Alright, let’s dive into this wild tale from the past. So, back in June ’67, Muhammad Ali – yep, the champ himself – gets slapped with a draft evasion rap. Refused to suit up for Vietnam. Gets his title stripped, like, pronto, and they yank his boxing license. Crazy, right? Three and a half years in a courtroom whirl, dodging jail. No punches thrown till ’70. Imagine the itch to get back in the ring!
Meanwhile, the boxing world kinda limped along without him. Did folks miss him? Oh, for sure. Just peek at the lineup wrestling for Ali’s vacated throne. Names like Thad Spencer, Jerry Quarry… honestly, I might’ve nodded off listing them all. Frazier? The dude knew better and sidestepped the circus.
Fast forward to April 27, ’68. Quarry vs Ellis in Oakland, right on the anniversary of Ali’s big “No, thanks” to the draft. And man, that fight? Yawn city. I’ve seen more spark at a dentist appointment. Quarry claims he had a back thing going on. Whatever. More like a back-to-sleep, if you ask the crowd. Ellis just followed his corner, throwing distant jabs like a game of tag.
Ellis wins – allegedly the new champ. But, really, could you picture Ali even breaking a sweat against these two? Probably could take ‘em both on a lazy afternoon, between sips of tea and courtroom chats.
And Teddy Brenner nailed it with his quip after the match: the WBA tourney was a knockout of a failure. It knocked out fan interest way more than fighters.
Ellis defends against Patterson. Another snoozer. But by this point, everyone with a pulse knew Frazier was the man to beat. And he did just that, stopping Ellis in February ‘70.
So yeah, Ali’s legend only got bigger during those off years. Because even when he wasn’t there, his shadow was impossible to ignore.
– Just some rambling thoughts from a curious mind.
