Bigger myth about Ali: Cooper or Wepner fight?

[BKM-2010]

So we just had a thread where glove-gate myth was pretty much cleared up, proving with footage that Clay barely got a few seconds of extra time if at all.

I also want to talk about how much has been made over the Wepner fight over the years, especially this moment:



There was no actual knockdown, and Wepner hardly gave Ali a very hard fight as much as it was a case of his very dirty tactics allowing him to survive long enough. Respect to his toughness and heart but really, lets be honest here.

My pick is Wepner because it actually inspired one of the most famous movies ever. Although The Cooper knockdown is one of the most debated Boxing topics ever.

[rightsideup]

I picked the cooper fight as many people in print have perpetuated that myth. When wepner almost went the distance and ali fell no one but chuck thought it was a knockdown. Rocky may have been spawned as inspiration but every thing was fictionalized.

[joseph5620]

Both have definitely strayed from the truth over the years but I think the bigger Myth has come from the Clay-Cooper fight.

[BKM-2010]

I picked the cooper fight as many people in print have perpetuated that myth. When wepner almost went the distance and ali fell no one but chuck thought it was a knockdown. Rocky may have been spawned as inspiration but every thing was fictionalized.

The movie may have actually contributed to the myth massively. Once people found out that the movie was (wrongfully) based on this fight, they started thinking it was comparable. Apollo was smashed by Rocky, knocked down legitimately and almost lost whereas Wepner took a beating for 15 rounds, survived because of his dirty moves and got KO'd at the end.

[Scott9945]

People talked about Clay-Cooper for years. Ali-Wepner was forgotten almost immediately.

[The Old LefHook]

Ali/Cooper, for all the reasons listed so far by our perspicacious members.

I abashedly admit that until this thread got my attention, I was one of those who suscribed to this myth with lazy mob mentality.

I kept listening for a bump in the soundtrack where it had been edited and shortened, but it seemed perfectly continuous.

Probably the most important thread in my tenure here. That is how it is done. Some purport to always be schooling others on here. This time I know I have been schooled.