Читать книгу Ali vs. Inoki. The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment онлайн

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Several years later, having beaten my childhood bullies, I watched the documentary Kings of the Square Ring. That was when I saw the match between Ali and Inoki, which took place in the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. I would have never guessed that many years later I’d successfully defend my Pancrase world title in that same arena by stopping Frank Shamrock.

Crazy how life goes, right?

Still to this day one of my biggest wishes is to meet the legend Muhammad Ali. This guy had it all: looks, charisma, skill, and he could walk the walk. Later in life, when I knew what pro wrestling was—we don’t have pro wrestling in the Netherlands—I realized that Ali took a lot of notes from that art to promote himself. Getting everybody riled up, you either wanted to see him win or lose. Love him or hate him, he sold tickets.

The other great thing about the way he talked was that he made opponents really angry. And, when competing, anger is not something that belongs in the martial arts world because it clouds your mind.