NBA Playoffs + Boxing =

[butterfly1964]

Muhammad Ali Post-Fight Press Conference

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter1: What was the punch that did it?

Ali: A right hand shook him, and from there I knew I had him.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter2: I noticed that you did more dancing, than the last time. Did that help you?

Ali: It helped me stay away from him, and then when he got tired, I was able to take advantage.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter3: I noticed you held your hands higher than usual. Why was that?

Ali: Basically to get in position to block his punches, and then counter with my own.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter4: Did Louis bother you at any time?

Ali: Yes, in the fifth. He hurt me a little with a left hook and a right.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter5: What were you trying to do in round three?

Ali: I went low to confuse him, cause my trainer Angelo Dundee told me that Joe would be bothered by wierd stances and styles, so I mixed my stances up a little. I suppose that it might have worked. It was just something new I tried that I was practicing in sparring, that's all.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter6: I suppose you trained harder for this fight than the last one, right?

Ali: Without a doubt. I worked really hard to get this win.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter7: Will you change your strategy for the next fight?

Ali: I don't think so. I think I've figured this guy out enough, already.

(Soft Bickering)
Reporter8: I noticed you didn't do any psyching out to Louis. Were you just more serious, or did you just run out of tricks?

Ali: I never run out of gimmicks. You just wait and see!

Reporter9: Will you win the next two fights?

Ali: I'll try. I'm at home, so I have a pretty good chance.

(The reporters leave)

[butterfly1964]

Joe Louis Post-Fight Press Conferences

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter1: What did Ali do that troubled you so?

Louis: Well, his right hand was a bother, and he moved a lot. And he went low sort of awkward-like. It kind of puzled me.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter2: Did you fight a different fight today than in the last fight?

Louis: No, I did the same thing, but I guess he figured me out.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter3: What will you change for next time?

Louis: I don't know yet. Me and Chappy will ahve to work out something.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter4: Did you feel you were over confident?

Louis: No, I took him seriously, but like I said, he must have figured me out.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter5: Are you still confident you could win the next game?

Louis: I think I can still find a way, yes.

(Soft Bickering)
Reporter6: What do you feel you have to do, now?

Louis: I have to make sure I can play games back in Detroit, or else I'm doomed.

(Soft Bickering)
Reporter7: Do you feel you could have used the left hook more in this fight?

Louis: I suppose so. But like I said before, he moved a lot, and I couldn't get my arms off.

(The reporters leave)

[butterfly1964]

What will happen in number four, will Louis tie it up, or will Ali force Joe back up against a wall? Tune in next time in Houston to find out! Well, that will do it for today. Once again, the final score is ali-tko10. Butterfly1964 here, saying goodday!

[butterfly1964]

Again, feel free to send over good k and points.

[butterfly1964]

Hey, everyone. Welcome to The Playoff Boxing Finals! I'm butterfly1964, your ringside commentator.

(W) Muhammad Ali vs. (E) Joe Louis - Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas for fight #4. (ali leads 2-1)

Who will come out on top tonight? Let's go over to Houston.

[butterfly1964]

Hello, ladies and gentleman, and welcome to Houston's Astrodome.

Presenting,

"NBA Playoffs + Boxing =" Finals!

for the John L. Sullivan Trophy!

between

Muhammad Ali

Western Conference Champion

versus

Joe Louis

Eastern Conference Champion

Ali has a one game lead in the series. How will Louis respond? Both men, especially Louis trained hard for this fourth contest. The betting odds on this fight is still 1:1, because many expect Louis to bounce back as he always does. A lot of people expect Louis and Ali to split one game a piece for every two, because we all know how good they are in rematches, so it's still anyone's game. Let's go to the press conference.

Ali: Slow Louis, I'm gonna whup you. You won't never beat me again. You'll be swinging at nothin' all night.

Louis: I'm gonna expose you for the loud mouth comical joke that you are, you'll see.

Ali: And I'm gonna expose your feet being stuck in the mud, fool.

Looks like the love is not lost between them yet, haha. Let's take a look at the tale of the tape.

Muhammad Ali

age: 25
height: 6'-3"
weight: 209
reach: 83"
record: 29-0-0 (23ko)

Joe Louis

age: 28
height: 6'-2"
weight: 205
reach: 76"
record: 56-1-0 (50ko)

The crowd cheers as Joe Louis enters the ring, wearing a gray robe with his name stiched in black lettering. He now comes in the ring and looks serious.

The crowd erupts in applause as Muhammad Ali bounces up and down through the aisle. Ali is attired with a white robe with his name stiched in black lettering. He is in the ring and warms up.

Here is our ring announcer!

Michael Buffer: Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the Playoff Boxing Finals! Llllets get readyyy to rummmblllllllle! Fifteen rounds! Introducing, from Detroit, Michigan, wearing gray trunks with black stripes, standing six feet two inches tall and weighing two hundred five pounds, nicknamed "The Brown Bomber", The Eastern Conference Champion, Joe Louisss!(the crowd is applauding)Louisss! And his opponent, (the crowd goes wild) from right here in Houston, Texas, wearing white trunks with black stripes, standing six feet three inches tall, weighing two hundred nine pounds, nicknamed, "The Greatest", The Western Conference Champion, your Muhammaaaaad Aaaaaliiiiiiii!(the crowd cheers with excitement)Aaaliiiiiiiiii!

