Muhammad Ali: Daily Routine

He lost every gym round, but when the lights came on, Ali danced, floated, and stung his way into history.

During the twilight of Muhammad Ali’s fighting career, Sports Illustrated profiled the boxer during his training camp for his 1980 title fight against the undefeated Larry Holmes. Ali, who was a mere shadow of his former self, went on to lose the bout (the first and only time he lost by stoppage), and retire just a year later.

Angelo Dundee, Ali’s longtime trainer who’d been with him since his early career, told Sports Illustrated during the training camp, “Ali hasn’t won a round in the gym since I’ve known him. He’s the worst gym fighter in the world. But he always showed me flashes: 10 seconds, 15 seconds.”

Dundee made the same point to The New York Daily News. “Ali never won a decision in the gym,” he said in a 1996 interview. “He took shellackings in the gym only because that was the way he wanted to train.”