Ahead of his boxer vs. wrestler match in Japan vs. Antonio Inoki, Muhammad Ali fought a 3 round exhibition against a lesser known wrestler, Buddy Wolfe. Fred Blassie was in Ali's corner, and Dick The Bruiser was in Wolfe's, with AWA legend, and future Hall of Famer, Verne Gagne, wearing his warmup suit as the ref.
Hearing Blassie shouting instructions to Ali, it made me think of what might've been had Blassie auditioned for a supporting role in "Rocky". Of course, we all know that "Rocky" was a mammoth hit, with film legend Burgess Meredith as Mickey opposite Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa.
I think this might've been the first time Gagne was in the same building with Vince McMahon, who conducted a post-fight interview with Ali & Blassie.
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