Antonio Inoki Dies: Wrestling Legend Who Fought Muhammad Ali To A Draw Was 79
deadline.comAntonio Inoki, whose most famous moment on the world stage was an unorthodox exhibition match against boxing champion Muhammad Ali that aimed to settle which sport could beat the other, died Friday in Japan.
He was 79 and no cause of death was released. Inoki was considered a combat sports trailblazer, but also was a successful entrepreneur and politician in his native Japan, where he was one of the country’s most famous people.
In wrestling-mad Japan, Inoki was considered its most important star, selling out countless arenas and stadiums from the 1970s and on.
He was also the first Japanese wrestler to win the WWF championship and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010. But all that was a prelude to the Ali exhibition on June 26, 1976, when Inoki took on the champion in a bout that was a precursor to today’s mixed martial arts matches.
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