin]

@MrScottydabody Wilt was 7'1.16'' exactly , thats really close to 7'2'' . I really dont know where you got the info that he was 7'0'' and Wilt is known as 7'1'' .

[datacipher]

@MrScottydabody

So...he by saying he was ONE inch shorter than he claimed to be (athletes heights are commonly exaggerated), and yet then saying there was no way "in hell" he'd fight Ali...and that he wouldn't have gotten in a single good punch......that's a conspiracy to belittle Ali? O...K....

[datacipher]

@datacipher

OH...PS. Celebrityheights believes Ali was actually 6.2 1/2 in his prime.

[MrScottydabody]

@datacipher i agree with you that if you based my statements off just those two points you have clearly emphasized, the significance behind what i aimed at may have passed you by, but there is alot more going on here than just those two things. so go off and have another listen with another set of ears and see if you can focus deeper and notice some of the other comments he made and maybe sort of ask yourself why he said some of the things in the manner he did.

[SuneyJ]

LOL

Timbeeeeeeeeeeeeeer

[garioldwin]

Thanks a lot man for posting this! I knew that Wilt didnt backed down from that fight! Too bad it didnt happen.

[paxpax23]

Jim Brown is still a BAD BOY!!!!

[ButchHurricane]

F a n t a s t i c ...... ! Could you please include more of this....I think Jim Brown could write a least one or two chapters about Muhammad Ali that we haven't heard yet. I mean, Brown knew Ali... so he must have dozens of recollections of him...Brown is so smart. Interview Jim Brown again..more on Ali and Chamberlain and more on Ali...and why did Brown think Foreman could beat Ali in Zaire? Wasn't he is Foreman's corner? Calling all interviews...find Brown.