Mark Conn: You know the rules of the Texas State Athletic Boxing Commision. Protect yourself at all times, and break when I tell you to break. Any questions? Shake hands and come out fighting.

Ali is on his toes in his corner, and Louis is still.

[butterfly1964]

Round 1: Ali comes out and moves at a furious pace. As in every fight he moves unordinarily fast in the first round; part of the reason is because naturally, he's a little nervous as anyone would be before a fight of this magnitude. So, it has a combined effect of working the edge off, and while Muhammad is moving around with that blinding speed, nobody can hit him. Ali jabs and moves and louis just stalks his prey. Louis fires a quick one-two that's short of the mark, and ali uses his jab a lot and moves to keep away from joe: Dundee and Blackburn is giving both men instructions.

Round 2: Ali keeps moving, on his toes, and his hands ready to conter Louis' left jab. Ali is throwing the right hand well, and louis scores with th left hook from time to time. Ali does the shuffle and then a left hook and a right cross. The crowd is entertained! Louis comes back with an overhand right which puts ali in his place. Both men score well in this round: Blackburn is rubbing joe down.

Round 3: Louis moves in cutting the ring off and ducks under a jab and fires a jolting uppercut that ali walks through. Louis is now shooting lefts and rights that score with consistent accuracy. Louis gets in some head shots and ali keeps louis away with his reach. Louis does a good job of blocking ali's right hands, and is scoring well with his hooks: Blackburn is applying ice to Louis' eye.

Round 4: Louis ducks under Ali's jab frequently to land body shots and snap ali's chin. Louis is getting in better, using good tactics that Blackburn gave him during the rest period. Louis lands the jab a bit more, and times his right hand just right. Louis also uses the left hook, which is Ali's Achilles heel. It's all louis as he corners ali and rips the body periodically to wear down his opponent: Dundee is working ali over and applying ice to his eye as well. Blackburn is applying more ice and telling joe to keep waiting for ali to throw a punch and react.

Round 5: Ali is flatfooted, and one-two's louis. Louis fires a jab that is short of the mark, but ali counters with a double right that rocks louis' head. ali follows up, but louis ties ali up and recovers. ali is on the defensive, throwing jabs, and a good left hook now and then. Louis concentrates on body punching to wear Muhammad down. Louis uppercuts ali and ali is hurt, however ali manages to tie louis up and survive the round: dundee is working ali over to get him fresh.

Round 6: Ali is still on his toes and louis is moving at a faster pace. louis fires a jab that connects, and ali tries for an uppercut that misses, and louis counters with a left hook and another right. Louis is dominating right now and seemingly wearing ali down. ALi finds louis with jabs and a few lead rights, but louis still wins the round: Dundee is again working ali over, while Chappy applies ice to louis' puffed up eye.

Round 7: Louis is moving in and drives ali to the ropes and lands his crushing blows. ali covers up and after a while pushes louis off. ali is flatfooted now and is a bit tired and worn out, but he presses on. Muhammad lands some good punches near the end of this round: Dundee is working ali over and applying ice to his eye.

Round 8: Ali is moving again and is firing blistering combinations. Louis is not bothered much but hurts ali with a left hook to the liver. the crowd's mouths are open as louis has ali against the ropes. louis measureswith his left and throws a big right and then follows up with left and right hooks and ali is down! Ali is up at the count of three and takes the mandatory eight count. ali covers up and louis pounds ali until the round ends: Dundee is putting ice down ali's pants smelling salts to revive ali. Louis looks poised and ready to finish ali off.

Round 9: Louis smells blood and stalks ali. Louis is landing good hard blows, but ali fights back with a good flurry that stuns joe. Ali now fires big shots that rock louis. Now both men get into a slugfest. Then they clinch, and ali pushes him off. ali then lands a jab and then a speedy right hand that jarres louis again, and this holds joe off so ali lasts the round: Blackburn is seeking to revive louis from that exchange.

Round 10: Ali is moving again and has gotten what we call a second -win. Ali fires some good shots that keep louis of of him. Louis stalks ali, but he is unreachable at thais point. ali executed his game plan well this tiem as he uses a trucklload of jabs and his right hands are effective once again. louis lands some body blows, but it's all Ali: Dundee is giving ali instructins, while he is working on his eye.

Round 11: Louis is moving in on ali, but ali has fully recovered and is doing well with his flurries. Ali stuns louis with a left hook, and he moves in to finish, but louisfires back with body blows that make ali back off. Ali continues to land shots from all over, body, head and he uses jis feet as well. Louis lands some good right ahnds, but ali lands much more blows: Blackburn is working on that eye of Louis'.

Round 12: Ali is back on his toes and louis is stalking him. Joe throws a right hand that misses. Joe is not moving forward as fast as before. Joe is a little fatigue from chasing ali across the ring. This is not something he's used to doing. Ali boxes around louis in this one, peppering his face with jabs and counter rights: Louis looks real tired in his corner.

