Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

vs.

Trevor Berbick Trevor Berbick (1 August 1954 – 28 October 2006) was a Jamaican professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 2000. He won the WBC heavyweight title in 1986 by defeating Pinklon Thomas, then lost it in his first defense in the same year to Mi ...

, billed as "Drama in Bahama", was a ten-round boxing match that took place in

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of the Bahamas. With a population of 274,400 as of 2016, or just over 70% of the entire population of the Bahamas, Nassau is commonly defined as a primate city, dwarfing all other towns in the country. ...

on December 11, 1981. Ali was 39 years old at this time, and Berbick was 27 years old. The fight went the distance with Berbick winning through a unanimous decision on points. This was Ali's last boxing match.

Background

Prior to the fight, Ali claimed that he had been declared fit by "even the best white doctors." Nevertheless, the venue for the fight—Nassau in the Bahamas—was chosen because no American state would grant Ali a boxing license after his performance in the match with Larry Holmes. The promoter of this fight was James Cornelius, a convicted felon with links to the

Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African ...

. However, a problem arose since

Don King Donald King (born August 20, 1931) is an American boxing Promoter (entertainment), promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups. He has been a controversial figure, partly due to a manslaughter conviction and civil cas ...

had signed up Berbick for a three-fight deal. When King arrived in Nassau to demand his share of the profits from this fight, he was greeted by two friends of Cornelius who administered a sound beating to King. Ali had hoped to use this fight to earn a title bid against Mike Weaver the

World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxi ...

Champ. Ali said "The stage is set for me. I love this sort of situation". Ali's weight just before and during the fight was . One reporter described him as

Michelin Man Bibendum (), commonly referred to in English as the Michelin Man or Michelin Tyre Man, is the official mascot of the Michelin tyre company. A humanoid figure consisting of stacked white tire, tyres, it was introduced at the Lyon Exposition inter ...

. Ticket sales for the fight were so slow that the promoters ended up offering them at a heavy discounted price. Ultimately, fewer than 7,500 people witnessed this fight. There was no pay-per-view television; no American network had even made a bid. However, ONTV aired the fight, with it airing at least in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. The fight took place in the unfinished Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre. When people arrived to see the fight they found they could not get in because the key to the main gate had been misplaced. When the key was found, it was discovered that there were no boxing gloves at the venue. There was also no bell to signal the end of a round; ultimately a hastily procured

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...

had to be used for this purpose. Because of the paucity of paying spectators Berbick refused to fight unless he was paid upfront. The fight started more than two hours behind schedule.

The fight

In the early rounds, Ali tried putting together some combinations, but these proved ineffectual and he was pushed back on the ropes. In the fifth round, Ali landed some solid jabs and then a right-left-right combination on Berbick, but by the sixth round Ali had tired and started getting hit. By the last round, Ali was completely exhausted. Sportswriter

Hugh McIlvanney Hugh McIlvanney (2 February 1934 – 24 January 2019) was a Scottish sports journalist who had long stints with the British Sunday newspapers ''The Observer'' (30 years until 1993) and then 23 years with ''The Sunday Times'' (1993–2016). Aft ...

, who witnessed the fight, wrote:

References

{{Muhammad Ali Berbick 1981 in boxing December 1981 sports events in North America 1981 in Bahamian sport Boxing in the Bahamas Nicknamed sporting events