Round 13: Ali is on his toes circling and popping that jab. Louis' shots are a bit weaker, and ali knows this. ali sits on his punches now, feeling he an go for the knockout. ali gets in some hard vicious shots that rock louis. A left to the body and a right cross stun louis, and a left and right hook, followed by a left jab, a right cross, and two left uppercuts, worry joe. Joe is now trying to avoid the punches, but they are lightning fast and joe can't seem to get out of harm's way. joe fight's back with some body shots, but ali walkes through them and counters with a double right and louis is rubbery-legged. ali moves in to finish, but the bell rings: Blackburn is trying to revive joe, and ali is a bit tired, but ready as Dundee gives him instructions.

Round 14: Louis fights back and tries to make a fight of it, and he is in the thick of it for a while, but not for long, as ali's reach and his dancing feet dictate the action right in ring center. ali now goes flatfooted, partly to slow the action down, and partly out of fatigue. louis lands three successive left jabs, but ali counters with a double right. ali keeps this up until the round ends: Both dundee and Black burn are giving their fighters the fight definging instructions.

Round 15: Both men go in close and louis pounds the body, while ali head hunts furiously to the head with lightning-fast flurries. Louis stuns ali with a left hook, but ali holds on to joe and recovers. ali jabs and moves and is throwing the right ahnd well. ali does his famous shuffle and unleashes lefts and right leads. Louis uppercuts ali and snaps mauhammad head up. ali rocks louis with a vicious fluury. Both men fight at a furious pace. ALi throws a lot of jabs, most of them connecting. Louis lands an overhand right juat as the bell rings!

Ali was down in the eighth round, and Both men's eyes were puffed up. Here's Buffer with the decision.

Michael Buffer: Judge Artie Aidala scores it, 8-6-1 for Ali! (The crowd cheers) Judge Tony Castellani scores it 9-6 for Ali! (The crowd celebrates) Referee Mark Conn scores it 8-7 for Ali, the winner by unanimous decision, Muhammaaaaad Aaaaaliiiiiiiii! (The crowd is very happy.)

Let's go to the post fight press conferences.

[butterfly1964]

Muhammad Ali Post-Fight Press Conference

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter1: How did you manage to turn it around after being floored?

Ali: Well, Dundee applyed the smelling salts and luckily I ****** it up and went on to victory.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter2: Did you feel you got the decision in the fight before it was announced?

Ali: I wasn't sure. I was floored and I gave away the middle rounds. Let's say I was doubtful.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter3: Did you use the right hand enough in this fight in your opinion?

Ali: I would say so. I countered henever I could and that was part of the reason why I won.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter4: Did you think this fight ould go the distance?

Ali: I knew it could eventually. I just wasn't concentrating on that.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter5: Did you try for a knockout?

Ali: Yes, in the later rounds, but he witstood it, and it didn't happen.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter6: Were you in good condition for thi fight?

Ali: Oh, yes, I did a lot of roadwork, 8 miles every day. I sparred alot and other things as well.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter7: Will you change your strategy for the next fight?

Ali: I don't figure on that anymore. My gameplan is good enough now.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter8: So, you've fine-tuned your strategy at this point in time?

Ali: I think so. And judging from the fight, so did Slow Louis.

(Laughter)

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter9: Can you finish him off nd win the John L. Sullivan trophy?

Ali: I think I could. If I'm at home, I got a pretty good shot.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter10: Do you think Louis could repond with something new?

Ali: Maybe. I'll just stay in shape and be ready for it.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter11: How bad is your eye?

Ali: Not too bad. Some ice will take care of it.

Reporter12: If you lose game 5, How confident are you that you can beat Louis on his terf?

Ali: I did it before, I can do it again.

Reporter13: Are you the greatest?

Ali: You can fight out in the next fight!

(The reporters leave)

[butterfly1964]

Joe Louis Post-Fight Press Conference

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter1: How did you let ALi get away from you in the eighth?

Louis: He covered up good and blocked the punches, nd I got a little tired.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter2: I noticed you went back to your own strategy for the most part.

Louis: Well, that's what I'm used t anyway.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter3: How will you survive elimination?

Louis: I guess I have to keep going after him.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter4: Are you still confident?

Louis: Yes, there is a way to beat him, I've done it before.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter5: You survives elimination from Liston. Is this your inspiration?

Louis: It's part of it.

(Loud Shouting)
Reporter6: Are the mind games taking it's toll?

Louis: It's not that, he just good and hard to beat.

(Soft Bickering)
Reporter7: Do you feel you could have used the left hook more in this fight?

Louis: I used it enough, but he moved a lot, it was hard to tag him with it.

(Soft Bickering)
Reporter8: How is your eye?

Louis: It's okay. I'll just rest for a couple of days cause it's kind of hard to see right now.

Reporter9: Will you win?

Louis: I'll find a way, I promise.

(The reporters leave)

[butterfly1964]

What will happen in number five, will Louis force a game six, or will Ali will it all? Louis promises a win; can he make it happen? Find out next time in Houston to find out! Well, that will do it for today. Once again, the final score is ali-ud15. Butterfly1964 here, saying goodday!